Cris Cyborg cemented her mixed martial arts (MMA) legacy as the best female fighter in sport, winning her fifth title in as many promotions this past weekend (Oct. 19, 2024), defeating Larissa Pacheco after five grueling rounds at Professional Fighters Leagues (PFL) “Battle of the Giants” pay-per-view (PPV) event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (highlights here).
It was a fight the Brazilian striker had been longing for since she hadn’t competed in a whole year following PFL’s acquisition of Bellator MMA in late 2023.
“It took a long time to fight,” Cyborg said during the post-fight press conference (via MMA Junkie). “My last time, I fought one year ago. I wanted to fight more times, for me to defend my title, because I want to complete 20 years in my career.”
While Cyborg hasn’t had the chance to earn her sixth defense of Bellator’s women’s Featherweight title, adding another championship to her resume is a nice consolation prize. Still, she does have plans to defend that belt before she walks away from the fight game to focus on motherhood.
“This year is 19 and I want to go to my next chapter of my life and have a kid,” she added. “Next plan, I’d like to defend my title as soon as possible.”
After making her professional debut in May 2005 with a loss, Cyborg went on to amass a highly-impressive 28-2-1 record, winning multiple titles along the way during the near two-decade span. And while she admits she’s been in tough battles throughout her storied combat career, her latest blood-soaked brawl was special given her age and significance of the bout.
“Every one is really hard for me, but this one was nice because I’m 39 years old – 39 and fighting for the title,” Cyborg concluded. “For me, it means a lot. I think this is special for me to be PFL champion with a PFL belt.”
Cyborg is currently riding an eight-fight win streak and since she’s won a belt in every major professional organization, there really isn’t much else for her to prove to herself … or anyone else for that matter.
As far as what could realistically be next for the feared striker now that she’s taken out PFL’s 145-pound queenpin, a showdown against Sara Collins could be in order, though it’s safe to say that fight won’t go down until sometime 2025 if at all.
For PFL: “Battle of the Giants” results, coverage and highlights, click HERE.