Ronda Rousey wants to face ‘Cyborg’ Justino before retiring in her 30s

Rousey hopes to fight Cristiane Justino before her career is over.

SI Wire | Sep 1, 2015

Ronda Rousey wants to face ‘Cyborg’ Justino before retiring in her 30s /

UFC champion Ronda Rousey (12–0 MMA, 6–0 UFC) does not expect to fight into her 30s and hopes to fight Cristiane (Cyborg) Justino (14–1) before calling it a career, she told UFC commentator Joe Rogan on his podcast “Joe Rogan Experience” on Monday.

“I don’t want to be fighting in my 30s,” Rousey told Rogan. “By 30s, I mean like 31, 32. If you’re actually 30 years old that’s 30, not 30s. Once you add the one, that’s 30s, plural. I’m 28.”

Rousey turns 29 on Feb. 1, and boasts an undefeated MMA record. Last month she defeated Bethe Correia at UFC 190 in a 34-second bout before announcing that she will fight Holly Holm at UFC 193 in Melbourne.

In addition to her undefeated record in the cage, Rousey also adds an Olympic bronze medal in judo from the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing to her resumé.

“It just seems unfinished—my career, there’s more left to do. I don’t feel like I’m done yet,” Rousey said. “With the Olympics it's just like, you win an Olympic gold medal and you’re done. With the UFC, when am I really done? I’m not. It feels unfinished still. [A fight vs. Justino] definitely would [help].”

Ronda Rousey's Toughest Would-Be Challenger

Josh Hedges/Forza LLC/Forza LLC via Getty Images

It's a fight that may never happen because of the disparity in their weight classes (135 pounds/145 pounds), but Ronda Rousey vs. Cris "Cyborg" Justino would be one of the biggest blockbusters in UFC history. Here are some photos of the woman who would be Rousey's biggest challenge to date, starting with a shot of her at a 2011 weigh-in, before she tested postive for steroids.

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In March 2015, UFC president Dana White confirmed that Justino had signed a contract with the promotion. In a statement released by the Brazilian outlet Combate, Justino called out Rousey, saying, "Lorenzo signed me. I'm back and coming for you." Justino is pictured here punching Gina Carano during the inaugural Strikeforce Women's Championship event on Aug. 15, 2009, in San Jose.

Konstandinos Goumenidis/Southcreek Sports/Icon SMI

Rousey has said that if the two were to fight, Justino (shown here defeating Hitomo Akamo in 2009) would have to drop to the 135 weight class—rather than the two fighters meeting in the middle at 140—because Rousey doesn't owe anyone anything.

Justino tested positive for a steroid after winning a 2011 bout in 16 seconds. Her license was suspended for a year and she was fined $2,500. Rousey has said she thinks Justino's failed drug test severely hurt women's MMA and almost destroyed the sport. Justino said the failed test was the result of taking a dietary supplement.

Justino shared the nickname "Cyborg" with her former husband, Evangelista Santos, who is also an MMA fighter, and took the name to honor him.

Before she got into MMA, Justino was a national-level handball player in her native Brazil. In August 2009, she defeated Gina Carano in the first round of a Strikeforce title bout.

Justino punches Gina Carano during the inaugural Strikeforce women's championship event.

Justino celebrates with the crowd after her victory over Carano in San Jose.

Justino and challenger Hiroko Yamanaka face off after weighing in for their December 2011 bout. The 16-second victory by Justino was changed to a no decision after she tested positive for steroids.

UFC president Dana White had this to say of Justino in the wake of Ronda Rousey's August 2015 victory: "She hasn't made the weight yet. The day she makes the weight and does what she is supposed to do, that fight is on. She wants that fight, everybody, you don't think I want that fight to happen? That fight, now I'm changing my mind on that fight, I think that fight does 2.5 million buys. I think that fight is massive. "

Justino uses a mix of Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in her fighting style; she's a black belt and a brown belt, respectively.

Justino moved to San Diego and started training with the Arena, although she does specific training like Muay Thai and boxing elsewhere. She still considers the Brazilian Chute Boxe her team, but Chute Boxe doesn't have anything in San Diego.

Justino punches Marloes Coenen during their featherweight championship bout in January 2010.

Justino defeated Marloes Coenen by way of TKO at 3:40 of the third round. Twelve of her 14 wins have been by knockout and one by submission.

Justino closed out 2010 with her second consecutive Female Fighter of the Year award.

According to SB Nation, "the day after a recent fight, [Justino] released a photo of her supposedly on a scale after a successful 145-pound title defense. The scale read 175 pounds."

"People take steroids because they’re insecure. I don’t think her insecurity has gone away,” Rousey has said of Justino.

In the wake of Rousey's recent salvo's about Justino's steroid history, the Brazilian threatened legal action for slander and tweeted: "I pass the same exams @rondarousey takes to prove she's clean for the same company #zuffa. #drugfree @ufc."

Before the big fight with Carano, a reporter asked Justino how long it would take to make Carano submit with a choke hold. In response, Justino said it would take three seconds and, to show the reporter, choked him out cold in a matter of seconds.

Justino has two gold medals from the IBJJF World Jiu-Jitsu Championship, the most prestigious Brazilian jiu-jitsu competition. In 2011 and 2012, she took home top prize in the 74+ kg purple belt division.

In her MMA career, Justino has only lost one fight, her first, to Erica Paes, in 2005.

Several publications have named Justino their female fighter of the year, including Sports Illustrated, which awarded her the title in 2009.

Justino arrives at the third annual Fighters Only World Mixed Martial Arts Awards 2010 at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.

Justino said the distance from her family was the hardest thing to get accustomed to when she moved from Brazil. The language barrier is tough, too (Justino, who speaks Portuguese, is still learning English), but she liked watching opera on TV and loves listening to the radio in her car and singing along, especially to the Black Eyed Peas.

Justino is the 145-pound titleholder while Rousey has been competing in the 135-pound weight class since the fifth fight of her career.

Justino tested positive for steroids in December 2011 and was stripped of her Strikeforce featherweight title. Rousey still has her suspicions of Justino's performance-enhancing drug use.

“If you can make weight and be on steroids, even if it’s making weight or a relatedly making weight-friendly steroid ... without it you’re capable of moving down,” Rousey said. “You see what happens to people without it when they get off of steroids? You see what they look like. It’s very easy for them to drop down. They immediately shrink up. It changes everything. It’s all an insecurity thing.”

- Christopher Chavez

Published Sep 1, 2015

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