Announcements
As heated as Cris Cyborg’s three-round win over Felicia Spencer in the co-main event of UFC 240 in Edmonton was, it was nothing compared to the aftermath following Saturday’s bout, as the former UFC featherweight champion accused the promotion of hurting her brand, even releasing a video with subtitles incorrectly quoting UFC President Dana White.
White’s response was simple. By addressing various UFC topics including the accusations, during an interview with Laura Sanko released on Friday, he also revealed that the promotion would not be making an offer to Cyborg for a new contract following the completion of her existing deal with the Spencer fight and would waive the negotiation period.
“I’m gonna release her from her contract,” said White. “I will not match any offers. I will literally today have my lawyer draft a letter to her team that she is free and clear to go wherever she wants. We’re out of the Cyborg business.”
Dana White 1-On-1 Interview With Laura Sanko
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Dana White 1-On-1 Interview With Laura Sanko
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Cyborg, 34, a former Strikeforce and Invicta FC champion, compiled a 6-1 record over the course of her three-plus years in the UFC. In 2017, she won the vacant UFC women’s featherweight title with a win over Tonya Evinger and successfully defended the belt twice before losing it to Amanda Nunes in 2018 in a first-round knockout.
As for the post-UFC 240 video confrontation, Cyborg issued an apology on her Instagram account on Friday, which reads in part:
“I want to let everyone know that the video was edited by my Production Team to make it appear as though Dana told me “and listen whenever you hear me saying stuff, I’m not saying …the truth.” Dana did not say that to me, and the subtitles in the video were incorrect. As you can see from the unedited video, Dana actually said “and listen, whenever you hear me saying stuff, I’m not saying negative things about you.” Dana and I have had many disagreements during my career in the UFC, and I have been adamant about standing up for myself in situations where I feel my character and statements have been misrepresented and used against me. But I also take pride in being an honest person and a true professional. I take full responsibility for the actions that resulted in the edited video being posted on my social media accounts. We were wrong, and I have addressed this issue with my Production Team so that it doesn’t ever happen again in the future. Finally, I want to apologize to Dana White for posting the video. Even though we will continue to disagree about numerous issues, I will always stand up for doing what is right.”
