One of the most dominant fighters in women's MMA history has a chance to make an instant splash under a different promotion Saturday night.
That's when Cris Cyborg makes her Bellator debut by challenging world featherweight champion Julia Budd in the main event of Bellator 238 at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., and live on DAZN. A victory and the former UFC, Strikeforce and Invicta featherweight champion will become a world titleholder across four mixed martial arts promotions.
The 34-year-old Cyborg (21-2, 1 no-contest) had her incredible 13-year, 21-fight unbeaten streak come to a screeching halt at the hands of Amanda Nunes via a first-round KO in December 2018. Following just her second pro loss, Cyborg bounced back with a unanimous decision win over Felicia Spencer last July, before signing a multi-fight deal with Bellator MMA in September. Bellator president Scott Coker called it "the biggest contract in women’s MMA history."
That's when Cyborg immediately lasered in on Budd's title.
"My goal is to become the only female fighter to hold four different major world titles in the same division," Cyborg said at the time in a Facebook video.
Although Cyborg is arguably the most imposing women's MMA fighter of all time, she's likely to face a stern test from Budd (13-2), who is on an 11-fight winning streak, which includes winning the inaugural Bellator world featherweight women's title in March 2017 and subsequently defending it three times. Her last title defense came via a first-round TKO (body kick and punches) of Olga Rubin back in July. Budd's only two losses came against Ronda Rousey in November 2011 and Nunes in January 2011.
When is Julia Budd vs. Cyborg in Bellator 238?
- Date: Saturday, Jan. 25
- Prelims: 7 p.m. ET
- Main card: 10 p.m. ET
Bellator 238 takes place Saturday night, Jan. 25. Prelims will start at 7 p.m. ET, followed by main card at 10 p.m. ET. Budd and Cyborg are expected to make their walks to the cage around midnight.
Budd vs. Cyborg live stream: How to watch Bellator 238
The entire Bellator 238: Budd vs. Cyborg card can be seen on DAZN, the global live sports streaming service.
Here is a list of the devices where DAZN is available, in addition to web browsers on DAZN.com:
| Mobile Devices | TV & Streaming Devices | Game Consoles |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone, iPad | Amazon Fire TV | Playstation 3 |
| Android phones, tables | Amazon Fire TV Stick | Playstation 4, Pro |
| Amazon Fire tablet | Android TV | XBox One, One S |
| .. | Apple TV | XBox One X |
| .. | Google Chromecast | .. |
| .. | LG Smart TV, Smartcast | .. |
| .. | Panasonic Smart TV | .. |
| .. | Samsung Smart TV | .. |
| .. | Sony Smart TV | .. |
Comcast customers can sign up for DAZN on Xfinity Flex.
How much does Budd vs. Cyborg cost?
- 1 month subscription: $19.99
- 1 year subscription: $99.99
A monthly subscription to DAZN costs $19.99, or one can sign up for a year for $99.99. (In Canada, the pricing options are $20 CAD per month or $150 CAD per year.) For current subcribers, the fight is already included as part of your plan.
DAZN subscribers can live stream the Budd vs. Cyborg card in addition to dozens of other live events and original programming included in DAZN's multi-sport offering.
Where is Budd vs. Cyborg taking place?
Bellator 238: Budd vs. Cyborg will take place at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif. Ironically, that's the same venue that had Amanda Nunes beating Cyborg in 51 seconds via a first-round KO in December 2018. Cyborg will look for better results at The Forum in her Bellator debut. Meanwhile, Budd has never fought in the arena.
Budd vs. Cyborg odds
According to Bovada's latest odds, Cyborg is the favorite, coming in at -400, signaling that you'd need to bet $400 to win $100. Budd is a +300 underdog, meaning if you were to bet $100, you would net $300.
Bellator 238: Budd vs. Cyborg fight card
Main card
- Julia Budd vs. Cris Cyborg; Featherweight
- Darrion Caldwell vs. Adam Borics; Featherweight World Grand Prix quarterfinal
- Sergio Pettis vs. Alfred Khashakyan; Bantamweight
- Henry Corrales vs. Juan Archuleta; Featherweight
- Raymond Daniels vs. Jason King; Welterweight
- Ava Knight vs. Emilee King; Strawweight
Preliminary card
- Aaron Pico vs. Daniel Carey; Featherweight
- Miguel Jacob vs. David Pacheco; Welterweight
- Anthony Taylor vs. Chris Avila; Lightweight
- Curtis Millender vs. Moses Murrietta; 180-pound contractweight
- Jay-Jay Wilson vs. Mario Navarro; Featherweight
- Ricardo Seixas vs. Dominic Clark; Lightweight
- Brandon Bender vs. Joshua Jones; 160-pound contractweight
- AJ Agazarm vs. Adel Altamimi; Featherweight
- Tony Bartovich vs. Jarrett Connor; Featherweight