Cris Cyborg: Half Fighter/Half Freakshow
by HaterSlayer on Dec 22, 2011 6:31 AM EST
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PrintHardcore MMA fans like to distinguish themselves from the stereotypical "casual" MMA fan. If you are on an MMA blog I'm sure you know the type, the Tapout wearing guy who is shouting "stand 'em up" or has his "just bleed" painted on his face. We're all better than that however. We watch for the art of combat, its not to watch people beat each other up, we tell our selves, it is for the odd beauty. However to enjoy MMA(or most combat sports) you need to enjoy the violence. No fighter shows how close we are to the meat head fan we all are than Cris 'Cyborg' Santos.
Looking up and down that card people had their reasons to want to see the different fights. Is Gregard overrated? Is OSP the next big thing? Can KJ Noons bounce back? Can Jorge Masvidal shock the MMA world again? All of the fights had their questions that interested us as hardcore fans. The only relevant question to the Cristiane Santos vs. Hiroko Yamanaka was, "how long can this chick last against Cyborg?" Despite that everyone was very hyped about the fight. The reason is because wanted to see her knock some chick out.
Cris Cyborg is a fighter who is a decade, at minimum, ahead of her time. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately since it has made her somewhat of a star, is that it has turned her into a bit of a freak show. There is no real "art" in her fights. They are usually devolve into a one sided beatdown until the referee pulls her off. However her fights are always highly anticipated because of that.
Besides blood lust there is another big reason her fights are anticipated. We have all seen how MMA has evolved over the decades. I've watched some old UFC fights and though, "Man, if you put GSP in here he'd **** these guys up." Cris Cyborg fighting other female fighters is pretty much like plucking Jon Jones out of 2011 and throwing him back on UFC 20. The line would look something like her -1500 odds going into her fight over the #2 fighter in her weight class.
So that is the role that she has found herself in. Cris Cyborg is an excellent fighter, but she is also a freakshow fighter. Entertaining to watch, but moreso for the allure of her being a woman that intimidates most men than to watch her exhibit her skills. I don't think that is a bad thing though. Freakshow fights are part of what makes MMA fun. Every once in a while we need to watch a Leonard Garcia vs. Korean Zombie I style brawl or a good squash match. It scratches the itch that made us get attracted to the sport in the first place.
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She somehow needs to figure out the cut to 135 cause there's nothing left for her at 145.
Rousey I’m pretty sure already said she plans to drop.
"It is himself that a coward abandons first, after that all other betrayals come easily."
by doonerthesooner on Dec 22, 2011 10:43 AM EST up reply actions
On the Rogan podcast, she said she's planning to fight at 135 in the spring.
Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?
George Carlin
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K1 Level Predictions Team 2011 BE Cilvil War Champions!
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Rousey right? Cyborg doesn't know yet?
"It is himself that a coward abandons first, after that all other betrayals come easily."
by doonerthesooner on Dec 22, 2011 1:57 PM EST up reply actions
Yea, rousey is droppingto 135.
Her walk around weight s 150+…she is a solidly built lass.
Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?
George Carlin
----------------------------
K1 Level Predictions Team 2011 BE Cilvil War Champions!
----------------------------
Which is a smart idea. There aren’t enough fights at 145 to fight consistently. Look how far Cyborg was off.
by discoandherpes on Dec 22, 2011 7:07 PM EST up reply actions
I think that you are used to seeing her on weigh in, and fight night
She has much more pronounced curves when she’s not cutting weight or fighting
When I'm on the mic it goes down, CINTRON
-Joell Ortiz
by The Lethal Haze on Dec 22, 2011 3:46 PM EST up reply actions
This was my take as well. Her face looks really thin when she cuts.
Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?
George Carlin
----------------------------
K1 Level Predictions Team 2011 BE Cilvil War Champions!
----------------------------
Its become sad…she didn’t fight for the longest time..they finally found her a “worthy” opponent and the fight was ended quickly when it became clear she was no match. Honestly at this point id look into what it would take to allow her to fight men. She trains with men. Spares with men. Why not fight men? Because it is Taboo? MMA for the majority of its history has been Taboo. Aldo vs Cyborg Battle of the Sexes
Proud member of the Panthers Mafia!
Saving The Environment One Green Comment at a Time
'We got to learn to stick in the knife and turn it - Ron Rivera aka BAMF
Fighting a man?
Even an amateur from the regional scene will win, over Chris Cyborg 99 times out of a 100.
I think she could beat half the FW from the most recent season of TUF.
"He's like Elvis in Korea! They love him there." - Mike Goldberg on Denis Kang
Um... Definitely.
I say make it happen.
by Bennett Von Bennett on Jan 10, 2012 11:05 AM EST up reply actions
I like how you transition from
she should fight a man (ludicrous in its own right) to she should fight Aldo. Do you want her to die in the Octagon?
Everyone feels the need to say something extreme
When the subject of Cyborg fighting a man comes up. Everyone either talks about her fighting Aldo, which is absurd, or claims regional amateur men would beat her 99% of the time, which is also absurd. (Seriously, have you been to a regional amateur show?)
Cyborg does full-contact sparring with her male training partners already. K.J. Noons has sparred with her and said he thinks she’s comparable to 145-pound men he spars with. Obviously she wouldn’t beat someone of the Jose Aldo level. But someone of the Jens Pulver level, meaning the 2011 version of Pulver, of course, I think would be a competitive fight.
by MichaelDavidSmith on Dec 22, 2011 9:58 AM EST up reply actions 2 recs
Luckily for both parts, Cyborg will never fight a man in the cage. So this whole discussion is purely hypothetical. The reason I think that Cyborg will loose to just about any combat sport trained male, is that her biggest asset is her power and strength, and her high level is just about that of an slightly above average male.
by Hugin on Dec 22, 2011 10:32 AM EST up reply actions 3 recs
It's sort of like the guy who fought with no arms and legs
His opponent was in a lose lose position. Do I demolish this person who has a distinct physical disadvantage, or do I play it safe and look like I barely beat an inferior opponent. Obviously Cyborg is more game than that guy…but how many men would go in there and fight Cyborg like they would fight another man? I know that I would be tentative to strike at all…even if I knew she was a better fighter than me. For all we know she would beat Jose Aldo because he would stand there and awkwardly try and just grapple. It’s a silly concept that I hope we never see.
I know I wouldn’t be able to fight a woman.
by discoandherpes on Dec 22, 2011 6:13 PM EST up reply actions
Exactly
Even Jens’ is more skilled and stronger.
KJ is delusional. He himself would get demolished by the some 145lbers because he has no striking defense. Krazy Horse knocked him out.
"I'm ready for fight. If I'm win, no win. I don't know. But, I'm ready for fight. This is my working[shrugs shoulders]" - Anderson Silva
"You'll get Lil Wayne in woman pants and like it!" - Krimson
Slightly above average males
aren’t professional athletes with full-time strength and conditioning coaches.
Above average males at 145 can’t powerslam Tito ortiz. I am an above average strength male for my size, and I assure you that Cristiane Santos would wipe the floor with me.
by Seneca Savoie on Dec 22, 2011 5:35 PM EST up reply actions
K.J. Noons also thinks he beat Nick Diaz in their second fight. Lets not act like we can take him seriously after that.
by discoandherpes on Dec 22, 2011 6:19 PM EST up reply actions
Half devil... half (wo)man... ALL LEGEND!
"Now you see that evil will always triumph, because good is dumb."
I like watching her because she kinda reminds me of Wandy back in the day. All fearless, brutal aggression. WAR CYBORG!!!!
Come on, Rebel, we gonna bust him up tonight!
Bust his chops! Oh, that hurts my parts!
by Uncle Red on Dec 22, 2011 9:20 AM EST reply actions 3 recs
Rec'ing for the exact same reasons
I’ll admit, I look forward to the beatdowns.
When you saw only one set of footprints, it was Herb Dean who carried you -- Mike Fagan
by hardlyworking on Dec 22, 2011 9:40 AM EST up reply actions
You mean her face?
Okay, that was awful, I apologize. But she really does look at least kind of related to him.
I'd rather be trollin'.
I'm sure I'll catch a ball-breaking for saying this
But I find her quite attractive
Come on, Rebel, we gonna bust him up tonight!
Bust his chops! Oh, that hurts my parts!
She's not ugly, she just doesn't conform the many standards of feminine beauty.
Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?
George Carlin
----------------------------
K1 Level Predictions Team 2011 BE Cilvil War Champions!
----------------------------
I'll agree with that
She gets faded hardcore on here though
Come on, Rebel, we gonna bust him up tonight!
Bust his chops! Oh, that hurts my parts!
People gripe a lot
I like her too. Watch interviews where she’s just talking rather than fight promoting – she is a sweet, somewhat shy young woman. Soft-spoken and humble, loyal to her team and her man.
I find her totally charming.
The fact that she could pick me up and carry me, running, out of a burning building is just a plus!
When you saw only one set of footprints, it was Herb Dean who carried you -- Mike Fagan
by hardlyworking on Dec 22, 2011 2:11 PM EST up reply actions
you mean she fights with her top on, right?
This is an oule.
by some schmuck in texas on Dec 22, 2011 10:34 AM EST up reply actions 3 recs
Not sure what you mean, but whatever. What I meant is that she fights like a brute out there, pure raw strength, no precision or technique. Just like Tank Abbott back in the 90’s.
It's prettys simple...
There’s a recent backyard fight video of Abbot fighting wearing a shirt.
This is an oule.
by some schmuck in texas on Dec 22, 2011 11:30 AM EST up reply actions
Look, he burns really easily okay?!
I'd rather be trollin'.
by thirdparty on Dec 22, 2011 12:49 PM EST up reply actions 2 recs
If we are going to make fun of any fighter's in-ring attire
We would be fools to omit:
1) Giant Silva’s grey sweatpants
2) Scott Ferrozzo’s tights
3) Heath Herring’s (PRIDE-era) daisy dukes
Come on, Rebel, we gonna bust him up tonight!
Bust his chops! Oh, that hurts my parts!
Joe Benavdez' vale tudo tighties with a skull codpiece
This is an oule.
by some schmuck in texas on Dec 22, 2011 2:09 PM EST up reply actions
better than I remembered - a WINDED skull codpiece!
This is an oule.
by some schmuck in texas on Dec 22, 2011 2:13 PM EST up reply actions
Cris Cyborg fighting other female fighters is pretty much like plucking Jon Jones out of 2011 and throwing him back on UFC 20.
By that time there were fighters already much more skilled than Cyborg dominating cans like she does. The only difference is there were still enough men to actually hold competitive fights.
People forget that Gina actually had Cyborg mounted and stood up because she didn’t feel comfortable on the ground. Think about that.
"I'm ready for fight. If I'm win, no win. I don't know. But, I'm ready for fight. This is my working[shrugs shoulders]" - Anderson Silva
"You'll get Lil Wayne in woman pants and like it!" - Krimson
Think about the fact that that happened two years ago
when Cyborg was 24. I’m sure she has improved her ground game by then. Her striking accuracy and technique have improved a hell of a lot since then, so it’s fair to assume her grappling has as well.
Over your head?
She was mounted by a woman(an actress) who didn’t know the ground game enough to want to do it.
Cris’ accuracy looked terrible in her last fight. She wings wild, ugly punches at a sitting duck and lands maybe half of them.
The point still stands that she’s not very skilled and comparing her to Jon Jones(the proven, smartest, most skilled fighter alive) is extremely insulting. The part about UFC 20(Bas Rutten fought Kevin Randleman) just shows what he knows about those events.
Cyborg is a big, strong, fast woman with horrible technique and no physical equal. Not an extremely skilled, well-rounded, battle-tested fighter with an amazing fight IQ.
"I'm ready for fight. If I'm win, no win. I don't know. But, I'm ready for fight. This is my working[shrugs shoulders]" - Anderson Silva
"You'll get Lil Wayne in woman pants and like it!" - Krimson
Jones might be the proven, smartest, most skilled fighter alive
but he’s no Michael Bisping
Alot of people on here claim Cyborg "pulled mount" and now you're saying Gina "mounted her"
Cyborg attempted a hip throw and failed. In the resulting scramble where both ladies fell, Gina landed on top. She didn’t initiate the throw, just resisted it and fell ontop of Cyborg. That is a far cry from say, OSP mounting Mousasi. That sequence means Cyborg has sloppy judo, not shitty BJJ.
When I'm on the mic it goes down, CINTRON
-Joell Ortiz
by The Lethal Haze on Dec 22, 2011 3:52 PM EST up reply actions
i just watched it
They scrambled, Cybrog landed on her back and Gina clearly intended to mounted her.
"I'm ready for fight. If I'm win, no win. I don't know. But, I'm ready for fight. This is my working[shrugs shoulders]" - Anderson Silva
"You'll get Lil Wayne in woman pants and like it!" - Krimson
is it wrong?
that reading that made me a bit horny?
by Bennett Von Bennett on Jan 10, 2012 11:09 AM EST up reply actions
Probably
Considering one of them is half man and has a higher sperm count than all the BE posters combined.
by taptomyarmbar on Jan 10, 2012 12:18 PM EST up reply actions
But sure
It doesn’t count if some people on here say it doesn’t.
She’s still a purple belt. 2 years later. So maybe she wasn’t very good?
"I'm ready for fight. If I'm win, no win. I don't know. But, I'm ready for fight. This is my working[shrugs shoulders]" - Anderson Silva
"You'll get Lil Wayne in woman pants and like it!" - Krimson
didn't she just have a run at the mudials or ADCC or somesuch?
My memory is… hazy
I’m not saying she has good or shitty jitz, I think the first sub I saw her attempt was in her last fight… and we see how that went.
It doesn’t count if some people on here say it doesn’t.
I just don’t think the Gina fight is indicative of Cyborg’s jiu jitsu, and the moment everyone likes to use to shit on Cyborg… Cyborg “pulling mount” really doesn’t do that particular scramble justice, imo. She failed a throw and in the ensuing scramble was mounted. I think that speaks alot more to her Judo, TDs, and scrambling then BJJ imo (although I’ll admit where one stops and another starts is not clear cut, and the skills in one area help the others).
She’s still a purple belt. 2 years later. So maybe she wasn’t very good?
Maybe her school promotes really slowly, like old school BJJ gyms? Dunno, speculation on my part. But I’ve heard people say it took them over a decade to get their BB from a Gracie… so to me, belt level and time practicing have to be looked at in terms of who is giving the instruction and belts out. I have no idea about her lineage tho. Just saying there’s alot more to BJJ skill than Years Practiced + Belt Level .
When I'm on the mic it goes down, CINTRON
-Joell Ortiz
by The Lethal Haze on Dec 22, 2011 4:58 PM EST up reply actions
So I'm guessing
You don’t do BJJ.
Purple is typically the belt you spent the longest at, unless you’re a crazy talent like Ryan Hall/BJ Penn, etc
by Seneca Savoie on Dec 22, 2011 6:42 PM EST up reply actions
Also
part of the reason why Gina choose to get back up is that cyborg was performing a technically correct elbow escape from mount, and gina is very clearly not comfortable passing guard.
Further, if Cyborg had terrible standup technique, then Gina Carano would have lit her the fuck up, seeing as how she’s a goddamn MT champ, and clearly knows what’s the’s doing kickboxing, despite being kind of lazy.
Gina is wasted talent, but cyborg is blasting people on the feet and doing well competitively against seasoned grapplers, and beat the best female striker in the sport at the time(because erin toughill’s too damn old now). Would she get lit up by L’alia ali? Yeah probably. Is she incompetent striking- No.
That said, once Rousey gets more wins, it will be interesting to see how Cyborg deals with someone who is a superior athlete to her
by Seneca Savoie on Dec 22, 2011 6:41 PM EST up reply actions
You don't think that Jones would slaughter both guys?
I think the comparison is pretty fair. I’m not saying that Cyborg should compete with men. I’m saying that regardless of her flaws she is still decades ahead of her contemporaries. Jon Jones could probably beat Bas and Kevin on the same night.
Gina has excellent positional skills
And I wonder if Cris maybe improved her BJJ somewhat between then and MEDALLING AT THE MUNDIALS.
by Seneca Savoie on Dec 22, 2011 5:38 PM EST up reply actions
I don’t know. Cyborg could have easily ended the fight earlier if she took Yamanaka’s back, but it seemed like she was confused as to where her hooks were supposed to go and bailed halfway through.
by discoandherpes on Dec 22, 2011 6:18 PM EST up reply actions
Her striking did not look sloppy and she was not winging punches.
Seriously, when you can watch the entire fight on the internet, there is no excuse for this blatant dishonesty. All but about 2 of her punches landed on Yamanaka’s chin. They were not sloppy winging punches either. They were all relatively tight, accurate and fast.
Her technique is slightly better than Leonard Garcia, I’ll give you that.
by discoandherpes on Dec 22, 2011 6:16 PM EST up reply actions
If this is your idea of sloppy
Then who do you consider to be a clean, accurate striker?
by Warbreezy on Dec 22, 2011 7:10 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
She wiffs like four punches in a row at the end.
by discoandherpes on Dec 22, 2011 7:16 PM EST up reply actions
You mean, after she lands cleanly, yamanaka crumbles and the ref starts to step in?
What about the rest of the punches that are composed and tight? What about the opening salvo that drops her opponent like a ton of bricks? Comparing her to Garcia is kind of retarded.
Even Leonard Garcia lands punches occasionally (dropped Nam Phan).
I could post gifs all day of Cyborgs previous fights were she misses and misses often.
by discoandherpes on Dec 22, 2011 8:26 PM EST up reply actions
Are you trolling me?
She threw 16 or 17 punches, of which, at least a dozen were full power, and landed cleanly on Yamanaka’s noggin. You’re trying to paint the last 4 halfhearted punches she threw(when she knew had already won the fight) as if they were the majority. In both situations where she dropped Yamanaka, it was due to fairly tight combinations. They were a far cry from the way Garcia throws punches.
And the point I was making was that her striking has clearly improved, not that she has always been some technically amazing striker. To say she was throwing sloppy, winging punches in that fight is heinously untrue.
If you think those wild hays are amazing and technical, then I guess we’d have to agree to disagree.
by discoandherpes on Dec 22, 2011 8:42 PM EST up reply actions
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