With news this week that Strikeforce women's featherweight champion Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos (10-1 MMA, 4-0 SF) has re-signed with the promotion, attention once again has turned to potential opposition.
Santos, who has not fought since dismantling Jan Finney in June 2010, occupies the top spot in her division and is seen by many as borderline unstoppable.
However, the remainder of the top 10 at 145 pounds is composed of fighters who have not yet had their shot at the hard-hitting Brazilian. Not surprisingly, many of them are anxious for a chance to prove themselves in Strikeforce.
With a new one-year deal signed, who could be next for Santos?
MMAjunkie.com takes a look at nine contenders and prospects who may one day find themselves across the cage from Strikeforce's dominant champ.
Hiroko Yamanaka (12-1): At 5-foot-11, Yamanaka is one of the tallest female fighters in MMA. Unbeaten in more than three years dating back to a since-avenged loss to Hitomi Akano, the former dominatrix has defeated all challengers in Japan's Jewels promotion and improves with each passing fight. Yamanaka was offered a bout with Santos in Strikeforce this past year, but she was unable to leave Japan to come to the U.S. With her travel issues now resolved, Strikeforce once again has reached out to Yamanaka's team for a showdown with Santos. The Chiba native would represent the most credible challenge to Santos should she accept the fight.
Amanda Nunes (6-1): Following her 14-second knockout of Julia Budd at a January Strikeforce event, many felt that the "Lioness of the Ring" might be next in line for a shot at Santos. Strikeforce officials also were interested in the matchup, but Nunes requested more cage time and also expressed an interest in returning to 135 pounds. Now training with AMA Fight Club in New Jersey, the Brazilian is expected to face Raging Wolf champion Alexis Davis on the preliminary card of the Sept. 10 Strikeforce event in Ohio. That bout is scheduled for 135 pounds, and it remains to be seen if and when Nunes could move back up to featherweight. All six of Nunes' wins have come by knockout.
Rin Nakai (10-0): Once campaigning at 125 pounds, Nakai has steadily moved up in weight in recent years and now competes at or above 145. Renowned for her strength, the 5-foot-1 Nakai has outmuscled larger opponents with ease and became the first and only Valkyrie open-weight champion this past year. Like Yamanaka, she also has been offered a bout with Santos, but Nakai and her trainer/husband feel she would be best served by remaining in Japan for the time being. Still just 24, Nakai has many years ahead of her to develop her skills, but she is running short on credible opponents in Japan, and a fight with Yamanaka has yet to materialize.
Milana Dudieva (7-1): Unbeaten since her pro debut, Dudieva has only been to a decision one time in her career, and she has never been knocked out. The Russian's most impressive victory came in December, when she defeated German standout Sheila Gaff. However, Dudieva has begun a gradual move down in weight. So while her style could match up well with Santos', it appears that the featherweight division may not be in Dudieva's long-term plans.
Julia Budd (2-1): Already well-known to Strikeforce fans after three fights in the promotion, Canadian fighter Budd was rumored to be one win away from fighting Santos earlier this year. However, after Nunes quickly stopped the Muay Thai standout, "The Jewel" was forced to regroup. In June, Budd avenged the only loss of her Muay Thai career by defeating Germaine de Randamie in a grappling-heavy MMA bout, but she still is likely at least one or two big wins away from title contention. Her next fight has not yet been announced, but Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker has expressed interest in seeing Budd back in the cage soon.
Yana Kunitskaya (4-1): Another prospect from Russia, the 21-year-old Kunitskaya has finished her opponents in all four career victories. The talented kickboxer earned her most notable win in December when she defeated Cindy Dandois in just 34 seconds. "Foxy" has been inactive in MMA since then but has kept busy in Muay Thai and scored a knockout victory over a 235-pound opponent in late July. While not yet ready to take on Santos, Kunitskaya would be a tough test for any of the other members of the Strikeforce 145-pound women's division.
Elaina Maxwell (6-4): Fans of early Strikeforce events should be familiar with Maxwell, who fought three times for the promotion from 2006 to 2008. A protege of former Strikeforce champion Cung Le, "Beef" has already battled some of the sport's top female fighters, including Gina Carano and current Strikeforce women's bantamweight champion Miesha Tate. She has won four of her past five fights and holds victories over Strikeforce veterans Alexis Davis and Shana Olsen. Maxwell is not currently contracted to Strikeforce, but her striking pedigree and rapidly improving ground game make her one of the top American threats to Santos' title.
Ronda Rousey (3-0): In a very short time, the 2008 Olympic bronze medalist has become one of the most-talked-about female fighters in MMA. To date, none of Rousey's six pro and amateur bouts has lasted more than 57 seconds. "Rowdy" made an instant impact in her Strikeforce debut earlier this month. Although her submission win over Sarah D'Alelio resulted in controversy, Rousey has made MMA look easy so far, and she may be close to achieving her goal of challenging Santos by the end of 2011. Rousey's striking remains unproven in a live-fight setting, but if she could take down Santos, a patented 30-second armbar certainly would be plausible. A contender's bout with Budd would seem to be a logical next step for the judoka.
Cindy Dandois (5-1): In her January 2009 pro debut, "Battlecat" defeated future Strikeforce champion Marloes Coenen in one of the biggest upsets in recent years. Employing an array of judo throws and an improving ground game, Dandois went on to win four of her next five fights, but the Belgian is currently sidelined due to a pregnancy that has delayed her planned Strikeforce debut. Much like Rousey, Dandois would have a legitimate opportunity to upset Santos if she could keep the fight on the ground, but her striking remains a work in progress, and her TKO loss to Kunitskaya this past year was a significant setback.
Source: Nine possible opponents for newly re-signed Strikeforce champ Cris "Cyborg" Santos
