Megan Anderson will not be surprised if Cyborg tries to take her down

After months of rumors and reports, it’s now official. Germaine de Randamie has been stripped of the UFC featherweight title, and Cris “Cyborg” Justino and Megan Anderson will battle for the vacant featherweight throne in the co-main event of UFC 214 this July 29.

On Monday afternoon, Anderson spoke with BJPenn.com about this newly announced title showdown. While she was reluctant to give up the details of her game plan for the incredibly dominant Cyborg, she did shed some light on how she plans to approach the fight.

“I’m definitely not going to tell you my game plan,” she said with a laugh. “I got to this division for a reason. I’m going to do the things I’m good at, sharpen a few things up, make sure we peak at the right time, and bring everything together.”

Anderson then explained that, as one of the tallest and rangiest fighters in the women’s featherweight division, she believes she can give Cyborg some real trouble on the feet. In this event, she will not be surprised if the knockout artist attempts to drag the fight to the mat.

“She’s a very aggressive fighter coming out the gate, and I think she’s going to find out really quick that she needs to respect the range and respect the power,” Anderson said. “I think once that happens she’s going to try to close the distance and take it to the ground cause then she doesn’t have to keep fighting against the range.”

However the fight unfolds, Anderson says it’s one she’s been preparing for for a long time – since long before the fight was announced.

“Every time I fight, I always train as though I’m fighting Cris,” she said. “She’s the top of the division right now, and I know that that fight was going to happen eventually. Really we just train to my skills and to my advantages and what I’m already good at, and increasing the areas I might need improving in. I think that people discount me, they discount me in a lot of areas, and I want to prove them wrong.”

How do you think Megan Anderson will do against Cris “Cyborg” Justino in the co-main event of UFC 214?

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 6/20/2017.