Brazilian slugger Cris Cyborg's first MMA defeat in over a decade at UFC 232 wasn't accompanied by the traditional post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, a move the fighter says robbed her of the chance to assure fans she was OK.
The knockout loss to UFC bantamweight queen Amanda Nunes, in a bout which took place at 145lbs and was for Cyborg's UFC featherweight title, was as brief as it was exciting.
READ MORE: ‘Baddest woman on the planet’ - Reaction to Nunes' stunning UFC 232 win over Cyborg
No woman since 2005 has been able to weather the significant storm put forth by Cyborg, the vicious Muay Thai striker whom it appeared had no equal in the sport. In the end it took Nunes just over 50 seconds to dethrone her compatriot, felling her on a number of occasions inside the first minute before the referee decided that enough punishment had been doled out.
Nunes, a significant underdog according to the oddsmakers, was afforded the opportunity to speak and thanked the crowd for supporting her in the contest in the two-and-a-half minute interview which was featured on the live broadcast.
Also on rt.com Amanda Nunes stuns Cris Cyborg to become first female two-weight champ at UFC 232Cyborg, though, was ushered out of the cage, where she would have received a medical check-up backstage but, speaking to reporters after the event, she spoke of her disappointment about not being given the opportunity to speak following the end of her 21-fight undefeated streak.
"They just kicked me out of the cage," Cyborg explained to reporters via MMA Fighting. "I think (it’s) very bad, very disrespectful, because I did a lot for the sport. I was supposed to say hello for my fans and talk to them. I think it’s not right.
"But OK, they did, (it’s) already done, I can go (to the) media and talk to my fans, say how I appreciate them, how them coming to the cage to watch my fight, all Cyborg Nation here to watch me. It’s OK, I just feel like I’m supposed to say something. Two Brazilian fighters, two champions. That’s it."
Cyborg, who has now been a champion in the UFC, Invicta and Strikeforce, added that she wanted to explain to the audience how much they meant to her and that she wants to be a "champion in people's hearts."
"Everything (that) happened in my career, everybody knows here, it’s not easy for me,” Cyborg continued. "Never easy. But I worked hard and worked harder and got the belt and proved everybody who I am. Against the system. Nobody do this. Against the system.
"And who I am, (I was a) champion before, but I want to be champion in people’s hearts and I’m gonna continue doing this anywhere I’m going."
READ MORE: 'No más!' - Refs stop UFC 232 fight as it turns into a bloodbath
However, the UFC have been criticized on several occasions for interviewing some fighters who clearly appeared dazed in the moments after a defeat. Perhaps the most notable example of this in recent history was Dutch kickboxer Alistair Overeem, who said after a knockout defeat to then-heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic that he felt his opponent tap out during a ground exchange.
Numerous camera angles were consulted during the interview, none of which lent any weight to Overeem's theory. This incident was cited by many, including UFC commentator Joe Rogan who conducts many of the interviews, as evidence that fighters who lose conclusively shouldn't be held accountable for the comments immediately after a fight.