Cris Cyborg Out to Prove She Hasn't Skipped a Beat Following Long Layoff

Saturday night marks the return of one of the most feared female fighters in the history of mixed martial arts in Strikeforce women’s featherweight champion Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos (10-1).

Known simply as Cyborg, the destruction of her opposition has been nothing short of breathtaking, as she’s finished eight of her 10 opponents via KO or TKO.

The Brazilian, however, sits atop a division with few challengers and has had to stay active by competing in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournaments. Even with the lack of active competition in MMA, Cyborg refuses to sit on the sidelines, as she took the gold medal at Mundials (World Jiu-Jitsu Championship) this year.

Now, after almost 18-months out of action, the 26-year-old is calm and focused on showing the world her growth as a martial artist and is not worried one bit about returning to the sport she loves so much.

“My first fight here with Shayna Baszler, I stayed two-years with no fighting,” Cyborg told MMAWeekly.com.

“When I have an opportunity, I do my best. I try training better techniques. I think I have a lot of things for learning and I keep training.”

As for her fight this Saturday at Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal, she defends her crown against Hiroko Yamanaka. Despite being heavily favored, Cyborg doesn’t anticipate a one-sided beat down. In fact, she believes that Yamanaka is a winner just by entering the cage with her and that they’ll put on a good show for the fans in San Diego.

“When I fight, I watch the fights of my opponent. She’s had 12 fights, she’s good, and I think we’ll do a good fight Saturday.

“I won’t say I’m better than her because I think, in fighting, everybody in the cage wins, because it’s very hard to go for the cage. I’ll be ready.”

Follow Andrew Gladstone at @gladstone1 on Twitter.
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