Why Cris Cyborg vs. Ronda Rousey never happened in the UFC

Cris Cyborg believes a superfight between herself and Ronda Rousey never materialized because the former UFC champion feared facing her at the height of both their careers. Speaking ahead of her retirement bout against Ketlen Vieira at PFL Tampa, Cyborg reflected on the rivalry that captivated fans but never came to fruition inside the Octagon.

Cyborg claimed that Rousey had multiple opportunities to accept the matchup during her prime but declined each time. "That was something the fans put together," Cyborg told Sherdog's Marcelo Alonso. "Ronda had the opportunity to fight me when she was at her peak, and she didn't want to. If she didn't want it in her prime, imagine now."

According to Cyborg, Dana White himself had publicly stated that once Rousey defeated Holly Holm, a fight with Cyborg would follow. However, Rousey's loss to Holm derailed those plans. She then suffered a second consecutive knockout defeat to Amanda Nunes and subsequently retired from MMA for a decade before returning to competition under the Most Valuable Promotions banner against Gina Carano earlier this year.

Cyborg emphasized that their rivalry stemmed from apprehension rather than genuine personal animosity. "I think fear eventually turned into rivalry," she said. "I never did anything to her." Rousey compiled a 12-0 record with seven title defenses in the UFC before her back-to-back losses ended her initial run in the sport.