Cris Cyborg is thrilled to renew her partnership with Rafael Cordeiro for her first Bellator belt defense

C. Cyborg celebrates partnership with Rafael Cordeiro: Photo: UFC Disclosure

Since signing with Bellator, Chris Cyborg he smiled again. If her stay at the UFC was problematic, due to friction with Dana White and Joe Rogan, the Brazilian was embraced by the new organization, becoming featherweight champion (65,8kg) and for her first title defense, in this Thursday (15), in the USA, had a special reinforcement: Rafael Cordeiro.

In an interview with the North American website MMA Junkie, the Curitiba native celebrated the fact of renewing her partnership with the renowned trainer and responsible for her entry into MMA and recalled some moments with him.

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“I did my last two camps in South Africa, but this time, I didn't have the opportunity to go because of the pandemic. There was also a good side. I returned to training with Rafael Cordeiro, at Kings MMA. I trained with him a long time ago and the last time was before the fight against Gina Carano. Rafael was my first coach! He taught me how to throw my first kick, my first punch and it's great to be back. He knows me and he’s really cool,” Cyborg said.

The champion also made a brief analysis of Arlene Blencowe, her opponent at Bellator 249, and celebrated the fact that the category is more developed in the current organization than in the UFC.

“Blencowe is a great opponent, she is a two-time boxing champion and likes fighting on the feet. She also likes to exchange blows and it will be exciting. One of the main factors in signing with Bellator was seeing new fighters arriving. This makes me very happy and excited. It's motivating! Here, there is a featherweight category. I won't have to wait more than a year to fight. I believe that Bellator’s featherweight division will be the best in women’s MMA,” she concluded.

Mentioned by Chris Cyborg, the fight against Gina Carano took place in 2009, with the Brazilian winning by knockout. Since then, Rafael Cordeiro has established himself as one of the best MMA coaches and Cyborg as one of the greatest fighters in the history of women's MMA. The beginning of the duo's relationship took place at the legendary Chute Boxe gym, located in Curitiba.