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Former UFC featherweight champion and one of, if not the, greatest women’s fighters of all time, Cristiane Justino Venancio, aka ‘Cris Cyborg,’ will end her legendary 20-year MMA fighting career at PFL Tampa this August.
The former Strikeforce, Invicta, UFC, Bellator, PFL, and WIBA Boxing world champion is overshadowed only by Amanda Nunes in the women’s GOAT conversation, but her numerous accolades across combat sports have put her in major contention.
She will defend her PFL featherweight belt against Ketlen Vieira, in Viera’s first PFL fight since being cast off from the UFC in 2026. PFL announced the fight on June 25, and no other fights have been confirmed for the event.
𝗧𝗔𝗠𝗣𝗔❗️𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗣𝗙𝗟 𝗜𝗦 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗚 ‼️
The Legacy Tour continues as the PFL Women’s Featherweight World Champion Cris Cyborg returns to defend her title against newly signed Ketlen Vieira who has eyes on shocking the world!
Be there on Saturday, August 22nd! Tickets on
Vieira is a veteran of 15 UFC fights, winning 10 and finishing one. Her notable wins include former champions Holly Holm and Miesha Tate, as well as title challenger Cat Zingano. ‘Fenomeno’ left the UFC roster in early 2026 on the back of a spotty recent record and an 11-fight decision streak.
Upon completing her contract by defeating Jacqueline Cavalcanti in May, Vieira was not offered a new deal and was thus a free agent. She’s now on the receiving end of the highest-profile fight of her career, and her first title shot in any major organisation. The opportunity to win a PFL title is elevated by the prospect of competing in Cyborg’s retirement fight.
“PFL Tampa will be a special event as it hosts the retirement fight for our champion, Cris Cyborg,” PFL CEO John Martin announced in a release. “She is a pioneer of not just women’s MMA, but mixed martial arts as a whole, and it has been a privilege to have her as a deserving champion.”
GettyCyborg’s only defeat since her debut in 2005 was a knockout to Amanda Nunes at UFC 232 in 2018
Cyborg’s combat sports achievements are off the charts. She possesses a 29-2 record in MMA, a 7-0 record in professional boxing, a 2-1 record in kickboxing, and a 7-1 record in professional grappling. Her notable wins include Holly Holm, Gina Carano, and Larissa Pacheco.
This isn’t the end of fighting for Cyborg, just the end of her MMA career. She still chases a world championship in boxing, and could be tempted by some extremely lucrative MMA fights, such as one against Ronda Rousey or Gina Carano, after their high-profile fight on MVP MMA 1.
Cyborg has also offered a fight to three-weight boxing champion Claressa ‘GWOAT’ Shields, but nothing has come to fruition. A win over Shields would certainly cement Cyborg as the best to ever do it, but at 40 years of age, time is extremely limited.
Mathew Riddle is a credentialed combat sports journalist with half a decade of writing experience for some of the sport's top publications. He previously covered MMA and Boxing for Sports Illustrated and Bloody Elbow, where his work garnered the attention of millions of combat sports fans. More about Mathew Riddle
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