Cristiane Justino faces UFC turn
Cristiane Justino, known professionally as Cris Cyborg, faced two career-defining moments: a 2016 USADA case and a 2019 split with the promotion after UFC 240 in Edmonton.
UFC said the 2016 case came from an out-of-competition sample collected on December 5, while the 2019 split followed her win over Felicia Spencer in Edmonton, Alberta, after three rounds.
Cris Cyborg case began after sample
UFC said the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency notified the promotion of a possible violation tied to a sample collected outside competition on December 5, 2016, under its athlete testing program at the time.
The notice arrived after Justino faced Lina Lansberg on September 24 in Brazil, where she competed at 140 pounds, before the UFC had yet established a 145-pound women’s division for title bouts.
Cris Cyborg cited prescribed care
Justino said prescribed care followed severe weight-cutting effects, including blood pressure concerns, potassium loss, weakness, and a low white blood cell count after competition in Brazil that September night, during recovery.
She said her doctor understood USADA testing rules and believed no extra approval step was needed, while her team prepared a retroactive therapeutic use exemption request for later agency review.
Cris Cyborg later received clearance
USADA later granted Justino a retroactive therapeutic use exemption, lifted her provisional suspension, and said the test result would not count as a policy violation under UFC rules after review.
The agency reviewed her medical condition, interviewed Justino, spoke with her physician, and found the low-dose treatment would not provide a performance edge in competition or training under policy rules.
Cris Cyborg warned about weight cuts
Justino linked the case to extreme weight cutting after her September 2016 bout, when she said she had to cut about 24 pounds to compete at 140 pounds in Brazil.
She apologized to disappointed fans and said she hoped her experience would raise awareness about the dangers linked to extreme weight-cutting practices in combat sports and recovery after competition ended.
Cris Cyborg missed first title booking
UFC booked Holly Holm and Germaine de Randamie for the first women’s 145-pound title bout after Justino was not placed in the February 2017 matchup at UFC 208 in New York.
Dana White said UFC had made Justino multiple offers for the inaugural title bout, while Justino said a medical restriction affected her training and weight-cutting schedule during late 2016 negotiations.
Cris Cyborg made UFC debut in Brazil
Justino made her UFC debut in May 2016 at UFC 198 in Curitiba, Brazil, where she beat Leslie Smith in 81 seconds at a 140-pound catchweight bout there in front of home fans.
Four months later, she beat Lina Lansberg in Brazil, and that second UFC appearance later became central to her public comments about weight cutting, recovery, and health in 2016.
Cris Cyborg left UFC after Spencer
Justino fought out her UFC contract at UFC 240 in Edmonton, Alberta, where she beat Felicia Spencer by unanimous decision in July 2019 after three full rounds officially recorded there.
The result came after Amanda Nunes took Justino’s 145-pound title in December 2018, leaving a possible rematch as the main UFC storyline around her future path and negotiations after UFC 240.
Cris Cyborg and White split publicly
Dana White said he was out of the Cyborg business and would waive UFC matching rights, allowing Justino to field offers from other promotions after UFC 240 ended publicly in 2019.
White said UFC would release Justino from contract limits, while she had already said she planned to test free agency after completing her UFC deal in Edmonton that summer of 2019.
Cris Cyborg wanted public apology
Before the split, Justino said Dana White should publicly apologize for past remarks that she said harmed her image and affected her family outside of competition and daily life at home.
White disputed her view of the remarks and said his earlier comments came during questions about another fighter’s statement and Justino’s prior testing history in combat sports at that time.
Cris Cyborg apologized for video
After White’s 2019 interview, Justino apologized on social media for a doctored team video that inaccurately quoted the UFC president through subtitles in an online post by her team that week.
She said she and White would still disagree on many issues, but she would stand up for doing what she believed was right in public disputes after leaving UFC in 2019.
Cris Cyborg moved beyond UFC
Bellator announced in September 2019 that Justino had signed a multiyear, multifight deal after her UFC run ended with the Spencer victory in Canada earlier that summer, closing that promotion chapter.
She later built another title run outside the UFC, while her current record lists her professional MMA mark at 29 wins, 2 losses, and 1 no-contest across her career.
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Cris Cyborg story spans disputes
Justino’s UFC story connects a 2016 USADA case, later clearance, title-booking tension, a 2019 contract split, and a move to Bellator after free agency opened outside the promotion in 2019.
The timeline shows how performance, health claims, promotion decisions, and public comments shaped one of the most-watched exits from UFC’s women’s featherweight division in modern MMA history for fans.
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This slideshow was made with AI assistance and human editing.
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