Cris Cyborg worked eight rounds to win a decision over Simone Silva in her first time in a boxing ring Sunday at Fight Music Show 2 in Curitiba, Brazil.
The reigning Bellator featherweight champion, Cyborg holds 20 knockouts in 26 MMA wins en route to title wins in the UFC, Strikeforce, and Invicta FC, and was expected to walk through Silva in the squared circle, especially with “Cat Woman” still serving a 60-day medical suspension after losing via knockout in Texas this past August.
Announced by Fight Music Show as a professional bout despite the boxing commission OBBoxe refusing to oversee the match and Associação Paranaense de Lutas being called to oversee that match only, it’s still unclear if BoxRec will list Cyborg vs. Silva as a pro bout or an exhibition.
Cyborg landed the harder shots in all eight of the two-minute rounds and counted on her chin when Silva, a veteran of 39 professional boxing matches, connected a few hard punches over the course of the action. Cyborg landed the best strikes in the third and sixth rounds — a good right hand and a solid uppercut — but Silva refused to walk backwards. Round 8 ended with a wild exchange of punches.
In the end, Cyborg won via unanimous decision. Scores weren’t announced. MMA Fighting scored the bout 80-72 for Cyborg.
“I’m very happy,” Cyborg told FMS broadcast partner Combate after the win. “Simone is a very tough athlete, a boxing pioneer, and I’m honored to have fought her.”
R8 entre Cyborg y Silva #CyborgSilva pic.twitter.com/AvQMjf074R
— Pelunaton (@pelunaton) September 26, 2022
