The Telegraph

Cris Cyborg: There is no distinction between our our bodies and different athletes’

Cris Cyborg, the featherweight world champion, is admired world wide for her fearlessness as a combined martial arts (MMA) fighter, however the 35-year-old has fears about how body-image pressures have an effect on younger girls. The Brazilian is making ready to defend her Bellator title towards Australian Arlene Blencowe on Thursday evening on the Mohegan Solar Resort in Connecticut. “You see lots of ladies who should not consuming, [who] really feel like they should be skinny,” she advised Telegraph Sport. “The media, Instagram — none of it’s actual. They photoshop every thing. It’s a must to be proud of who you might be, not with what others need you to be. I’ve had issues in my life after I was youthful however I like who I’m now. I handle my physique and I’m wholesome.” After 15 years within the sport, Cyborg says it’s only not too long ago that her occupation is just not given a second look. “I’ve been proud of my physique, however individuals would take a look at you bizarre. That is ten years in the past. Particularly while you’d say you’re a fighter, it was all the time a response of ‘what?’ However now fighters are commonplace. “After I advised my mum I needed to be a fighter she thought I might find yourself on the road. It was a special time. My mum didn’t prefer it at first, however as soon as she noticed it was an actual sport she now likes it.” Cyborg was the primary girl within the sport to assert the “grand slam” of titles in Bellator, Strikeforce, the UFC, and Invicta, the all-female combat league. She has usually blitzed by way of opponents, with 18 knockouts in her 22 victories. Her standing and maturity is mirrored in the way in which she carries herself, and her work away from the cage with charities and kids in Africa. There’s an aura about her. Not simply of destruction, however as an envoy for the game. “I feel you might have lots of various kinds of guys and ladies and so they determined for themselves which physique they like. I’ve all the time had this physique, I began coaching after I was 12 years previous,” she defined. “I feel an important factor is to really feel nice. “Should you carry just a little extra weight and really feel nice then that’s you. Make your self completely satisfied. Should you’re proud of your self then it doesn’t matter what individuals say. “I feel girls on this sport have an athletic physique. I like that look and I feel all the women do. You’re in form. I don’t suppose there’s distinction between our our bodies and different athletes’.” Ladies’s MMA has exploded lately and Cyborg is browsing the crest of a wave which she helped to create. “I really feel so blessed to be preventing at this second. After I began my profession there have been no fighters, no occasions. I all the time believed in it, although, that it could develop. Now you may see individuals love girls’s MMA. I do know it’ll develop and develop and I’m actually completely satisfied to be a part of this story. Sure, I consider we get respect. It grows. As soon as we had the chance we confirmed up.” By dint of her success, Cyborg has grow to be a goal for each rising star, with Bellator having grown its 145lb roster into a strong line-up. It solely makes Cyborg extra formidable, extra decided. There has even been discuss of an try and grow to be a girls’s boxing world champion. Katie Taylor, the Irish fighter who’s undisputed light-weight champion, has been touted as one attainable opponent. It could be a seismic match-up. “It could be one other factor for my legacy to be a world champion in boxing and MMA,” Cyborg stated. “I need to present everybody you may obtain something with arduous work. It’s a must to belief and have religion. For now, I’m not interested by Katie Taylor. I’m not specializing in it.” Have there been discussions with Eddie Hearn, Taylor’s promoter ? “We didn’t discuss to him however possibly Scott Coker did. I will let Audi Attar [her manager] resolve what’s subsequent. For certain, it’s my dream to do boxing. Katie Taylor subsequent could be nice, however I’ve my combat on Thursday.” “However everybody is aware of boxing is a dream for me.” Bellator 249 is reside on Sky Sports activities Principal Occasion from 3am on Friday morning.