EDIT: Welp, since I wrote this, Cyborg signed with Invicta. This was obviously her best move.
You know, I actually believe that Cyborg just might be unable to make 135 considering the drug she was on was one that burns fat at roughly the same rate it adds muscle. As it is she's bigger than most elite male Featherweights. Or she might be afraid of losing to Rousey at 135, I just don't know.
However, has Tito even looked at what the Featherweight landscape is like outside of Invicta? In Invicta there's Marloes Coenen, Julia Budd, Ediane Gomes, Romy Ruyssen, Veronica Rothenhausler, and Tamikka Brents (check out the amateur fights of the last two, they're both fucking beasts). Milana Dudieva too, if she wants to go back up in weight. Yes, it's still very thin but those are all legit talents. A rematch with Coenen in particular would be bound to get a lot of attention. There's actually a hierarchy there and it's as good a place as there is to get her career back and untarnish herself.
Outside Invicta, no one is promoting an entire division that could afford to pay her even $10k + $10k, let alone what she would have made with the UFC covering her purse (at least $50k + $50k), or fighting for Invicta directly (at least $20k + $20k in her case). Tito would have to convince different promoters to let her do one-off fights all the way.
As best as I could determine, these are her options that are not obviously comedic:
-Yana Kunitskaya: would be the best match-up out there but she's pregnant and will not be returning to action for at least 8-9 more months if not longer. So she's gonna have to wait for this one.
-Cindy Dandois: has not fought in nearly 2 years when she too, got pregnant. Appears retired. If she can be coaxed back to fighting after that, this is probably Cyborg's best option.
-Hiroko Yamanaka: Cyborg already beat her in 20 seconds. There is no desire for a rematch, 'roided as Cyborg was. Yamanaka then lost her next two fights after that. This is a non-starter.
-Lauren Taylor: has not fought in over 15 months and would probably be badly exposed if she fought outside Alaska.
-Fiona Muxlow: Coenen made her seem extremely outclassed at Dream 18. She looked almost literally like a fish out of water.
-Randi Miller: She's no longer with Invicta, which is why I'm listing her. She badly missed weight at Invicta 1 hile looking visibly overweight. She then looked slow and sluggish while losing for most of her match before she finally managed to get Mollie Estes down and pound her out. After that, at her next booking on an indy show, she actually no-showed the weigh-in and is probably retired from fighting now. I'm sure she's a nice girl but her heart aint in it.
-Elaina Maxwell: this is about as good as it's gonna get for Cyborg among legitimate and immediately available competition. However, Maxwell has losses to Miesha Tate and Shayna Baszler. If she could make Bantamweight I don't think she'd quite make the Top 10. Cyborg taking this fight means she's not hand-picking scrubs but if Maxwell actually gives her real trouble then it's not going to reflect well on her even if Cyborg wins.
Also:
-Erin Toughill: cannot make Featherweight and is a trainwreck at this point, but dear god this would be comical and I'd watch the fuck out of this. If Dream wants to do this at Dream 19 I'm so fucking there.
So, one semi-competitive possibility (with no drawing power of her own), one freakshow match (there's a chance Toughill won't even take this match), one opponent who won't be available until November at the earliest (if she comes back at all), and the rest are either glorified cans (with no drawing power), or opponents who are probably retired.
Great work, Tito!
Anyway if I missed anything or I'm horrible off-base, constructive criticism and personal attacks are welcome.
Does Invicta have more cash than Bellator or WSOF to pay her?
I don't see why financially they are the clear second option. 
PrettyBoy -Does Invicta have more cash than Bellator or WSOF to pay her?
I don't see why financially they are the clear second option.
Doesn't matter if neither has a real division. Bellator isn't likely to do a one-off with a major name and leave it at that, not worth it, and there isn't enough talent left out there for a Featherweight tournament that wouldn't be laughable, potentially to the point where certain match-ups would be barred by State Athletic Commissions. WSOF might take a risk, but it'd just be a one-off attraction fight.
go to Japan and beat up a bunch of pretty japanese girls
get promise thousands of dollars
take years to collect
the end
Jack Skellington -
go to Japan and beat up a bunch of pretty japanese girls
get promise thousands of dollars
take years to collect
the end
Neither JEWELS nor Valkyrie is going to pay Cyborg a substantial sum to come in and trainwreck whoever they put in front of her. This makes zero financial sense for them since both of them are more about spectacle than true credibility, and having her annihilate their homegrown fighters would be ugly as sin. Even if one of them decided that she might be worth it if they didn't intend to pay her full purse, all that means is they get exactly one fight from her, at the cost of their own credibility eroding (also Tito, if nothing else, I imagine would be very aggressive about forcing them to honor any contracts). The only situation I can see a Japanese C-League actually paying Cyborg even for a one-off fight and paying her is if DEEP decides they've gotten all the mileage out of Amanda Lucas they can get (even this is a long shot). Except I really don't see Lucas agreeing to that fight.
Dream might be down for a one-off fight or two, but her opponent options are very limited (Erin Toughill and fuck if I know).
So no, unfortunately your suggestion doesn't change things.
Who owns the rights to Gina?
If I were Bellator I'd hop in and nab Cyborg and Gina and set up a deal with Invicta to cockblock the UFC with any future WMMA plans.
Tito is as good a businessman as a dentist is a fighter.....what a fuckin moron, way sick a career dummy.
JeffersonDArcyChoke -Who owns the rights to Gina?
If I were Bellator I'd hop in and nab Cyborg and Gina and set up a deal with Invicta to cockblock the UFC with any future WMMA plans.
Gina technically still has fights on her contract with Strikeforce, a contract which I believe is now owned by Zuffa. She just is inactive. If she stays "retired" for long enough then she is a free agent.
Gina's heart though is not in fighting and if she were to return just for the hell of it I don't think it'd be for the money and so I don't see how Bellator has an advantage.
If Gina truly, absolutely wanted to return to fighting, and Rousey proves a draw, I could see a 145 division forming out of thin air in the UFC. Maybe not for a title, but a few one-off fights.
What's next for Cyborg is to fade into obscurity.
FearTheClown -
What's next for Cyborg is to fade into obscurity.
She can absolutely still turn things around but she's headed in the wrong direction. If she wants to work for Invicta directly, proclaim herself loyal only to them as Marloes Coenen has done, she still has that option and my guess is it would be the best option she has right now for her career. If she fights three times in Invicta, maybe wins their belt, she can make a grandstand challenge saying she will fight Rousey at 140 anywhere, and give her entire purse to charity, she just wants to taste Rousey's blood.
Cyborg gets her career back on track, Cyborg would be relevant again (highly relevant if both fighters keep dominating), and now public opinion would be split.
Or she can piss off and do whatever and Rousey will continue to be a supernova and Cyborg will absolutely slide into irrelevancy.
Chromium -JeffersonDArcyChoke - Who owns the rights to Gina?
If I were Bellator I'd hop in and nab Cyborg and Gina and set up a deal with Invicta to cockblock the UFC with any future WMMA plans.
Gina technically still has fights on her contract with Strikeforce, a contract which I believe is now owned by Zuffa. She just is inactive. If she stays "retired" for long enough then she is a free agent.
Gina's heart though is not in fighting and if she were to return just for the hell of it I don't think it'd be for the money and so I don't see how Bellator has an advantage.
If Gina truly, absolutely wanted to return to fighting, and Rousey proves a draw, I could see a 145 division forming out of thin air in the UFC. Maybe not for a title, but a few one-off fights.
I thought Gina had one fight left after the Cyborg fight. Unless Gina has a special contract don't most of them expire after awhile?
bellator and tna like king mo
RyannVonReemjob -
I'm telling you now, as Erin's manager, she will not go to 145. Period. If cyborg wants to go at 155, that's a whole 'nother ball game. She's also been working hard in the last 8 months I've been keeping tabs on her. She's in good shape and ready to go. (edit) I actually lit the pilot light again for Erin.. she's been wanting to get her hands on Amanda Lucas for ages and that stoked the fire back up to fight again. She was content to just let it go.. but yeah.. Expect things soon. (/edit)
Elaina Maxwell.. that's the best option for Cyborg at this point.. or Gomes/budd winner.
Gomes/Budd would be fine but I'd think the best stage for that would be Invicta don't you think?
As for Erin Toughill, as a one-off, I wasn't actually thinking 145. I'm aware that Ms. Toughill can no longer make that weight. Do you think she could make 150 though? Do you think maybe WSOF might take a chance on Toughill vs Cyborg at that weight, as a special attraction? I'm serious, it seems like one of the few viable options out there for Cyborg.
Conversely, what about Shana Nelson vs Toughill at that weight (formerly Shana Olsen)? Considering Nelson's career is in a bit of a rut right now and they have a history of bad blood I think she might be willing to take the catchweight now.
BRZ -Chromium -JeffersonDArcyChoke - Who owns the rights to Gina?
If I were Bellator I'd hop in and nab Cyborg and Gina and set up a deal with Invicta to cockblock the UFC with any future WMMA plans.
Gina technically still has fights on her contract with Strikeforce, a contract which I believe is now owned by Zuffa. She just is inactive. If she stays "retired" for long enough then she is a free agent.
Gina's heart though is not in fighting and if she were to return just for the hell of it I don't think it'd be for the money and so I don't see how Bellator has an advantage.
If Gina truly, absolutely wanted to return to fighting, and Rousey proves a draw, I could see a 145 division forming out of thin air in the UFC. Maybe not for a title, but a few one-off fights.
I thought Gina had one fight left after the Cyborg fight. Unless Gina has a special contract don't most of them expire after awhile?
I know she was doing marketing for the UFC in 2011. Not sure what happened after that but they kept her profile on Strikeforce.com throughout. It's one of a handful still there. But yes, ultimately those contracts expire.
I still can't see Gina coming back to fight in Bellator. What would be the point (for Gina I mean)? And it's not like they're gonna cough up $250k or more for that.
Claire haigh