One of the most dominant careers in MMA history will come to an end this summer.
PFL women's featherweight champion Cris Cyborg, who previously was a champion in the UFC, Bellator, Strikeforce and Invicta FC, will defend her title in a retirement fight against former UFC contender Ketlen Vieira in the main event of PFL Tampa on Aug. 22, the promotion announced Wednesday.
Cyborg (29-2, 1 NC) won the PFL title in December, tapping out previously unbeaten Sara Collins by rear-naked choke. It was only the second submission victory in Cyborg's storied career, which is filled with 21 knockout wins.
The 40-year-old from Brazil has been largely inactive in MMA in recent times, competing in the sport only once in each of the past five years while launching a pro boxing career, in which she is 7-0.
Cyborg began her MMA career in 2005, losing her pro debut before going unbeaten in her next 21 bouts over 13 years. Among her notable victories during that stretch was a first-round knockout of Gina Carano in a 2009 Strikeforce main event -- the first time two women headlined a major MMA fight card.
Cyborg won the UFC title in 2017 and successfully defended it twice before losing to Amanda Nunes by knockout in 2018. Since then, Cyborg has won nine fights in a row.
She now has a different number in mind.
"Looking for career win number 30," Cyborg wrote on Instagram on Wednesday. "No other female in MMA has 30 career victories."
Vieira (16-5) has fought almost exclusively at bantamweight, where she defeated former UFC champions Holly Holm and Miesha Tate and was consistently a top-10 fighter. Vieira parted ways with the UFC in May after her contract expired. She announced her signing with the PFL on Tuesday on Instagram, writing, "Today marks the beginning of a new chapter in my life."
