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White: 'Ronda wants to fight' Cyborg, possibly at 140 lbs

PAUL CROCK / AFP / Getty

One longstanding hurdle could soon be removed from the path of a Ronda Rousey-Cris Cyborg dream fight.

During an appearance Tuesday on the UFC Unfiltered podcast, UFC president Dana White said former women's bantamweight champion Rousey could be open to fight Cyborg in a 140-pound catchweight bout. That would be five pounds heavier than Rousey's usual weight class, and it's an accommodation she's refused to make for her rival whenever the topic was raised in the past.

"Ronda wants to fight her," White said, according to Dave Doyle of MMA Fighting. "We'll have to figure out at what weight to fight. But Ronda wants that fight. ... Ronda could do (1)40."

Rousey began her MMA career at 145 pounds before dropping down to 135 to fight and defeat Miesha Tate for the Strikeforce women's bantamweight title in 2012. She would go on to a wildly successful UFC championship run that ended in November when Rousey was knocked out by Holly Holm.

With Rousey out of the picture, Cyborg has arguably emerged as the biggest name in women's MMA. A decade-plus unbeaten streak had her pegged as the sport's most feared female fighter, and the hype intensified as she made her highly anticipated UFC debut in May with a first-round drubbing of Leslie Smith.

Cyborg TKO'd Lina Lansberg in the main event of UFC Fight Night 95 on Saturday to improve to 2-0 inside the Octagon. The headlining bout proved to be a ratings success, which should position Cyborg as a major player in the UFC's matchmaking plans.

Whether Rousey is part of those plans is unclear, especially given the complications that have impeded the booking of the bout for years. But as long as both fighters are active, it will remain the most potentially lucrative matchup in female combat sports.

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