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Cris Cyborg was unable to provide a definitive answer about her MMA future following PFL Tampa. In a fight that was initially promoted as the final bout of her career, the Brazilian successfully defended her PFL featherweight title with a unanimous decision victory over Catlen Vieira.
Cyborg secured the 30th victory of her professional career, but after the fight she gave no indication that she was ready to immediately walk away from the sport. Instead, she said she plans to take some time off before deciding what comes next.
“I want to take a little break and see what happens. All these 21 years of training and everything that has happened in my life have been a learning process. Even today in this fight, I learned a lot,” Cyborg said after the bout.
The Brazilian admitted that she is grateful for more than two decades at the highest level but still has ambitions beyond fighting.
“I’ve been at the top for 21 years, with titles on the line and in main events. I’m very grateful. I’m excited about what the future can be. Right now I’m a fighter, but I have a lot of plans for the future at only 41 years old. 41 is the new 21,” she said.
Cyborg’s victory over Vieira marked the end of her PFL contract. Throughout her remarkable career, she has held championship titles in the UFC, PFL, Bellator, Invicta FC and Strikeforce.
The 41-year-old Brazilian has not ruled out a potential boxing match with Claressa Shields, as well as possible MMA showdowns with Amanda Nunes or Kayla Harrison. At this stage, however, none of those options appears certain.
Even if Cyborg ultimately decides to retire, she would be doing so after reaching another historic milestone.
“I don’t know if I’m going to fight again. I’m 41 years old. I wanted to get 30 wins in my career. No woman has ever done it. I’m very happy that I broke another record,” Cyborg said.
