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Courtesy Strikeforce

It was the quickest fight champion Cyborg Santos has ever had, and it was facing the #2 ranked fighter in her division.

It only took 16 seconds for Santos to overwhelm Hiroko Yamanaka and cause the ref to stop the fight after several unanswered shots this past Saturday at Strikeforce in San Diego. The frate train that is Cyborg seems to be unstoppable, and with Strikeforce head Scott Coker calling her “The Mike Tyson of Women’s MMA”; the world is wondering “Who will be the Buster Douglas?”

Looking at the top 10 Unified ranked fighters in the featherweight division…

#3 Ronda Rousey (4-o) states she is not ready for Cyborg, preferring to drop to 135. She would be the obvious next choice for Strikeforce to give a 145 title shot to, but it would be a tough sell for Rousey.

#4 Amanda Nunes (6-2) is coming off a loss to #4 ranked banthamweight Alexis Davis. It is not unheard of, however, for Strikeforce to give a title shot to a person who is coming off a loss.

#5 Rin Nakai (10-0-1) is in a similar boat as Rousey, stating she isn’t ready for Cyborg. Nakai wants to get U.S. experience, but has yet to get a visa.

#6 Milana Dudieva (7-1) has only went the distance once. Every other time she has won, she has finished her opponent in the first round. She maybe the diamond in the rough when it comes to being Cyborg’s next opponent.

#7 Yana Kunitskaya (5-1) is another that wants experience before facing Cyborg. She is hoping to make her U.S. debut in 2012, but has been active as of late in the European MMA scene.

#8 Elaina Maxwell (6-4) has all the experience in the world. She is coming off two wins in MMA, and has been working on her blossoming kickboxing career. An undefeated San Shou fighter, she took Carano the distance, and the fight would be the most competitive for Cyborg.

#9 Julia Budd (2-2) is coming off a quick loss to Ronda Rousey and is in no position to face Cyborg at this time.

10# Cindy Dandois (5-1) is still recovering from the birth of her second child, and like Nakai and Kunitskaya, wants to have more U.S. experience. (On a side note – Dandois vs. Rousey would be interesting. Both are judokas.)

A contender that isn’t ranked (no clue why) is Romy Ruyssen. With a 5-1 record, Ruyssen won a tournament that was supposed to give her a Strikeforce contract. With the Zuffa purchase, the contract disappeared. It would be nice for her to get her shot.

Ultimately, Strikeforce needs to build a 145 division, and what would do that is a tournament. We aren’t talking a one night, but over several cards. With a lot of amateur fighters and several starting pros in 145, this experience can be gained and stars established. Since there is no female “Ultimate Fighter”, this would be the best way to find great challengers for Cyborg.

Until then, we await Cyborg’s next challenge.

Filed under: MMA

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This post is related to an event on our Calendar:

• Strikeforce: Cris Cyborg Santos vs Hiroko Yamanaka

This post is related to an ongoing story:

• MMA: The Women Ain't Goin' Nowhere

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