Cris Cyborg Says UFC Reached Out About Fight with Ronda Rousey

Tito Ortiz appeared Friday night on AXS TV's Inside MMA, but the talk didn't stay entirely focused on his upcoming fight with Bellator light heavyweight champion Liam McGeary. According to Ortiz, the UFC has offered Cris "Cyborg" Justino a fight with their top star, Ronda Rousey, in Dallas at Cowboys Stadium.

"I've heard from Cris [Justino] actually that the fight that's supposed to be happening at the Cowboy's arena... they offered the fight to Cris. I know her management said yes and I've told her, 'Let's do it,'" Ortiz said (h/t Bloody Elbow's Nate Wilcox for the transcription).

"So I guess the ball's all in Ronda's corner and Ronda wants to do it. Dana said if Cris came down to 135 they'll make the fight happen, so let's see if Ronda accepts the fight," he added.

Update: Saturday, August 8, at 10:43 p.m. ET

Cyborg's manager George Prajin spoke to ESPN.com's Brett Okamoto about the recent developments between the UFC and the former Strikeforce champ. The biggest takeaway is as follows: "I can also confirm the end result of those conversations is that Cris is agreeable to fighting Ronda on Dec. 5 at Cowboys Stadium [at 135 pounds]."

Update: Saturday, August 8, at 7:53 p.m. ET

Justino has fired back at White on social media:

"

I'm not lying nor is Tito- UFC called my manager last Sunday to see if I would fight Ronda at 135 on December 5 at... http://t.co/pF2VJdRuEU

— Cris Cyborg (@criscyborg) August 8, 2015"

At this point, it's hard to say what is going on, but Cyborg openly saying that the UFC is pursuing the fight adds much more credibility to Ortiz's claims. Still, even if the UFC is reaching out to her management team, that does not guarantee that they are close to pulling the trigger on Rousey vs. Cyborg. Keep an eye out here for more details as they break.

Update: Saturday, August 8, at 5:45 p.m. ET

UFC President Dana White vehemently denied Ortiz's claims to Yahoo Sports' Kevin Iole:

"It's 100 percent a lie. First of all, the UFC doesn't even talk to Tito Ortiz, so let's start there," said White. "But we haven't offered any fight to [Justino]. Tito Ortiz is just making this [expletive] up. In no way, shape or form did we offer her a fight against Ronda at Cowboys Stadium. Completely untrue."

---End of Update---

While this is cause for a bit of hope, fans shouldn't start booking flights quite yet. A Rousey vs. Cyborg superfight has been talked about many times over the last few years but has never come close to materializing.

The UFC and Rousey have long demanded that a bout between MMA's leading ladies take place at 135 pounds, and there is no indication from Ortiz that anything has changed in that regard.

Cyborg has previously stated she would begin working toward 135 pounds but has never actually attempted to cut past her traditional fighting weight of 145 pounds—which, it is worth noting, is a grueling cut for the musclebound Invicta FC champion.

That said, many have criticized the insistence that the fight take place at 135 pounds, given how huge the fight could be on both a financial and pop cultural level.

"

The idea Cyborg and Rousey can't fight unless there's a belt on the line is ludicrous on its face.

— Luke Thomas (@SBNLukeThomas) August 2, 2015"

It is also worth noting that Ortiz is no longer Cyborg's manager. While he still functions as an advocate and mouthpiece for the Brazilian, he is not steering her career in the same way he used to.

With all that said, it's hard not to feel like the fight between Rousey and Cyborg is closer than ever. Cyborg is currently signed to a mystery contract with the UFC's parent company, Zuffa, and hinted on Twitter that her next fight will be at 140 pounds.

Not only that, but where White would once throw a tantrum (warning: NSFW language) when pressed on signing Cyborg, he now shows unrealistic optimism regarding the lucrative nature of the potential superfight.

Ultimately, time will tell with Cyborg. Invicta FC currently has events scheduled for September 12 and December, but Cyborg is not attached to either card. Keep an eye out on Bleacher Report to see if that changes.