Cindy Dandois

Cindy Dandois (born 26 October 1984) is a Belgian female mixed martial artist. She formerly competed in the Bantamweight and Featherweight divisions in Invicta and the Ultimate Fighting Championship and also the Lightweight division in the Professional Fighters League (PFL).^[5] She began her judo training at the age of 5 under the training of Johan Laats, and freestyle wrestling at age 8 under Joseph Mewis. Dandois later transitioned into mixed martial arts and trains at Xtreme Couture Mixed Martial Arts while she is in the United States.

Cindy Dandois
Born	(1984-10-26) 26 October 1984 (age 40) Deurne, Belgium
Other names	Battlecat
Nationality	Belgian
Height	5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Weight	155 lb (70 kg; 11.1 st)
Division	Bantamweight Featherweight Lightweight
Reach	70 in (178 cm) [1]
Style	Judo, Wrestling, BJJ
Fighting out of	Antwerp, Belgium
Team	Battlefit[2]
Rank	Black belt in Judo[3] Purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu[4]
Mixed martial arts record
Total	23
Wins	16
By knockout	4
By submission	9
By decision	2
By disqualification	1
Losses	7
By knockout	1
By submission	2
By decision	4
Other information
Website	cindydandois.com
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Personal life

Dandois is a high school teacher. She has six children: Naomi, Eleftherios, Lola Katerina, Nafisatu, Denahi and Sara-Mae.^[6]

During her time in Strikeforce she was scheduled to fight Miesha Tate, but the bout never materialized. This brought the two together, and they have been friends ever since. Tate later invited Dandois to the United States, to assist in her in training for her second fight against Ronda Rousey.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

In January 2009, Cindy Dandois made her professional MMA debut, defeating Marloes Coenen. Over the next several years Dandois defeated champion kickboxer Jorina Baars,^[7] and took on other fighters under the M-1 banner. Dandois was going to fight Gina Carano after the latter had lost to Cris Cyborg, but had to withdraw due to getting pregnant.^[8]

Invicta FC

After three years of inactivity due to pregnancy Dandois became active again, and signed with Invicta Fighting Championships.^[9]

In her promotional debut with Invicta FC in December 2014, Dandois faced Tonya Evinger at Invicta FC 10: Waterson vs. Tiburcio. She lost the fight by armbar submission.^[10]

Dandois' next opponent was Megan Anderson, who she defeated by triangle choke submission at Invicta FC 14: Evinger vs. Kianzad.^[11]

Dandois then submitted Jessamyn Duke via armbar submission at Invicta FC 18: Grasso vs. Esquibel.^[12]

Dandois was later scheduled to face Cris Cyborg at a 140-pound catchweight, but the fight was cancelled. Daria Ibragimova was given the headliner fight instead, as a 145 title shot against Cyborg.^[13]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

In February 2017, it was announced that Dandois had signed with the UFC. In her debut, Dandois fought Alexis Davis at UFC Fight Night 108.^[14] She lost the fight via unanimous decision. Dandois later announced on her Instagram that she had been released from the UFC.

Rizin Fighting Federation

Dandois then signed with the Japanese promotion Rizin Fighting Federation. She made her debut against Reina Miura at Rizin World Grand Prix 2017: 2nd Round on December 29, 2017. She won the fight by split decision.

Bellator MMA

Dandois faced Olga Rubin on November 15, 2018 at Bellator 209 ^[15] She lost the fight via unanimous decision.^[16]

Professional Fighters League

In March 2020, Dandois signed with Professional Fighters League.^[17] Dandois made her debut against Kaitlin Young at PFL 3 on May 6, 2021.^[18] She lost the bout via unanimous decision.^[19]

Dandois faced Kayla Harrison on June 25, 2021 at PFL 6.^[20] She lost the bout in the first round via an arm bar submission.^[21]

Controversies

Battery incident by Mustapha Brika

In November 2019, Dandois accused her then boyfriend Mustapha Brika, who is also a MMA fighter, of assaulting her and breaking her nose.^[22][23] Brika denied the assault and stated the injury was caused by Dandois herself.^[24] In December 2020 a Belgian court sentenced Brika to 50 hours of community service.^[25]

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown

24 matches	17 wins	7 losses
By knockout	4	1
By submission	10	2
By decision	2	4
By disqualification	1	0

Res.	Record	Opponent	Method	Event	Date	Round	Time	Location	Notes
Win	17–7	Eleytheria Mitroy	Submission (armbar)	Cage Survivor 16	May 29, 2022	1	1:05	Athens, Greece	Return to Featherweight.
Loss	16–7	Kayla Harrison	Submission (armbar)	PFL 6 (2021)	June 25, 2021	1	4:44	Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Loss	16–6	Kaitlin Young	Decision (unanimous)	PFL 3 (2021)	May 6, 2021	3	5:00	Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States	Return to Lightweight.
Win	16–5	Eleni Mytilinaki	Submission (armbar)	Cage Survivor 14	December 15, 2019	2	1:50	Athens, Greece
Win	15–5	Bethany Christensen	Submission (triangle choke)	ExciteFight: Conquest of the Cage	November 15, 2019	1	1:56	Spokane, Washington, United States
Win	14–5	Elsira Sheree Amstelveen	Submission (triangle choke)	Enfusion MMA 90	November 2, 2019	1	N/A	Antwerp, Belgium
Win	13–5	Gemma Pike	Submission (rear-naked choke)	Staredown FC 14	March 16, 2019	1	2:00	Antwerp, Belgium	Won the SFC Women's Featherweight Championship.
Loss	12–5	Iony Razafiarison	Decision (split)	European Beatdown 5	February 2, 2019	3	5:00	La Louvière, Belgium	Bantamweight bout.
Loss	12–4	Olga Rubin	Decision (unanimous)	Bellator 209	November 16, 2018	3	5:00	Tel Aviv, Israel
Win	12–3	Irén Rácz	TKO (punches)	Staredown FC 12	March 17, 2018	2	N/A	Deurne, Belgium	Return to Featherweight.
Win	11–3	Hatice Ozyurt	Submission (triangle choke)	Steenwijk Martial Arts Gala: Battle Under the Tower 2018	February 24, 2018	2	1:46	Steenwijk, Netherlands	Catchweight (150 lb) bout.
Win	10–3	Reina Miura	Decision (split)	Rizin World Grand Prix 2017: 2nd Round	December 29, 2017	3	5:00	Saitama, Japan	Lightweight debut.
Win	9–3	Kerry Hughes	TKO (punches)	Cage Warriors 89	November 25, 2017	1	1:53	Antwerp, Belgium	Catchweight (140 lb) bout.
Loss	8–3	Alexis Davis	Decision (unanimous)	UFC Fight Night: Swanson vs. Lobov	April 22, 2017	3	5:00	Nashville, Tennessee, United States
Win	8–2	Anjela Pink	TKO (submission to punches)	Conquest of the Cage 24	November 11, 2016	1	0:13	Airway Heights, Washington, United States	Featherweight bout.
Win	7–2	Jessamyn Duke	Submission (scarf hold armlock)	Invicta FC 18: Grasso vs. Esquibel	July 29, 2016	1	1:33	Kansas City, Missouri, United States
Win	6–2	Megan Anderson	Submission (triangle choke)	Invicta FC 14: Evinger vs. Kianzad	September 12, 2015	2	2:41	Kansas City, Missouri, United States	Featherweight bout.
Loss	5–2	Tonya Evinger	Submission (armbar)	Invicta FC 10: Waterson vs. Tiburcio	December 5, 2014	2	1:23	Houston, Texas, United States
Win	5–1	Jorina Baars	TKO (punches)	Staredown FC	March 19, 2011	2	4:50	Antwerp, Belgium	Featherweight bout.
Loss	4–1	Yana Kunitskaya	TKO (punches)	M-1 Challenge 22	December 10, 2010	1	0:34	Moscow, Russia	Bantamweight debut.
Win	4–0	Sheila Gaff	DQ (illegal knee to the head)	M-1 Selection 2010: Western Europe Round 3	May 29, 2010	3	0:10	Helsinki, Finland
Win	3–0	Daria Ibragimova	Submission (triangle choke)	M-1 Selection 2010: Western Europe Round 2	March 27, 2010	1	3:02	Weesp, Netherlands
Win	2–0	Maria Hougaard Djursaa	TKO (punches)	M-1 Selection 2010: Western Europe Round 1	February 5, 2010	1	1:12	Hilversum, Netherlands
Win	1–0	Marloes Coenen	Decision (unanimous)	Beast of the East	January 24, 2009	3	5:00	Zutphen, Netherlands	Featherweight debut.

^[26]

See also

• List of male mixed martial artists

References

1. "Cindy Dandois". www.pflmma.com.
2. "Bombshell Cindy Dandois: Cristiane Cyborg Looks Like a Man and Fights Like a Man". Bloody Elbow. 30 November 2010. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
3. Cindy Dandois (@DandoisCindy) (October 8, 2015). ""(...) and I have a Win over Coenen and Baars and I am a BlackBelt Judo! (...)"". Twitter. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
4. "Cindy Dandois - Official UFC Fighter Profile". UFC. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
5. Simon, Zane (22 February 2017). "UFC signs former top Invicta talent Cindy Dandois". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
6. "Bio & Record- CindyDandois.be – Cindy "Battlecat" Dandois".
7. "Cindy Dandois Video: Watch Pregnant MMA Fighter Take Down Opponent". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2016-06-21.
8. "Pregnant Fighter Comments on Pulling Out of Gina Carano Fight". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2016-06-21.
9. "Cindy Dandois credits Miesha Tate with helping her return to MMA". AXS TV. Retrieved 2016-06-21.
10. "Invicta FC 10 Results: Tonya Evinger Overwhelms, Submits Cindy Dandois". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2016-06-21.
11. "Megan Anderson submitted by Cindy Dandois in Invicta FC debut". Fight News Australia. 13 September 2015. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
12. "Invicta FC 18 video highlights: Grasso dazzles, Dandois taps Duke, Anderson blasts Morgan". 30 July 2016. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
13. "Cindy Dandois on losing her Invicta FC 15 headliner spot: I don't really get it". MMA Junkie. Retrieved 2016-06-21.
14. Raimondi, Marc (22 February 2017). "UFC signs veteran Cindy Dandois to face Alexis Davis at UFC Fight Night 108". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
15. Benjamin, Andrew (2018-11-09). "Cindy Dandois, Olga Rubin on Upcoming Bellator 209 Fight - MMASucka.com". MMASucka.com. Retrieved 2018-11-21.
16. "Bellator 209 Results: Patricio 'Pitbull' Freire Retains, Phil Davis Loses". MMA News. 2018-11-17. Retrieved 2018-11-21.
17. Marrocco, Steven (2020-03-12). "UFC vet Cezar Ferreira signs with PFL". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2020-03-12.
18. Brand, Jeremy (9 March 2021). "PFL 3 Features Fabricio Werdum vs. Renan Ferreira Main Event". mmasucka.com. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
19. Guillen, Adam Jr. (2021-05-06). "PFL 3 results: Live streaming play-by-play updates | Werdum vs Ferreira". MMAmania.com. Retrieved 2021-05-07.
20. Newswire, MMA Fighting (2021-06-01). "Kayla Harrison vs. Cindy Dandois headlines PFL 6 card on June 25, Fabricio Werdum also returns". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2021-06-01.
21. Anderson, Jay (2021-06-26). "PFL 6: Kayla Harrison Submits Cindy Dandois, Headed to Post-Season". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-06-26.
22. "Ex valt kooivechtster Cindy Dandois aan: "Hij kon niet verkroppen dat we uit elkaar zijn"". Het Nieuwsblad (in Flemish). 24 November 2019. Retrieved 2020-12-25.
23. Martin, Adam (2019-11-26). "Cindy Dandois viciously beaten by ex-boyfriend in Belgium | BJPenn.com". | BJPenn.com. Retrieved 2020-12-25.
24. "Bekende kooivechtster beschuldigt ex van mishandeling, hij ontkent". www.nieuwsblad.be (in Flemish). 26 November 2020. Retrieved 2020-12-25.
25. "Kooivechter vrijgesproken voor mishandeling van MMA-vechtster Cindy Dandois". www.nieuwsblad.be (in Flemish). 23 December 2020. Retrieved 2020-12-25.
26. Sherdog.com. "Cindy". Sherdog. Retrieved 2018-11-21.

External links

• Cindy Dandois at JudoInside.com
• Cindy Dandois at UFC
• Cindy Dandois at Bellator
• Cindy Dandois at Sherdog
• Cindy Dandois at Tapology.com
• Cindy Dandois at PFL
• Cindy Dandois on Instagram