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Cris Cyborg faces Kelsey Wickstrum in second boxing match and targets MMA fight against Claressa Shields

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by Francisco Salazar |

After leaving her mark in the UFC, Strikeforce, Bellator and Invicta, Cris Cyborg turned her attention to boxing.

Tonight, Cyborg will face Kelsey Wickstrum at Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, California. The six-round fight will precede the main event between undefeated welterweight Jesus Resendiz and Rosekie Cristobal.

Both fights will be broadcast live on spectationsports.com (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT).

At Thursday’s weigh-in, Cyborg weighed 154.8 pounds. Wickstrum weighed 152.8 pounds.

Cyborg (1-0), who is from Curitiba, Brazil, and now lives in Huntington Beach, California, last fought on Oct. 7 in a mixed martial arts bout, defeating Cat Zingano in the first round on the Bellator 300 card in nearby San Diego.

The 38-year-old took some time off after her win over Zingano, but has now teamed up with trainer Jose Benavidez Sr., father and trainer of undefeated super middleweight contender David Benavidez. Cyborg was able to work on all aspects of boxing, benefiting from working under the glove with the older Benavidez.

“I was able to prepare for this fight for almost eight weeks,” Cyborg told The Ring on Wednesday night. “Working with Jose Benavidez was an amazing experience. It was after his son David’s fight, so he gave me his time.

“He didn’t want to change me and my fighting style. We worked on improving ranged combat, defense and footwork. I learned a lot, especially with punch positioning. They can throw jabs and I can throw challenging punches to the head and body. I was able to spar, which helped reinforce what I had learned.”

Cyborg has one boxing fight under his belt, which took place in December 2022 on the undercard of the Terence Crawford-David Avanesyan fight. Cyborg once dropped Gabrielle Holloway en route to a one-sided decision victory.

Wickstrum, 36, who lives in Redding, California, has a record of 2-0, 1 KO. Wickstrum’s last fight was on April 29, defeating Sudana Moore in the third round.

Cyborg hopes to make a statement at Wickstrum’s expense.

“I don’t know much about her,” said Cyborg, who was born Cristiane Venancio Justino. “I just know she’s undefeated and ranked (according to the sanctioning body). I just focus on what I can do. I have trained challenging and I want to show what I have learned and what I can do in the boxing ring. If necessary, I am ready to go to war, but I also want to show that fights can be won with boxing technique and skills.

Cyborg could return to mixed martial arts, but she reiterated that she takes boxing seriously and hopes to fight top fighters in the division at 154 or 160 pounds.

One fighter she mentioned getting in the ring or cage against is Claressa Shields, who recently announced she will face Kelsey DeSantis at the Professional Fighters League on February 24.

Cyborg believes she will have an advantage over Shields whether the fight takes place in a boxing ring or in a cage.

“I want to make the biggest fights for the fans, and the one fight that will sell, that we all get paid for, is the Claressa fight,” Cyborg said. “I learned the nuances of grappling, jiu-jitsu and wrestling. It’s harder to do what Claressa does when she has to learn what I already know now that she’s training MMA. I think because I did all this, punching and boxing became easier for me.

“I love a challenge and fighting her would be a dream. Whether it’s in the box or in the cage, I will fight her, but I have to mind my own business (today’s match with Wickstrum).”

Matt McGovern will be promoting tonight’s World Fighting Championship 163 card.

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MMA

Demetrious Johnson equaled Anderson Silva’s UFC title defense record

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by Kendrick E. Johnson |

Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson defended his flyweight title at UFC “Fight Night Kansas City,” looking to stop challenger Wilson Reis and make UFC history.

After beating Reis from the opening bell and submitting him via armbar at 4:49 of the third round, Johnson did exactly what he wanted. With this victory, Johnson has now won 12 straight fights, but more importantly, it is his 10th defense of the UFC flyweight title, tying Anderson Silva’s record for the most consecutive title defenses in UFC history.

The spectacular, historic victory left Johnson more placid and reserved than usual after the fight.

“GSP, Anderson, they are great champions, but I am the best champion that has ever stepped foot in this Octagon,” Johnson said. “I finish off all my opponents. There is no other champion who can mix it all, fight, punch and clinch like me.

Johnson scored the victory by punching and softening Reis while staying out of danger first. The champion then took him to the ground, pounded him some more, and then delivered a neat submission to the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt.

Going from a full mount to an armbar submission faster than anyone else in the UFC to end the event, “Mighty Mouse” showed why he’s considered the best pound-for-pound MMA fighter in the world today.

“It was a damn good night,” Johnson said in his post-fight Octagon interview. “It’s probably the best training camp I’ve ever had, and my head coach kept telling me, ‘Just be yourself.’ I came back and did a lot of things differently at this camp and it was the best effort I’ve ever felt.

Even if people like UFC president Dana White call him the “GOAT” of the UFC, putting his name first alongside Silva, who ruled the middleweight division and pound-for-pound rankings from 2006-2013. Johnson remains focused on taking his division and legacy to heights never before seen in MMA.

“I’m like any champion, whether it’s a team sport like the Michael Jordan Bulls or something like the UFC, I want to win as many championships as possible,” Johnson said at the post-fight news conference. I’ve got 10 title defenses now and I can take this belt home and hopefully next time I can break through and maybe I can get 13 or 14 titles, so why not set the bar high. Just like Usain Bolt is the fastest man in the world, I’m the fastest man in mixed martial arts, so I’m going to continue to prove that and hopefully set the record at 15 years and then I can retire.

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MMA

Max Holloway is on a mission at UFC 212

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by Kendrick E. Johnson |

Even with 10 consecutive wins inside the Octagon, UFC interim featherweight champion Max “Blessed” Holloway never had the opportunity to fight for the undisputed championship.

That will all change on Saturday when Holloway faces UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo in a unification fight at UFC 212 at the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

This will be only the second time in his career that Holloway will headline a pay-per-view card, but he is extremely confident of entering enemy territory in pursuit of his lifelong dream.

“I’ve been in the spotlight in my career, I’ve had a five-round fight outside the UFC and I’m ready for anything,” Holloway said during a recent conference call.

“I’m just ready to show the world what I’m about and why I’m the best fighter in this division.”

“Blessed” has finished seven opponents in his 10-fight winning streak, including a TKO over former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis to become interim champion.

Holloway and Aldo are two of the best all-around strikers in MMA today, but there aren’t many other similarities both inside and outside the Octagon. What they have in common, however, is that their last defeat came against UFC’s most recognizable star, “Notorious” Conor McGregor.

For Holloway, losing to McGregor four years ago was a good thing. He regrouped, became a more complete fighter and put together one of the greatest winning streaks in UFC history.

However, despite his incredible success at the championship level over the past few years, the UFC has been reluctant to put its hype machine behind Holloway, much to the surprise of many in the media and fans.

Even with this lack of pressure, Holloway is very excited to reign supreme in a division that has only had two undisputed champions in its compact history.

“I just can’t wait to do the damn thing; get in there and fight one of the best of all time,” Holloway said. “He is one of the greatest in our sport, but it is time for a up-to-date era.”

“I have been an underdog my whole life. I do not care. I shouldn’t be here. Max Holloway shouldn’t be talking to any of you. I shouldn’t be here. It is what it is. “Actions speak louder than words, and I have done many things.”

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MMA

Amanda Nunes withdraws from UFC 213 title fight

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by Kendrick E. Johnson |

After being hospitalized hours earlier, UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes has been withdrawn from her UFC 213 main event bout against top-ranked Valentina Shevchenko, UFC president Dana White confirmed.

The report of Nunes’ illness and withdrawal was first revealed by mmafighting.com’s Ariel Helwani. White told LA Times writer Lance Pugmire via text message: “I don’t know why Nunes (14-4) withdrew from the card after being examined by a doctor.

“The doctor cleared her to fight. She said she wasn’t feeling well,” White said. “It is what it is. You can’t force anyone to fight.”

Now, the scheduled co-main event fight for the interim middleweight title between Yoel “The Soldier of God” Romero and Robert “The Reaper” Whittaker will be upgraded to main event status at UFC 213. The fresh co-main event will be a heavyweight fight between the former champion Fabricio Werdum and Alistair Overeem, who will fight for the title of number 1 contender to champion Stipe Miocic.

Many commented on how exhausted Nunes looked, as fighters often do, at the official weigh-in on Friday morning around 10 a.m. PST. It must be admitted that in her nine-year MMA career, “The Lioness” has never officially made weight or withdrawn from a fight due to weight loss problems, until today.

The fight will likely be postponed soon. Bob Bennett of the Nevada State Athletic Commission said Nunes had problems beyond the weakness resulting from the weight cut that led to her withdrawal.

Meanwhile, undefeated women’s strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk spent Saturday morning “begging White to fight via text messages and social media.” Jedrzejczyk last fought at UFC 211 in May and plans to fight in November at UFC 217, but she was in town for International Fight Week and told White she would face Shevchencko.

Much to the disappointment of fans and the media, the strawweight champion has no chance of fighting tonight because medical tests and other clearances require a little longer before the NSAC will clear her. So everyone has to hold on tight to see how this story unfolds over the next few days

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