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One of the greatest female fighters to ever step foot in a cage is ready to call it a career.
The PFL announced Wednesday that Cris Cyborg's retirement fight will take place August 22 when she puts her women's featherweight championship on the line against former UFC contender Ketlen Vieira in the PFL Tampa main event at Benchmark International Arena.
Cyborg, who turns 41 on July 9, is ready to hang up her gloves after a 21-year professional career that began on May 17, 2005 – with a loss. After that, Cyborg went on a tear as she won her next 20 fights in a row over a 13-year period, including a historic 2009 victory over Gina Carano in Strikeforce.
After years of campaigning to be in the UFC, she finally made her debut in May 2016 and won the vacant featherweight title by finishing Tonya Evinger in her third appearance. Cyborg defended the title twice against Holly Holm and Yana Santos before dropping it to Amanda Nunes in stunning fashion at UFC 232 on December 29, 2018. Cyborg fought only once more for the UFC, a win over Felicia Spencer, before she parted ways with the promotion and signed with Bellator. She made her promotional debut in January 2020, immediately claiming the Bellator women's featherweight title with a fourth-round finish of then-champion Julia Budd.
Cyborg has not suffered another loss since the one to Nunes, winning nine straight fights. She's the only woman in MMA history to claim major championships in the UFC, Bellator, PFL, Strikeforce, and the all-women's Invicta FC.
Vieira, 34, was released from the UFC in May while she was still ranked in the women's bantamweight division. She served as a perennial contender for much of her tenure as she beat a host of notables, including Holly Holm, Miesha Tate, Cat Zingano and Sara McMann.
Prior to her UFC split, Vieira had won two of her most recent three fights.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: PFL Tampa: Cris Cyborg's retirement fight set vs. former UFC contender
Continue reading...
The PFL announced Wednesday that Cris Cyborg's retirement fight will take place August 22 when she puts her women's featherweight championship on the line against former UFC contender Ketlen Vieira in the PFL Tampa main event at Benchmark International Arena.
Cyborg, who turns 41 on July 9, is ready to hang up her gloves after a 21-year professional career that began on May 17, 2005 – with a loss. After that, Cyborg went on a tear as she won her next 20 fights in a row over a 13-year period, including a historic 2009 victory over Gina Carano in Strikeforce.
After years of campaigning to be in the UFC, she finally made her debut in May 2016 and won the vacant featherweight title by finishing Tonya Evinger in her third appearance. Cyborg defended the title twice against Holly Holm and Yana Santos before dropping it to Amanda Nunes in stunning fashion at UFC 232 on December 29, 2018. Cyborg fought only once more for the UFC, a win over Felicia Spencer, before she parted ways with the promotion and signed with Bellator. She made her promotional debut in January 2020, immediately claiming the Bellator women's featherweight title with a fourth-round finish of then-champion Julia Budd.
Cyborg has not suffered another loss since the one to Nunes, winning nine straight fights. She's the only woman in MMA history to claim major championships in the UFC, Bellator, PFL, Strikeforce, and the all-women's Invicta FC.
Vieira, 34, was released from the UFC in May while she was still ranked in the women's bantamweight division. She served as a perennial contender for much of her tenure as she beat a host of notables, including Holly Holm, Miesha Tate, Cat Zingano and Sara McMann.
Prior to her UFC split, Vieira had won two of her most recent three fights.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: PFL Tampa: Cris Cyborg's retirement fight set vs. former UFC contender
Continue reading...
