“It’s a different chapter now,” Cris Cyborg believes her fight against Leslie Smith will not be as easy as the last one

“It’s a different chapter now,” Cris Cyborg believes her fight against Leslie Smith will not be as easy as the last one

Cris Cyborg vs Leslie Smith

The current Bellator women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg is going to defend her title for the second time against a former opponent Leslie Smith.

The fight between these two was formerly booked in the UFC where Cris Cyborg defeated Leslie Smith, and she is looking to do it again when she competes on Showtime. Cyborg believes this fight will be different from their last encounter as Smith will now be competing at her natural weight, not to mention the experience she has gained over all these years.

In an interview with MMA Fighting, she said, “I was remembering how this fight went before and what’s happening now. My fans were the ones that campaigned for this fight to happen. They gave me and her the opportunity to have the fight. For me, it brings me back to my country, to Curitiba, my city, and now I’m very excited for this fight. There’s not a lot of girls who ask for a rematch and it’s been five years. I’m much better than before, she’s probably better, too. It’s gonna be a great fight.”

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She continued, “But it’s a different chapter now. When we fought in the UFC, she accepted it at 140, and I think she was fighting at 135. So, it’s different now, she’s at 145, she’s getting wins, she’s been getting prepared. So, I think it’s a different time. I wasn’t really surprised they made the fight, I just had to be ready to see who would fight me for the championship. I have to be ready.” (h/t MMAFighting.com)

“Leslie Smith, she’s a very, very tough girl,” Cris Cyborg is aware of her opponent’s toughness

Leslie Smith Cris Cyborg
Leslie Smith vs Cris Cyborg

Cyborg also weighed down on her approach for this fight, she said, “I feel like, in my mind, now I have five rounds to finish the fight. I know it’s my division, but the last time, I was cutting all that weight, but this time, I know I can handle it for all the rounds. So, it’s a different mindset for the fight. I know I have five rounds this time. If I finish it faster this time, then great. But I’m ready for all five rounds.”

“And Leslie Smith, she’s a very, very tough girl, and people who watch her know that. Everyone knows I have the heart of a warrior, too. So, there’s gonna be a lot of violence, so you guys should get excited to watch this fight.”

Also read: “Come to Bellator,” Cris Cyborg offers Jon Jones and other underpaid UFC fighters to join Bellator