As ‘Cyborg’ Battles Cut to 140, Lansberg Says She Would Have Taken the Fight at 145

This Saturday, reigning Invicta featherweight champion Cris “Cyborg” Justino will headline her first UFC card. She’ll do so in her home country of Brazil, opposite Swedish muay thai specialist Lina Lansberg. The two will meet at a catchweight of 140 lbs.

Unfortunately, Cyborg’s cut down to 140 has turned into an absolute nightmare. The Brazilian striker claims to have started her camp at a whopping 175 lbs, and was still above the 165 lb. mark earlier this week. She’s also been taking birth control under the advice of respected nutritionist George Lockhart – though she has voiced quite a bit of skepticism about this strange weight management regimen.

According to Ariel Helwani, Cyborg has now pushed her weight down to a manageable 155 lbs.

I'm told Cris Cyborg weighed 155 pounds this AM. 14 pounds left, 48 hours to go.

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) September 21, 2016

Apparently, however, she will not be allowed the usual 1 lb. allowance afforded to most fighters. This means that she still has 15 lbs to cut in the next 48 hours, rather than 14.

I am not allowed 141 that will still miss weight. @BrianStann

— CrisCyborg.Com (@criscyborg) September 21, 2016

Correct. Just learned that. So it's 15 lbs left as of this AM. https://t.co/c3PGvzkMTj

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) September 21, 2016

A 15 lb. cut is a tall task for a fighter under normal circumstances. Yet Cyborg will have to drop these remaining 15 pounds having already made a fairly significant cut from the low 160s. Needless to say, she’s got a very brutal – and possibly very dangerous– few days ahead, and could well fail to make weight.

Given the incredible difficulty Cyborg is having with this cut to 140 lbs., it’s hard not to wonder why this fight wasn’t just booked at 145, where she typically competes. The answer to that question, as it turns out, is quite difficult to identify.

At a glance, this fight’s being contested at 140 might look like a courtesy to Cyborg’s slightly smaller opponent, Lina Lansberg. Yet according to Fernanda Prates, a reporter for MMA Junkie, Lansberg would have happily accepted this fight at 145, if that’s the weight that was initially offered to her.

Not that we're that surprised, but Lansberg just said she would have taken the fight at 145 if that was the weight offered to her.

— Fernanda Prates (@NandaPrates_) September 21, 2016

This fight’s being contested at the arbitrary weight of 140, then, is apparently purely the choice of the UFC. Considering the fact that Cyborg’s last cut to 140 had her writhing on the floor in pain, this is undeniably strange choice on the organization’s part.

It’s hard to say if Cyborg will successfully make weight for this with Lansberg. No matter the outcome of this cut, however, it would seem quite irresponsible of the UFC to force her to fight at 140 in the future. Talk of her dropping to 135 – as was discussed so often at the height of Ronda Rousey’s reign – should be off the table entirely.

Do you think Cris Cyborg will make weight for her Saturday night bout with Lina Lansberg? Sound off, PENN nation!