PFL
Women’s MMA legend Cris Cyborg returns to the cage this weekend looking to break another record. On Saturday night, Cyborg faces Ketlen Vieira in the main event of PFL Tampa, which airs at 9 p.m. ET on August 22 on ESPN.Cyborg could become the first women’s MMA fighter to reach 30 professional wins.
Your #PFLTampa Main Event set to go down this Saturday night!@criscyborg and @ketlenvieiramma face off for the first time as Fight Week heats up in Tampa!#PFLTampa presented by @VisitSPC | Saturday, August 22nd | 📺9PM EST on ESPN | 🎟️https://t.co/5EXXNi9twj pic.twitter.com/7rn4ro8bkf
— PFL (@PFLMMA) August 19, 2026
While breaking another recold wouble be impressive, she admits she hadn’t given the record much thought until her team brought it up.
“I don’t check this all the time, you know. My team say, ‘Cris, you are number one, all-time female title defenses, the biggest and the most victories in your career,’ but I don’t stay checking all this. I believe when you love what you do and put in the sacrifice and do your best, you’re giving 100% everything like I do. I think this is the consequence.”
Cyborg is not overlooking Ketlen Vieira. She praises her opponent’s toughness and experience, noting that Vieira has beaten several legends, including Holly Holm and Miesha Tate.
“She’s top 10 in the sport. She beat a lot of legends in the sport (Holly Holm, Miesha Tate). I think it’s a great test, a great challenge, and I love challenge. If I win the fight, it’s gonna be my 19th championship fight with victory. I know Ketlen is a tough girl, she has a lot of experience, and it’s going to be a tough fight.”
Although the bout has been billed as a potential retirement fight, Cyborg says she is not ready to fully close the door. At 41, she feels she is fighting better than she did at 21 and simply wants to enjoy the moment.
“For over three years I’ve been saying maybe this can be my last fight, because I’m 41 years old—not because I feel old. I know my body, I know how to make weight. It’s 21 years of experience. Every last three years my team say, ‘Cris, enjoy every single moment, enjoy going to the hotel, enjoy your training camp, enjoy the people around you, enjoy the fans, because this is gonna finish one day.’ So I don’t want to be surprised.”
Cyborg is currently on the final fight of her PFL contract. While she is not sure whether she will fight again, she speaks highly of Jake Paul and the upcoming MVP x PFL merger.
“I always support MVP. I went to almost all the boxing fights. I always support Holly there too and Serrano, all the girls fighting. I believe what he did in the sport is nice—he made a difference in the boxing world for the females. If PFL and MVP come together, I believe it is great to make the sport bigger, like Jake Paul said. If you are free, if your contract finishes, come to me—I really want to help the fighters get paid better. So let’s see what’s gonna happen after this merge.“
“But I can say that now, with MVP merging with PFL, I’m the first athlete to be a champion in boxing and a champion in MMA at the same time. They have women’s boxing, and I don’t know, but if we’re going to be better, I believe fighters need more events for sure and more opportunities. This opens the door for negotiation and for getting paid better. When you have a place to go, I think it’s nice. Fighters need a place to fight and keep getting better.”
With a potential boxing match in her sights, Cyborg has also called out Claressa Shields, claiming she turned down a $2 million fight offer.
“If you are really 100% sure you beat me in that sparring, that you did so good in that sparring, okay—then why run away from $2 million? For me, it is supposed to be an easy fight for you then. Why are you running around? Why are you running? So if you guys listen to me, just think about it. If you just say, ‘Oh, I beat her in the sparring,’ cool.“Her last fight she made $500,000—you can see it on the commission. So why are you running from $2 million to fight me, somebody you already beat in sparring?
“Sounds very weird. She can find a lot of excuses to avoid this fight, or just say, ‘Okay, let’s do this fight.’ I’m not saying it is going to be an easy fight for me, but I love a challenge. If you know my career, I don’t step down. I’m not scared, and I’m excited for sure. I’m gonna train my butt off for this fight and do the best for the fans. Because I love what I do. So just think about what I’m saying, just think, guys.”
@jzosports Cris Cyborg says Claressa Shields is ducking her and turned down $2 million fight #claressashields
Cris Cyborg vs Ketlen Vieira PFL Tampa is set to air at 9pm on August 22nd live on ESPN.