Cris Cyborg gets pushed to the limit in potential final MMA fight at PFL Tampa

Cris Cyborg defended her PFL featherweight title against Ketlen Vieira in the main event of PFL Tampa on Saturday, claiming a unanimous decision victory in what may be the final bout of her storied career. All three judges scored the fight for Cyborg (49-46, 48-47, 49-46), marking her thirtieth professional victory. Vieira, ineligible to win the title after missing weight by seven pounds, nonetheless pushed the legendary fighter to her limits in a competitive five-round clash.

The fight showcased contrasting styles. Cyborg methodically circled and picked her shots in the opening rounds while Vieira answered with crisp right hands. As the fight progressed, Cyborg secured takedowns in the third and fifth rounds, but Vieira emerged as an increasing threat, cutting Cyborg and controlling the action on the feet in the fourth round. By the fifth round, commentator Dan Hardy suggested Vieira might be ahead on the scorecards, but Cyborg did enough to claim the decision in what was perhaps the most competitive fight of her career.

Cyborg improved to 30-2 with a ten-fight winning streak and an eight-year undefeated run. After the bout, she called out multiple opponents, including boxing champion Claressa Shields and UFC bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison, who was present at the arena. On the co-main event, Gadzhi Rabadanov—a former PFL tournament winner—defeated short-notice replacement Tracy Reeder by first-round TKO. Sabrinna de Sousa earned her biggest career victory by defeating former UFC flyweight title challenger Taila Santos via unanimous decision, positioning herself as a top contender in the women's flyweight division. Luke Trainer opened the main card with a spectacular Anderson Silva-style front kick knockout of Roland Dunlap.