UFC San Diego: Cynthia Calvillo is the fighter to watch
Cynthia Calvillo needs to defeat the scale and Nina Nunes to make sure she stays on the UFC roster.
The UFC is back at it again with another event, this time headlined with a big bantamweight affair between Marlon Vera and former champion, Dominick Cruz. While these two men look to carve out their place in the 135-pound division, there are other fighters looking to push forward to their dream of being a UFC champion. Cynthia Calvillo is one of those individuals and she’s looking to turn around a rough skid and potentially keep her spot on the UFC roster.
When Calvillo joined the UFC back in 2017 she took the promotion by storm. She rattled off three-straight wins and had many wondering if she’d be a potential title challenger. Unfortunately, things began to fall apart with a fight against former and eventual champion, Carla Esparza at UFC 219. She would miss weight, drop that fight and test positive for marijuana metabolites.
Calvillo responded briefly, but the situation would never smooth out as she would miss weight two more times in three fights. Her 3-1 run after the Esparza loss had people wondering about where she would end up in the UFC women’s divisions. Questions of if she’s a flyweight or a strawweight followed her without a clear answer.
Moving to 125-pounds didn’t positively impact Calvillo as she’s riding a three-fight losing streak. Taking another loss could see her pushed out of the organization and at 35-years old there must be a growing wonder about how long she will keep her athletic abilities.
Nina Nunes is in a similar position in her career
If Calvillo is going to turn things around, she will have to get through Nina Nunes. Nunes is in a similar place in her career, dropping her last fight when she returned to active competition and losing the last two overall.
The battle for Calvillo starts on the scale, as another missed weight may make it easier for the UFC to cut her, win or lose. Taking another loss doesn’t bode well, as the UFC continues to boost its roster through channels like Dana White’s Contender Series. Calvillo must be out to prove that she’s a worthy name to stay on the roster and that she has one last run in her.
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