Cris Cyborg appears set to continue her fighting career after a hard-fought points win against Ketlen Vieira at PFL Tampa in Florida.
The Brazilian was expected to call time on her that includes a near eight-year unbeaten streak, but PFL featherweight world champion Cyborg did not secure the dominant win she would have wanted against Vieira.
The fight went the five rounds as Cyborg struggled to control her heavier opponent – whose big weight miss meant she couldn’t win the PFL title – and Vieira set a constant pace, briefly wobbling Cyborg with heavy hooks in the closing moments of the second round.
All three judges saw it in Cyborg’s favour, however, and the 41-year-old suggested she intended to continue with her career after her 30th win.
“I’m ready for anybody,” Cyborg said. “Eight years undefeated. I’m ready for anybody. Any time, any weight.
“[Boxing champion] Claressa Shields, the girl is scared to fight me. You’re scared.
“[Vieira] has more heart than you.”
It was the sixth defeat of 34-year-old Vieira’s career, as she opened her PFL account with a big weight miss and a loss.
Cyborg, who has a 6-0 record in professional boxing, has chased a fight with three-weight undisputed boxing champion Claressa Shields for several years.
She told Shields – who has been campaigning at heavyweight recently but last fought at middleweight – to “eat less” so they could fight at middleweight.
Significant strikes landed in Cyborg v Vieira round-by-round
Total 303 punches thrown by both fighters
The former UFC and Bellator champion also called out former PFL lightweight champion Kayla Harrison, who is now in the UFC.
Cyborg is a free agent in MMA after her win.
“Kayla Harrison is here? Come here,” Cyborg said.
“Kayla, you’ve been running for so long. You ran from PFL from me, now you’re coming to watch my fight?
“I’m ready for you. I hope you heal your neck and you go challenge Amanda Nunes. I’m here.”
On the undercard, there was a huge win for Briton Luke Trainer, who stopped Roland Dunlap in the second round of their light-heavyweight encounter.
Trainer, 30, dropped Dunlap with a perfectly timed front kick to the face of his opponent and the referee stepped in to stop the contest moments later.
The victory is Trainer’s sixth in a row and his 11th overall, and there was also wins for Afghan-born Englishman Javid Basharat and Irish welterweight Eoin Sheridan at the Benchmark International Arena.
