5 Promotions That Could Sign Cris Cyborg

Of all the promotions that are interested in the former UFC Women's Featherweight Champion, Bellator MMA has to be the odds on favorite to sign her.

Bellator president Scott Coker has had a successful business relationship with Cyborg in the past, while they both worked for the now-defunct promotion, Strikeforce, roughly a decade ago. In fact, it was during Coker's tenure as Strikeforce's promoter that Cyborg first became a star.

Coker has publicly stated that he is interested in signing the talented Brazilian. After learning that his former fighter had been released from the UFC, the Bellator president told MMA Junkie, "I’ll be calling (Cyborg’s manager) Audie (Attar) in the next five minutes.”

Bellator is the second largest promotion in North America and has the means to provide Cyborg with a sizeable contract. They also have an established featherweight division lead by the current champ, Julia Budd.

Budd is the midst of an eleven-fight win streak and hasn't lost since 2012. A potential matchup between Cyborg and the reigning Bellator queen would generate plenty of interest from fans.

Assuming Cyborg still wants to continue her MMA career, Bellator would seem to make the most sense.