Cris Cyborg posted a photo of herself in a lavish gown on Friday, writing that her date “suddenly” canceled on her. The cryptic post was taken for a commentary on Cyborg’s exit from the UFC, and fans flooded the comments with their own opinions, advice and even outrage.
Cyborg was released from the UFC this week after releasing heavily-edited footage of the company’s president, Dana White. In it, Cyborg confronted White backstage for allegedly making disparaging comments about her. In response, White effectively fired Cyborg, leaving her with no plans for Friday night.
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“All dressed up and ready to go when my date suddenly cancels,” the mixed martial artist wrote. “Anyone know someone who might be interested?”
The photo showed Cyborg in an elegant black gown that fell all the way to the floor. It had long sleeves, yet an open back revealing all of her distinct tattoos. However, most of her followers took this for a commentary on her firing, not a genuine request for suitors.
“I look forward to watching your fights no matter where you sign,” one tweeted.
“When one door closes, another opens,” another fan advised. “I can’t wait to see what happens next.”
In her initial video, Cyborg claimed that White had said she was “scared” of the women’s featherweight champion Amanda Nunes. She approached White backstage after winning another fight, telling him she wanted a rematch against Nunes. Her video made it look like the promoter mocked her, but that turned out not to be the case.
Instead, White had actually assured her he did not doubt her tenacity, saying vaguely: “We’ll get it done.”
“I’m not saying negative things about you,” he added. “Never did I say you’re afraid.”
Cyborg’s team released the full unedited video later on, along with an apology to White and to the fans that had been misled. Cyborg still felt that she had reason to confront White, but admitted that it was not right to misrepresent him in the video.
Still, many fans still sided with Cyborg’s righteous indignation, feeling that White had belittled her. They encouraged her to stand her ground, and many even offered suggestions of other federations she could fight in.
Others felt that Cyborg had taken it too far with her video, and that her firing had been justified. However, her public relations team took the brunt of the criticism, both for the video and for this latest post.
“This is so awkward! Literally the biggest social spotlight in months, fans holding their breath for response, and this is the post?!” one fan tweeted. “The Cyborg PR Team is missing the mark. Has been for years. Please rethink image and brand strategy.”
