The Doggy Bag: ‘They Said What?!’ Edition

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Tired of hearing Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos talk about Ronda Rousey coming to 145 pounds, and the talk has just started. Maybe if she got off the juice, she could get down to 135 and actually get a fight. How can she not want this fight to happen, considering how her career has fallen off since testing positive for steroids? -- Chris from Chicago

Chris Nelson, associate editor: First off, cool name. Second, you’re coming in a little hot, friend. Allow me to play devil’s advocate.

I wouldn’t say Cyborg’s career has so much “fallen off” since testing positive as it has been put on hold due to the suspension handed down by the California State Athletic Commission. This is what happens when fighters are busted for steroids: they have their titles stripped and they fall out of the public eye. Then, the suspension ends -- Cyborg’s expires Dec. 16, by the way -- and voila, they’re back like nothing happened, sometimes even in a main event.

Whether or not Cyborg comes back to Strikeforce in a headlining slot almost certainly depends on the Rousey fight materializing, so I think it’s presumptuous to say Cyborg doesn’t want the fight to happen. The “maybe if she got off the juice” argument -- one I’ve seen repeated quite a bit since last weekend -- doesn’t really hold water, either, since "Cyborg" was using Winstrol to help shed weight, not pack it on.

There’s a reason Cyborg is saying she won’t come down to bantamweight, and that reason may be that she simply can’t shed the weight without highly deleterious effects. Women have a harder time cutting weight than men due to more lean muscle and less body fat, and this is a woman who has struggled to make the 145-pound limit in the past. Winstrol or not, 135 would be a brutal cut for Cyborg and one that could lose her the fight before it even begins.

With all that said, Rousey is the champion at 135 pounds, so the onus is on any potential challenger to make that weight. If Cyborg can’t, then she can’t. Considering the dearth of name opponents for Rousey at the moment -- and since it’s too soon for a Miesha Tate rematch, in my opinion -- maybe Strikeforce would go for a one-off catchweight fight. I hate myself for suggesting that since, like most, I’m no fan of catchweights. However, I’d take Rousey vs. Cyborg at 140 pounds over no Rousey vs. Cyborg at all.

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