Long-awaited title shot finally on tap for “Cyborg” at UFC 214

“Cyborg” finally will get that opportunity on Saturday night when she takes on Tonya Evinger for the vacant UFC women’s featherweight title at Honda Center in Anaheim.

It has been a long time coming.

After dropping her debut in 2005, Justino has won 17 straights fights and has only been taken the distance twice. Her dominance is comparable to the stretch that made Ronda Rousey a global superstar.

Yet Justino could barely get the UFC to return her phone calls during her streak.

Rousey was dominating all comers at 135 pounds, and Justino, who has competed mostly at 145, insisted there was no healthy way she could make that cut for what at one time was viewed as potentially the biggest female fight in history.

That, and the fact Justino had tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug in 2011, provided more than enough cover for the UFC to keep her out of the organization, which Justino thought was being done to protect Rousey.

So Justino just went about her business and crushed any female outside the UFC who would dare accept the challenge. Eventually, she was signed to a UFC deal that had her competing at 145 pounds in the all-female Invicta Fighting Championships while working on her weight cuts with the hopes of eventually being able to make 135 pounds.

She even took two UFC fights at 140 pounds in 2016, but the brutal weight cuts combined with Rousey’s unexpected demise greatly diminished the motivation for Justino or the UFC to have her keep pursuing 135.

UFC finally decided to create a 145-pound division in late 2016 with Justino as the presumed champion, but she was still ailing from a difficult weight cut and dealing with U.S. Anti-Doping Agency over what turned out to be a substance that was prescribed to help her with her subsequent recovery.

While going through all that, Justino had to watch Germaine de Randamie capture the inaugural featherweight belt in February. De Randamie then declined to accept Justino’s challenge and was stripped of the belt.

Now it’s Justino’s turn.

“I think it’s going to be the end of one chapter of my life and the beginning of a great new one,” she said Thursday during open workouts at the UFC Gym. “It will be a happy ending.”

Justino is on the verge of not just winning a belt in an organization that didn’t seem to want her, she has the chance to become a massive star if her dominant run continues.

She has no interest in following Rousey’s footsteps, however, even though she will coincidentally fight for the title in the same arena where Rousey made her UFC debut in 2013.

“I don’t want to be the face of women’s MMA,” Justino said. “We made the mistake one time and made Ronda Rousey the face of MMA. Now she doesn’t fight anymore, and people say there is no more (identity). I don’t want to be that person. I want to do a lot of things for all the women of MMA, and we can all grow together.”

UFC Hall of Famer Tito Ortiz, her longtime friend and former manager, believes winning the UFC title is just scratching the surface of what Justino can accomplish.

“This is just the beginning of the journey to be the best women’s champion ever,” he said. “She’s going to make a mark. She’s out there to knock people out, and she’s going to make a legacy and show what a true champion is.”

UFC president Dana White has admitted he made mistakes dealing with Justino in the past, likely alluding to icing her out on a professional level and making insulting public comments about her appearance on a more personal one.

Justino appreciates the olive branch even if she’s not completely committed to the business relationship.

“It’s nice when someone admits they made a mistake,” she said. “I respect that. I can forgive it, but (it can’t be taken back). He says he wants to change and work together, so let’s see.”

She could be on the verge of becoming a major force in the UFC. At least she has her chance.

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-277-8028. Follow @adamhilllvrj on Twitter.