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Mark great money for ESPN joined today by Champ Chris cyborg sorry Grand Slam Champion Chris cyborg four championships of course in four major organizations the only on to ever do that Chris cyborg uh of course you have a boxing fight coming up on Friday I want to ask you a little bit about that quite a bit to ask you but how are things it’s been a little bit since we’ve spoken what’s going on in in the world of Chris cyborg um yeah I’m really excited though for my next fight boxing fight I’ve been training hard uh like you said uh you know I I I’m excited to back to MMA too you know uh but you know I I a lot of things going on like um I was think it’s going to be Kayla but then there’s a lot of things going on you know around yeah I want to ask you about that but I want to ask you first about about boxing last time we spoke was before uh before your last Bellator fight against Kats andano you won that now you’re now you got back into the training camp of boxing you faced Kelsey Wickstrom on Friday butang in Tula California I don’t know much about Kelsey Brook I’ll be honest tell me a little bit about her and and how big of a challenge is this in boxing coming up she’s she’s undefeated and she number three boxing number three in the USA um at the reality I was going to take vacation after catching gun fight and then I got invited crazy i’ would like to see if I would like to do un boxing fight so my team SEC is nice you keep active training for you know and and I I went to se I stayed there to team benas and there was a great Camp my last box fight I didn’t have a camp like accepted the fighting one week notice and but this time I will have a real Camp uh I I love to do the shirt camps because um for boxing because I learned a lot of things no for for MMA you know for me my expectative I want to do a great Fight Friday show a little bit what I learned in boxing and yes I’m excited it’s going to be 154 pound so the week is a little bit nicer you know mooth and really cool when I when I saw you at your gym a few months ago before the zingano fight one of the things that we talked about and I talked about with the with your boyfriend Ray of course too was uh maybe you fighting in in ryzen in Japan on New Year’s Eve that didn’t come to fruition I’d still like to see that I still feel like there’s a cybor fight in ryzen at saitama at some point before you you know you you finished this career out right this is this is more more my dream because when I start in shoot the Box have all the people fight in Japan and this is one of my dream fight in Japan this is Canelo Canelo so and then um this is one of my dream fight fight in Japan so don’t happen I I ask you know but it didn’t happen but this one off my dream yeah hopefully that can happen uh you know maybe maybe next year Year New Year’s Eve I mean those are always such great uh shows at at the end of the year in at saitama um so so last time since we spoke also I asked you then about pfl maybe acquiring Bellator it did end up happening and we don’t know a whole lot I know that they made the announcement but there hasn’t been any actual fights or events announced yet so just general thoughts Bellator is gone I guess but it’ll be it’ll remain in some respects I’m not sure how much you know or or anyone knows about how that’s going to play out in the future future but how do you feel about this whole situation uh the the reality is uh the beginning I hear a lot of things I was F for C fight um something like you know control um when I saw I saw P um the announc the fight announced about Bellator They Se one event all the people most champion in Bellator went to the event um I didn’t any contact with the pfl team nobody came talk to me um I think it was a little bit rough start start between me and then um but it’s normal you know when you start relationship is like this way so but um you know I think is it’s going to be it’s rough for them too is a lot of Fighters they have a lot to work on and for put a lot of people fighting and let’s see what’s going to happen I’m excited too I have have things gotten patched up since that initial rough start with pfl yeah they contact with us then talk and and in the Christmas then call us and Peter call us and say if you would like to fight Kayla Harrison and after my boxing fight then my team say yes you know we be work on about is I already think about this fight I’ve been I’ve been fighting Southpaw as already Fox May fight Kayla we already three years building this fight so we say yes you know can be short notice for and then we ready it so he say okay we’re going to send the contract but we never received the contract and the reason because Kayla didn’t didn’t accept what I mean why do you think she didn’t accept and and what are the it seems like there’s a lot of like moving Parts here right because I know that that at one point they also had said that they wanted to do you against Lorissa Pacho first because you’re both the the reigning champions in your respective promotions um but of course cyborg versus Harrison is kind of the fight right if you think about pfl and Bellator what’s fight everyone wants to see the most It’s Kayla Harrison versus Chris cyborg so what what do you think is going on exactly the reality like this uh then call me they ask me Chris you can fight Kayla Harrison our next event and then I say yes send the contract they say I’m gonna send the contract my EMP lawyer going to contact you guys that’s it if this side accepted the fight why didn’t they send the contract I have one reason so have you gotten any Clarity because you said that was around Christmas like so it’s it’s been a few weeks have you gotten any clarity about what’s going on now and what you know what your fight would be after the boxing match in pfl you know my f my my f is Kayla Harrison next uh she’s calling me out her last fight she say no need to wait she say she’s W and so funny like when the opportunity come she’s not ready and I know it’s gonna I I I want to be her you know next I think you’ll be this fight for three years and in the future after we can fight Clarissa pko for sure Lisa she she’s she’s no can do fight the same event whatever we can promote this fight but we’ve been promoting Kayla for three years I think it’s the fight everybody want to watch I think she might have some kind of like a contract situation that needs to be resolved before maybe this could happen so maybe maybe that is the hold up possibly yeah maybe it is you know I I don’t know what’s happen on the other side you know uh but I accepted the fight she called me out so um I don’t know we really what’s going on okay today today is January 15th do you think within the year of 2024 we will finally see cyborg versus Harrison yes I want work you know I want work if you don’t have a war MMA fight for me I’m going to be in boxing uh I really want work with pfl I don’t want to I don’t want to one hard boss on top of me really I really want to work together with the promoter make it the best biggest fight we can make and I want to do it this I love my job but I can retire any time really I can’t retire I love my job I don’t want to you know I was love work with Scott CER um so I I know I I want to Easy Life nice communication U you know ready for fight I’m always in training I never declin one fight in my career I never say I have an injury I never have an injury in my career thank God I never injured Camp so I mean I’m aw you know I’m been training I got a this box Fighter for me can keep active you know I don’t go to Brazil see my family one year almost two so for keep Focus you know for the end of my career from he keep it raining and that’s it do do you see after this boxing match on Friday will it be a year of mostly MMA for you or you will you still kind of mix MMA and boxing my focus now is after this fight be boxing MMA fight against kill Harrison this is the next one you know um this is our plan have you um you know you mentioned the r word retirement I know that could be kind of a dirty word right in in MMA but uh have you have you given any thought to you know when that might might be like do you have a you know a thing in your head I do this I do this and then that’s it uh you know I wanted I I I have like um um I do I did to make the biggest fight in my career um and then maybe I can get a one more title in my career so you know I being really work on but the fox I Fox only now for my boxing fight and I know MMA Kell Harris we had building up for three years I want to ask you a little bit about Lissa PCO because she is someone that you could end up fighting and I think a lot of fans would like to see that fight as well because a lot of people say who who does Lissa Pacho remind you of it’s Chris cyborg to an extent right that that big Power that that ferocity um what do you think of Pacho she she’s your country woman of course you know fellow Brazilian no every year she’s getting better and better no she’s a have a great victory over Kayla Harrison um she’s young you know she’s training she’s W um Champion so and the nice is one more a new generation one more representing Brazil it’s really cool this the the Legacy the sport continue do you see do you see any comparison between the two of you guys you and Pacho maybe because you like a strike you know and the most fighter H she’s a power punch too I think this can be can be a little bit similar this I saw recently um there was there was some talk maybe between you and claressa Shields and that was someone that I think you were very friendly with at one point and you guys trained together has has there is there some bad blood now and and could there be a fight between you guys the reality I don’t have anything against Clarissa when she’s think when I did some sparing for her when she’s came here to Orange County and then the reality I told I told to her that time why don’t come to MMA we did a little bit grappling and show herar I don’t have any problem with Kisa so I she just started calling me out and then then Twitter like yeah I can fight you so you know I I’m a beginner in my boxing so you know I been I I’m starting you know she’s the super star in the boxing but you know I I mean humble learning and I don’t have any problem fighting with nobody you know but let’s do MMA too you know we can make some deal now we send me promotion so but let’s see what’s going to happen but you know I don’t have anything against her much respect for the champion but let’s see I mean it does feel like as maybe Bittersweet as as losing Bellator might be to an extent it does seem like there are some interesting things ahead for you at least so boxing Friday panga Kelsey Wickstrom and then after that you’re hoping to fight Kayla Harrison correct that’s that’s the ideal scenario do you know when you know I accepted the fight they don’t need to call me c accepted the fight I accepted the fight we just incend the contract and then see the date’s going to be do you would you have an idea of how soon you’d want to come back and do that fight right away right away soon I finish the boxing I’m going to back continue my training uh we already been training for her we already already been prepared for her so we ready anytime they call me we okay awesome uh again Friday panga EX cybor versus Kelsey Wickstrom you guys yeah go you guys can watch a live at spectations sports.com okay awesome and then and then hopefully we get Some Dream fights uh cyborg Harrison cyborg PCO and pfl in the near future Chris it’s always great talking to you thank you so much and good luck on Friday thank you very much for the opportunity thank you guys see you guys Friday