72 hours from weigh-in and Cris Cyborg is still nowhere close to making weight

Much of this week’s lead-up into UFC Fight Night 97 has revolved around headliner Cris Cyborg’s weight cut. On Monday, she revealed that she weighed 165 pounds and still had 25 pounds to go to meet her contracted catchweight of 140 pounds in her main event bout against Lina Lansberg this Saturday.

On Tuedsay, MMA insider Ariel Helwani tweeted that she only lost five pounds since yesterday, and still has nearly 20 pounds left to shed before weigh-ins on Friday.

I'm told Cyborg weighs 160 pounds this AM. 19 pounds left, 72 hours to go …

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) September 20, 2016

This is Cyborg’s second UFC fight and second fight in a row at 140 pound catchweight. The Brazilian slugger usually fights at 145 pounds in Invicta, however such a weight class doesn’t exist in the UFC. Thus far, the UFC only has  woman’s bantamweight and strawweight divisions, meaning Cyborg would have to cut to an incredibly unrealistic 135 pounds in order to fight for an actual belt.

UFC President Dana White was adamant this week about not creating a 145 pound featherweight division for Cyborg to fight in. Until a woman’s featherweight class comes into fruition, it appears Cyborg will have to continue cutting to 140 pound catchweight bouts.

Cyborg takes on Lansberg in Saturday night’s main event in Brasilia, Brazil. Cyborg’s was victorious in her first UFC catchweight bout when she decimated Leslie Smith in a little over a minute into the first round at UFC 198 in May.

In an interview with ‘The MMA Hour’ on Monday, Cyborg revealed her nutritionist George Lockhart had her on birth control to help her lose weight, and MMA insider Dizz reported that a physician familiar with the situation warned of the possible heart and brain trauma such a huge weight cut could cause her.

With fight night now only 72 hours away, Cyborg still has 19 pounds left to lose before weighing in on Friday.

Do you believe Cyborg will make the weight in time? How do you feel about a woman’s featherweight division in the UFC? Sound off in the comments section, PENN Nation!