Bellator Signs Cris Cyborg to Largest Contract in Women’s MMA History

Cris Cyborg is officially back. On Tuesday, the mixed martial arts star announced she has signed a deal with Bellator and it’s the biggest contract in women’s MMA history. Bellator president Scott Coker shared the news on his Twitter account with Cyborg talking about her new move. Her goal now is to be the only woman to hold four major titles in the same division.

Last month, Cyborg was released from her UFC contract and league president Dana White is happy with the decision.

“Dealing with her has been a nightmare the entire time she’s been here,” White said, according to MMA Junkie. “It’s been a bad experience dealing with Cyborg since Day 1. We brought in her after she tested positive for steroids and we made her a clean athlete with the best drug testing policy in all of sports the entire time she was here. When she talks about her legacy and her brand, her legacy, and her brand, nothing’s better than knowing she’s a clean athlete after testing positive for steroids and all the negativity that surrounded her about being a dirty athlete. We bring her in here, we do all this stuff and she was just never happy.

“Never happy, complaining about everything. She was a nightmare to deal with, and at the end of the day she knows, I know, Amanda Nunes knows, I tried to make that Nunes fight [happen]. She doesn’t want it. She doesn’t want it. She gets mad when I say I don’t blame her. I don’t blame her! If that was Amanda Nunes last Saturday, I think everyone can agree what would’ve happened in that fight. She’s unhappy, we’re unhappy, she lies and does that thing [the video]. See ya later. Have a nice life.”

Following her victory over Felicia Spencer at UFC 240, Cyborg posted a video on YouTube of her confronting White about a possible rematch with Nunes and telling him to stop lying about her. As it turned out, this footage was actually doctored by Cyborg’s team, and she ultimately released the unedited footage with an explanation and an apology.

It’s not known when Cyborg will make her Bellator debut, but this is a huge addition for the organization.