This morning, Cris Cyborg ceased to be the relentless fighter. For just a few minutes, she became Cris Cyborg: a woman moved by the opportunity to fight again in Curitiba, her home, after 10 years.
Cyborg was one of the most applauded during the public workouts prior to UFC 198. The fans who came to the stadium of the Atlético Paranaense football club - a colossus with capacity for 40,000 people - did not stop cheering for the fearless Cristiane Justino during her presentation.
The woman born in Curitiba 30 years ago - for many, the best fighter in the world - looked less muscular than usual. The reason is obvious: by Friday, Cris Cyborg is required to weigh 63.5 kilos (140 pounds) for her debut in UFC against the brave Leslie Smith, the only one who accepted the challenge to face her.
After a brief warm-up, Justino did shadowboxing - an exercise that consists of punching in the air - and "playful fighting" with her trainer. That was enough to show that she is one of the women with the most refined striking technique in mixed martial arts (MMA).
Before returning to her dressing room, Cris Cyborg decided that today she had to break from the script of the bad girl of UFC. No one expected her - the woman who retired Gina Carano after beating her - to invite one of her fans to fight a round against her. But Cris wanted to stop being Cris just for today. And she did it.
The lucky one was a young blonde with boxing skills. She even managed to lightly hit the former Invicta FC champion with a right straight to the face. Under any other circumstances, the "caress" could have cost her dearly. Not today, not against this Cristiane Justino.
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