Cris Cyborg is a hot commodity everywhere right now. Aside from Kayla Harrison and Larissa Pacheco waiting for their turn to fight the Bellator champ, BKFC’s Christine Ferea also wants to face her soon. BFKC president Dave Feldman confirmed that Cyborg made a call in the past, saying the fighter showed interest in moving to bare-knuckle.
The news about Cyborg considering bare-knuckle for the next part of her career is not new. In the past, the Bellator’s featherweight world champion spoke about the matter multiple times and even shared the idea of training with Mike Perry before her debut. Now, Feldman confirmed this, saying the fighter made a call.
“I didn’t talk to her but she reached out and said, ‘Hey, I’d love to do a bare-knuckle [fight],’” Feldman told MMA Fighting. “I didn’t reach out because I wasn’t ready yet, but we’ll see what happens after this fight and we’ll definitely reach out and see if we can make something happen.”
According to the exec, Ferea also approached him about a proposed fight against Cyborg. While he didn’t provide assurance that this will happen in the future, the idea appeals to Feldman, who called it “a very, very exciting matchup.”
Nonetheless, Ferea, the current BKFC flyweight champion, admitted that attracting Cyborg to move to bare-knuckle will take tons of effort. According to the BFKC fighter, who also expressed intent to lure boxing champ Amanda Serrano, this will be possible by creating marks and achievements that will give her callouts the credentials she needs. And in case it is pushed, Ferea said she’d be willing to adjust and do it at 145 just to match Cyborg’s weight.
“I do want big names but I have to earn it,” Ferea said. “I have to get the attention of Amanda Serrano or Cris Cyborg to make it worth it for them. Why are they going to come to bare-knuckle if I don’t bring anything? Just to do it? They’re in positions that they don’t need anybody or anything. I have to make it worth it and bring something to the table for them as well. Not just for myself but for them.
“So of course I want Amanda Serrano, I would fight Cris Cyborg. But I have to make it worth it, and I feel like huge knockouts and bigger numbers and just more attention, that would be more enticing for them to come over.”