Appearing in the Octagon for the first time since her stunning first-round knockout loss to Amanda Nunes in December 2018, Cris "Cyborg" Justino looked a little rusty in the opening of her UFC 240 co-main event fight against Felicia Spencer.
In fact, it took only seconds for Spencer to open up a cut on Cyborg with a vicious left elbow that sent blood running down Cyborg's face. For a moment, it looked like we may get another upset. But Cyborg responded like a former champion, settling down, and fighting her fight.
Cyborg looked much more comfortable in round two. Successfully defending takedown attempts from Spencer, Cyborg pushed forward with precise boxing and heavy blows. Spencer was dropped to the mat at one point and Cyborg smelled blood, but somehow Spencer managed to fend her off. But she took some damage either way.
Round three was easily Cyborg's most impressive and dominant of the fight. She was in complete control, landing hard punch after hard punch. It was a hard fought match by Spencer, who ultimately came up short, but she proved she can hang with one of the toughest fighters in the sport. With some of the shots she took, it's amazing how she wasn't knocked out.
All three judges scored the fight 30-27 in favor of Cris Cyborg.
It's unclear what's next for Cyborg as this was her last fight under contract with the UFC. Her spat with the promotion has been well-documented on social media and she has made it clear that she feels undervalued and wants to test free agency.
The obvious next fight would seemingly be a rematch with Amanda Nunes, but there's all sorts of drama between UFC president Dana White and Cris Cyborg in terms of whether or not she really wants the fight. White keeps claiming that Cyborg turned down the opportunity, while Cyborg maintains the UFC never offered her the fight.
Cyborg was asked about a rematch and she seemed to want one, but we'll see how that shakes out behind the scenes. For what it's worth, Amanda Nunes seems ready to go.