"Cyborg" Plans For EliteXC Return To CBS

by Robert Sargent

Following her destruction of submission wizard Shayna Baszler on CBS last month, undefeated Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos looks ahead to EliteXC's return to CBS on October 4th, and plans for a future bout with EliteXC postergirl Gina Carano.

While Santos would relish a chance to battle Carano in October, she is content to compete elsewhere on the card, as Carano is set to face Kelly Kobald later that evening.

Santos (5-0-0) returned to competition at EliteXC: "Unfinished Business" after a lengthy layoff due to lack of competition in her native Brazil. Training at the famed Chute Boxe academy alongside husband Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos, she has evoked fear in many of her female compatriots with her vicious striking prowess and ruthless aggression.

Following her dismantling of Baszler, many felt that Santos would be the next in line to square off with the "Face of Female MMA" Gina Carano (6-0-0), possibly for the vacant EliteXC Women's 140-Pound Championship. However, reports have recently surfaced that Carano will face battle-tested Kelly Kobald (16-2-1) at EliteXC's next foray on CBS, leaving Santos without an opponent.

Santos intends to be a part of the event, regardless of whether she faces Carano, and believes that a victory would put her in line for the next shot against EliteXC's shining star.

However, Carano will first have to get past Kobald, if she is indeed to face her on October 4th. Though Kobald is coming off of two back-to-back losses last year - the first losses of her career - she has a number of notable victories, including one over the aforementioned Baszler.

Kobald will look to rebound from those losses, to top-ranked Tara LaRosa and the always exciting Julie Kedzie, and could make a huge name for herself in a single night by defeating Carano.


One thing is for certain. Whether she gets a crack at Carano now or later, "Cyborg" is happy with the opportunity to showcase her devastating and dominant skills for a mainstream North American audience, and looks forward to many more fights in the future.