After Cyborg’s victory against Holly Holm, two names came up as potential next opponents: bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes (15-4) and Invicta featherweight champion Megan Anderson (8-2).
Anderson was scheduled to fight Cyborg on July 29 in Anaheim, Calif. to determine who would be the UFC featherweight champion. She pulled out for personal reasons and Cyborg ended up beating Tonya Evinger to win the vacant title.
Before UFC 219, Dana White threw around the idea of Nunes fighting the winner of Saturday's main event in a battle of champions, though Cyborg clearly wants her next opponent to be Anderson.
"I don't like to fight somebody from Brazil, but if she (Nunes) wants to fight me, I'll fight anyone Dana White puts in front of me,” Cyborg said Saturday night at UFC 219’s post-fight press conference. “But I say Megan Anderson, because she's 145 pounds and I'd like my division to grow. They need to invest, you need to put the girls at 145."
Despite the featherweight division being nearly a year old, Cyborg is essentially the only woman in the division. All four of Cyborg’s challengers moved up to 145 to face Cyborg with Holm coming the closest to defeating the champ.
After the fight was said and done, Cyborg brought up the idea of facing Anderson in Australia, since Anderson is from the Gold Coast of Australia. UFC also has a pay-per-view on Feb. 11 (Feb. 10 in the U.S.) taking place in Perth, Australia.
But Cyborg wasn't pushing to be on that specific show.
"My hand really hurts now because her (Holm's) head is very hard," she said. "I don't know about six weeks."
In regards to bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes, Cyborg made it clear if she was to fight her, it would be for the title at 145, and not a meet-in-the-middle battle of champions at 140. "No, just 145, no more 140," Cyborg said. "I feel great at 145. This is my division. I'm open to fight anybody."