Bellator 249: Cris Cyborg’s first title defense worth the wait - OCRegister

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Vergil Ortiz Sr. knows his way around a boxing ring. He is not only the father of sensational undefeated welterweight Vergil Ortiz Jr., he is also his trainer.

Only 22, the younger Ortiz has racked up 16 wins on 16 knockouts and for years has been considered by many a future star in boxing’s 147-pound division and beyond.

It then goes to reason that the senior Ortiz speaks from experience when raving about a certain 145-pound champion.

Only the sport is MMA and the fighter is Cris Cyborg, whom Ortiz says hits just as strong as a man.

“I can feel the difference from a solid punch to a slap. A lot of people, when they hook, they slap,” Ortiz said last week. “She doesn’t slap. She hooks. It’s a big difference. When she punches, she uses her weight. There’s certain punches people throw that you can’t teach. It’s just god-given.”

• Cris Cyborg, Bellator Women’s Featherweight World Champion, trains at her gym in Huntington Beach, CA., Wednesday, October 7, 2020. Cyborg will defend her Bellator featherweight title for the first time on Thursday, Oct. 15, in Connecticut against Australian Arlene Blencowe. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

• Cris Cyborg, Bellator Women’s Featherweight World Champion, trains at her gym in Huntington Beach, CA., Wednesday, October 7, 2020. Cyborg will defend her Bellator featherweight title for the first time on Thursday, Oct. 15, in Connecticut against Australian Arlene Blencowe. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

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• Cris Cyborg, Bellator Women’s Featherweight World Champion, trains with boxing coach Vergil Ortiz Sr. at her gym in Huntington Beach, CA., Wednesday, October 7, 2020. Cyborg will defend her Bellator featherweight title for the first time on Thursday, Oct. 15, in Connecticut against Australian Arlene Blencowe. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

• Cris Cyborg, Bellator Women’s Featherweight World Champion, trains with boxing coach Vergil Ortiz Sr. at her gym in Huntington Beach, CA., Wednesday, October 7, 2020. Cyborg will defend her Bellator featherweight title for the first time on Thursday, Oct. 15, in Connecticut against Australian Arlene Blencowe. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

• Cris Cyborg, Bellator Women’s Featherweight World Champion, trains at her gym in Huntington Beach, CA., Wednesday, October 7, 2020. Cyborg will defend her Bellator featherweight title for the first time on Thursday, Oct. 15, in Connecticut against Australian Arlene Blencowe. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

• Cris Cyborg, Bellator Women’s Featherweight World Champion, trains with boxing coach Vergil Ortiz Sr. at her gym in Huntington Beach, CA., Wednesday, October 7, 2020. Cyborg will defend her Bellator featherweight title for the first time on Thursday, Oct. 15, in Connecticut against Australian Arlene Blencowe. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

• Cris Cyborg, Bellator Women’s Featherweight World Champion, trains with boxing coach Vergil Ortiz Sr. at her gym in Huntington Beach, CA., Wednesday, October 7, 2020. Cyborg will defend her Bellator featherweight title for the first time on Thursday, Oct. 15, in Connecticut against Australian Arlene Blencowe. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

• Cris Cyborg, Bellator Women’s Featherweight World Champion, trains with boxing coach Vergil Ortiz Sr. at her gym in Huntington Beach, CA., Wednesday, October 7, 2020. Cyborg will defend her Bellator featherweight title for the first time on Thursday, Oct. 15, in Connecticut against Australian Arlene Blencowe. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

• Cris Cyborg, Bellator Women’s Featherweight World Champion, trains with boxing coach Vergil Ortiz Sr. at her gym in Huntington Beach, CA., Wednesday, October 7, 2020. Cyborg will defend her Bellator featherweight title for the first time on Thursday, Oct. 15, in Connecticut against Australian Arlene Blencowe. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

• Cris Cyborg, Bellator Women’s Featherweight World Champion, trains at her gym in Huntington Beach, CA., Wednesday, October 7, 2020. Cyborg will defend her Bellator featherweight title for the first time on Thursday, Oct. 15, in Connecticut against Australian Arlene Blencowe. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

• Cris Cyborg, Bellator Women’s Featherweight World Champion, trains with boxing coach Vergil Ortiz Sr. at her gym in Huntington Beach, CA., Wednesday, October 7, 2020. Cyborg will defend her Bellator featherweight title for the first time on Thursday, Oct. 15, in Connecticut against Australian Arlene Blencowe. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

• Cris Cyborg, Bellator Women’s Featherweight World Champion, trains with boxing coach Vergil Ortiz Sr. at her gym in Huntington Beach, CA., Wednesday, October 7, 2020. Cyborg will defend her Bellator featherweight title for the first time on Thursday, Oct. 15, in Connecticut against Australian Arlene Blencowe. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

• Cris Cyborg, Bellator Women’s Featherweight World Champion, trains with boxing coach Vergil Ortiz Sr. at her gym in Huntington Beach, CA., Wednesday, October 7, 2020. Cyborg will defend her Bellator featherweight title for the first time on Thursday, Oct. 15, in Connecticut against Australian Arlene Blencowe. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

• Cris Cyborg, Bellator Women’s Featherweight World Champion, trains with boxing coach Vergil Ortiz Sr. at her gym in Huntington Beach, CA., Wednesday, October 7, 2020. Cyborg will defend her Bellator featherweight title for the first time on Thursday, Oct. 15, in Connecticut against Australian Arlene Blencowe. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

• Cris Cyborg, Bellator Women’s Featherweight World Champion, trains at her gym in Huntington Beach, CA., Wednesday, October 7, 2020. Cyborg will defend her Bellator featherweight title for the first time on Thursday, Oct. 15, in Connecticut against Australian Arlene Blencowe. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

• Cris Cyborg, Bellator Women’s Featherweight World Champion, trains at her gym in Huntington Beach, CA., Wednesday, October 7, 2020. Cyborg will defend her Bellator featherweight title for the first time on Thursday, Oct. 15, in Connecticut against Australian Arlene Blencowe. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

• Cris Cyborg, Bellator Women’s Featherweight World Champion, trains with boxing coach Vergil Ortiz Sr. at her gym in Huntington Beach, CA., Wednesday, October 7, 2020. Cyborg will defend her Bellator featherweight title for the first time on Thursday, Oct. 15, in Connecticut against Australian Arlene Blencowe. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

• Cris Cyborg, Bellator Women’s Featherweight World Champion, trains with boxing coach Vergil Ortiz Sr. at her gym in Huntington Beach, CA., Wednesday, October 7, 2020. Cyborg will defend her Bellator featherweight title for the first time on Thursday, Oct. 15, in Connecticut against Australian Arlene Blencowe. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

• Cris Cyborg, Bellator Women’s Featherweight World Champion, trains with boxing coach Vergil Ortiz Sr. at her gym in Huntington Beach, CA., Wednesday, October 7, 2020. Cyborg will defend her Bellator featherweight title for the first time on Thursday, Oct. 15, in Connecticut against Australian Arlene Blencowe. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

• Cris Cyborg, Bellator Women’s Featherweight World Champion, trains with boxing coach Vergil Ortiz Sr. at her gym in Huntington Beach, CA., Wednesday, October 7, 2020. Cyborg will defend her Bellator featherweight title for the first time on Thursday, Oct. 15, in Connecticut against Australian Arlene Blencowe. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

• Cris Cyborg, Bellator Women’s Featherweight World Champion, with boxing coach Vergil Ortiz Sr. at her gym in Huntington Beach, CA., Wednesday, October 7, 2020. Cyborg will defend her Bellator featherweight title for the first time on Thursday, Oct. 15, in Connecticut against Australian Arlene Blencowe. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

• Cris Cyborg, Bellator Women’s Featherweight World Champion, trains at her gym in Huntington Beach, CA., Wednesday, October 7, 2020. Cyborg will defend her Bellator featherweight title for the first time on Thursday, Oct. 15, in Connecticut against Australian Arlene Blencowe. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

• Cris Cyborg, Bellator Women’s Featherweight World Champion, trains at her gym in Huntington Beach, CA., Wednesday, October 7, 2020. Cyborg will defend her Bellator featherweight title for the first time on Thursday, Oct. 15, in Connecticut against Australian Arlene Blencowe. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

• Cris Cyborg, Bellator Women’s Featherweight World Champion, trains at her gym in Huntington Beach, CA., Wednesday, October 7, 2020. Cyborg will defend her Bellator featherweight title for the first time on Thursday, Oct. 15, in Connecticut against Australian Arlene Blencowe. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

• Cris Cyborg, Bellator Women’s Featherweight World Champion, trains at her gym in Huntington Beach, CA., Wednesday, October 7, 2020. Cyborg will defend her Bellator featherweight title for the first time on Thursday, Oct. 15, in Connecticut against Australian Arlene Blencowe. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

• Cris Cyborg, Bellator Women’s Featherweight World Champion, trains at her gym in Huntington Beach, CA., Wednesday, October 7, 2020. Cyborg will defend her Bellator featherweight title for the first time on Thursday, Oct. 15, in Connecticut against Australian Arlene Blencowe. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

• Cris Cyborg, Bellator Women’s Featherweight World Champion, trains at her gym in Huntington Beach, CA., Wednesday, October 7, 2020. Cyborg will defend her Bellator featherweight title for the first time on Thursday, Oct. 15, in Connecticut against Australian Arlene Blencowe. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

• Cris Cyborg, Bellator Women’s Featherweight World Champion, trains at her gym in Huntington Beach, CA., Wednesday, October 7, 2020. Cyborg will defend her Bellator featherweight title for the first time on Thursday, Oct. 15, in Connecticut against Australian Arlene Blencowe. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

• Cris Cyborg, Bellator Women’s Featherweight World Champion, trains at her gym in Huntington Beach, CA., Wednesday, October 7, 2020. Cyborg will defend her Bellator featherweight title for the first time on Thursday, Oct. 15, in Connecticut against Australian Arlene Blencowe. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

• Cris Cyborg, Bellator Women’s Featherweight World Champion, trains at her gym in Huntington Beach, CA., Wednesday, October 7, 2020. Cyborg will defend her Bellator featherweight title for the first time on Thursday, Oct. 15, in Connecticut against Australian Arlene Blencowe. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

• Cris Cyborg, Bellator Women’s Featherweight World Champion, trains with boxing coach Vergil Ortiz Sr. at her gym in Huntington Beach, CA., Wednesday, October 7, 2020. Cyborg will defend her Bellator featherweight title for the first time on Thursday, Oct. 15, in Connecticut against Australian Arlene Blencowe. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

• Cris Cyborg, Bellator Women’s Featherweight World Champion, trains at her gym in Huntington Beach, CA., Wednesday, October 7, 2020. Cyborg will defend her Bellator featherweight title for the first time on Thursday, Oct. 15, in Connecticut against Australian Arlene Blencowe. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

Cyborg looks to apply her new skills when she defends her Bellator featherweight title for the first time against former two-time world boxing champion Arlene Blencowe at Bellator 249 on Thursday in Uncasville, Connecticut.

On the 25th day of 2020, back when all seemed normal in the world, Cyborg was the picture of composure in the cage inside The Forum in Inglewood. The Brazilian star systematically picked apart 145-pound champion Julia Budd for a fourth-round TKO at Bellator 238.

Cyborg became the first fighter to win a championship in four major MMA promotions, the Bellator gold posted prominently on the wall of her private gym above her UFC belt, which is flanked by her Strikeforce and Invicta FC titles.

The only problem is the Huntington Beach resident didn’t anticipate having to wait nine months to defend it.

“I trained a long time for this fight. I just have to be calm, like the Julia Budd fight, and wait for the opportunities,” Cyborg (22-2, 1 NC) said. “I know I have tools for grappling or for striking. I’m gonna see the easy way, the best way to do it. Some fights, they punch me and I punch back. But I know I train hard in all the mixed martial arts and they’re gonna be ready for the fight.”

The union between Ortiz and Cyborg has been in progress for several months, with Ortiz educating the MMA legend on the nuances of the sweet science and Cyborg hoping to round out her already considerably explosive attack.

The thinking was, as allowed in her lucrative Bellator contract, Cyborg would pursue opportunities during the prime boxing season in the middle of 2020. The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic put those plans on hold.

But Cyborg continued working with Ortiz, staying focused on Blencowe (13-7) as an eventual opponent and boxing as a potential second career. As Cyborg’s fiance Ray Elbe put it: “Timing isn’t always perfect but it’s the perfect time.”

Nine days before her fight with Blencowe, the gym’s garage door featuring the Cyborg Nation logo is pulled open. The warm Huntington Beach air is met by “Raise a Hallelujah” by Bethel Music, which the deeply religious champ has selected to play through the gym’s speakers.

“Sing a little louder/My weapon is a melody. Sing a little louder/Heaven comes to fight for me.”

The only weapons this day are Cyborg’s gloves – blue gloves, usually assigned to challengers, to feed her hungry mindset. No red champion gear is evident.

And the only one fighting in the gym is Cyborg as she drills five five-minute rounds with Ortiz, who occasionally pauses the mitt work to point out techniques or correct footwork.

“I’ve been learning a lot every day. It’s nice that Vergil is very patient and it’s nice because he tries to fix everything,” Cyborg said. “It’s not just hold the pads. It’s try to get better, and this is the most important thing.”

Ortiz said when he began working with Cyborg less than a year ago, the raw power was obvious.

The trick was harnessing it. The easy part was teaching it.

“It looked like she was willing to keep learning,” Ortiz said. “Usually people at her age and her level, her game, they usually don’t think they need to keep learning. But she wants to keep winning and she wants to be the best and dominant.

“For me, I noticed about her real, real fast is she was eager to stay on top.”

Cyborg began to listen to her body. Her punching selection became more calculated. Angles, distance and feints became second nature, along with recognizing traps.

Before long, Ortiz saw an MMA fighter whom he believes will make a smooth transition to boxing. “She’s very tough. If anybody tries to fight her inside, it’s gonna be a mistake. I think she’s gonna do very well,” he said.

Cyborg has also reunited with renowned Master Rafael Cordeiro of Kings MMA in Huntington Beach. Cordeiro cornered Cyborg in her first fight in the United States – a second-round TKO over Shayna Baszler in 2008.

Elbe points out that 18 of his fiancee’s 22 wins have come via knockout, but none has come via submission. That could serve as motivation for the Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt.

“I think Rafael really understands her at the core of what made her a fighter,” Elbe said. “I think we got a good mix of old school and new school and this will be a new version of Cris Cyborg. I think a lot of people are gonna be shocked to see the changes that she’s made.”

So now Blencowe, 37, will be facing a ferocious puncher who has honed her striking skills while possibly looking to take the fight to the mat.

Ortiz expects an early chess match, with Cyborg needing to minimize the Australian’s potent jab.

“The thing is Cris’ jab is just as good. It doesn’t have to be better,” he said. “Just as good is pretty much almost a tie, then everything else you don’t beat Cris at. I think Cris is gonna do very well against her.”

Bellator 249

Main event: Featherweight champion Cris Cyborg vs. Arlene Blencowe

When: Thursday

Where: Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, Connecticut

How to watch: Prelims (4:15 p.m., Bellator YouTube); main card (7 p.m., CBS Sports Network)

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