Former Strikeforce champion Cristiane ‘Cyborg’ Justino was expected to headline next week’s Invicta FC 10 event.

Unfortunately for fight fans, Justino was forced to pull out of the December 5 headlining bout with an injury.

Prior to her recent training trip to Thailand, “Cyborg” said she hurt her foot but did some simple treatment and then continued on with her journey:

“But once there, during sprint training, I twisted my foot again,” she told MMAjunkie. “It was the same foot… I applied ice and treated it the way an athlete does. I took pain medication and continued to train since my focus was on fighting in December.”

“Cyborg”, who hasn’t fought since a July 2013 win over Marloes Coenen, was extremely motivated to not only get back in action but also to earn a paycheck:

“I need to work. Not only because I want to fight, but also to pay my bills. It’s my job. There were days when I would wake up in Thailand, but I couldn’t even walk. After a few hours, when I could walk, I would go back to training again. I didn’t show it to anyone.”

Justino knew that if she cold fight through the pain and go on to win her bantamweight debut, a potential booking with UFC champ Ronda Rousey could have been next. However, once the 29-year-old Brazilian returned to the U.S., she met with a trusted doctor, who ordered an MRI and saw the extent of the damage:

“The examination revealed a ligament tear and several blood flow problems from having continued to train in Thailand, after the second injury,” Justino said. “But every athlete is like that and trains until the bitter end.

“After that, I had to stop everything and start treatment because it was only getting worse. … I was very sad about the outcome. I knew I didn’t feel good, but my desire to fight was greater than the pain.”

Justino hopes to return to fight camp in the next few weeks.

Stay tuned to BJPENN.com for all your MMA News!