Former Strikeforce women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg is returning to Invicta FC, where she will defend the Invicta FC featherweight title against Charmaine Tweet in the main event of Invicta FC 11. The promotion announced Tuesday that Santos will take on Tweet Feb. 27 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California in what will be the first defence of the 145lb title she won two year ago against Marloes Coenen. Cyborg hasn’t fought since winning the belt against Coenen in the summer of 2013, but I still consider her one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world regardless of gender. Her striking is brutal and accurate and her grappling is incredibly underrated. She hasn’t come close to losing a bout since her very first pro fight and I don’t expect her to lose anytime soon in Invicta. Tweet, her opponent, is a solid fighter in her own right with a ton of power, but she is 37 years of age and is not a full-time fighter. Getting the opportunity to fight someone of Cyborg’s caliber is obviously someone she couldn’t turn down because of what a win would mean for her, but this is a very difficult matchup and I can’t see it ended any other way other than Tweet getting viciously knocked out by Cyborg. As far as a betting line goes, look for that the week of the fight, but there’s no doubt in my mind Cyborg will be favored in this one, perhaps with a line as high as -1000. She’s just so dominant and I can’t see anyone in Invicta giving her a challenge. Really, the only other female mixed martial artist who could challenge her is Ronda Rousey, who coincidentally defends the UFC women’s bantamweight title the night after Cyborg defends hers against Cat Zingano at UFC 184, also in Los Angeles. Most expect Rousey to sweep the floor with Zingano, and when that happens she’ll need a new foil and Cyborg — should she be able to cut to 135lbs — would of course be that person, as it seems obvious the UFC is interested in her based on recent photos of Cyborg with UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta. Cyborg is a great fighter and it’s always a treat to watch her fight, but I really hope she is able to make 135lbs so she can come to the UFC and actually be challenged. However, we’ll see what the future holds.
