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The UFC is going all-out in its pursuit of high-profile MMA free agents, it seems, asESPN's Brett Okamotois reporting thatZuffa LLC, the UFC's parent company, is pursuing a deal with former Strikeforce featherweight champion Cris "Cyborg" Justino. The news comes a day after the UFC surprisingly pulled former Pride FC heavyweight and K-1 kickboxer Mirko Cro Cop out of the clutches of its chief rival, Bellator MMA.

UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta said the following to Okamoto, "We certainly have an interest in Cyborg fighting for us...We feel that down the road there is a possibility of a big fight between her and Ronda, but there are still a lot of things that need to happen."

That said, Fertitta was not especially specific, or even optimistic, regarding Justino joining the UFC at any point in the foreseeable future. Naturally, the big hang-up in all this is her inability to cut down to 135-pounds, "she needs to prove she can get down to 135 pounds before we would take the risk of making that fight happen. Obviously, if she came over and didn't make the weight, it would be a disaster."

Justino is currently signed to the all-women's promotion Invicta FC, with just one bout remaining on her three-fight deal. While she has long been considered one of the greatest female mixed martial artist in the world (and possibly the greatest), a 2012 failed drug test, which was flagged for theanabolic steroid stanozolol, has made her a controversial figure. UFC President Dana White and UFC women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey have also both frequently barbed Justino for this.

Which of course begs the question...why is the UFC pursuing a fighter they don't like who fights in a weight class they don't have?

Worth noting is that relations between the Cyborg camp and the UFC have softened, in spite of White's less-than-mature statements regarding Justino. Not only that, but the UFC and Bellator have been in a race to scoop up every prominent free agent in MMA, with the UFC scooping up Mirko Cro Cop, signing the completely untrained pro wrestler CM Punk, and making a strong play for seemingly retired women's MMA star Gina Carano. Bellator has scooped up the likes of YouTube sensation Kimbo Slice, and recently debuted former Strikeforce champion Marloes Coenen and fearsome striker Melvin Manhoef.

Because of that, it isn't a strong leap to assume that the UFC is looking to simply keep Cyborg away from Bellator...which of course would suggest that, for the first time in a long time, the MMA leader feels threatened by a competing promotion.

The rest is here:

UFC Parent Company Pursuing Deal with Cris "Cyborg" Justino