Cris Cyborg Leaves Her Final Fight in Uncertainty After PFL Tampa Win
Cris Cyborg has put her MMA future in question after PFL Tampa:
For a moment, PFL Tampa seemed like it might be the perfect ending. As fans waited for Cris Cyborg to lay down her gloves at the center of the cage, she instead closed out the final fight of her PFL contract with a wild push-up challenge.
That pretty much sums up the 41-year-old. Cyborg has always gone against the grain—not by an inch, but by a mile. Now, following her win over UFC veteran Ketlen Vieira and with her PFL contract officially complete, the Brazilian isn't exactly shutting down retirement speculation. If anything, her latest comments have only upped the ante, leaving fans with more questions than answers about what comes next.
Cris Cyborg Isn't Ready to Say What Comes Next
Cyborg's win over Vieira meant more than another belt defense. It also brought her current PFL contract to an end and, depending on what she decides next, could have been the final MMA fight of a career that has spanned across Strikeforce, Invicta FC, the UFC, Bellator, and now the PFL.
That’s why a retirement was speech was due and fans were expecting it. But It never came. Instead, when the question was put to her after the fight, Cyborg left the door open without really committing to walking through it.
“I want to take a little break and see what's going to happen,” Cyborg told reporters backstage at PFL Tampa. “All this 21 years of training and all these things that happened in my life, it's a learning process. Even today in this fight I learned a lot of things.”
Cris Cyborg Taking Time Off After PFL Tampa
Cyborg hasn’t had a smooth ride in a career that spans 21 years, going from one camp to the next, chasing titles, making weight, and carrying the expectations that come with being one of the most dominant women the sport has ever seen.
“Twenty-one years I'm at the top, titles on the line and in the main event,” she added before dropping something that MMA pundits would argue as cryptic. “I'm very grateful. I'm excited for what the future can be. I am a fighter now, but I have a lot of plans for the future at just 41 years old. The 41 now is the new 21 years old.”
This is where things get complicated. Cyborg has all the means to take a break. In fact, she can enjoy win No. 30 and walk away with another belt around her waist. Yet, the problem is, the sport has a way of leaving one more door open.
G.O.A.T. Picture in Women's Combat Sports Complicated After Cyborg's Win
Claressa Shields is still there on the boxing side of things. Amanda Nunes remains in the midst of a situation that never really got a proper ending. Kayla Harrison has entered the picture, offering Cyborg another big-name fight at a stage of her career when ordinary matchups probably don't mean much anymore.
Heading into her last PFL bout, Cyborg didn't sound like someone trying to sell her next fight after PFL Tampa. Instead, she sounded like someone who had finally reached a point where she could step back and think about something other than the next training camp.
“I don't know if I'm going to have a fight again,” she said. “I'm 41 years old. … I wanted to 30 victories in my career. No woman did this. I'm very happy to have broken one more record.”
Valentina Shevchenko Holds Top Spot Despite Cyborg’s Sensational Win
Cyborg walked out of the Benchmark International Arena, Tampa, with another win and another title defense on her record. What she didn't get, however, was a bump to the top of popular MMA site Sherdog’s women's pound-for-pound rankings.
She is still No. 2 behind Valentina Shevchenko, who continues to rule the roost, following her recent victory over Weili Zhang.
For newbie fans, Cyborg is a name one would generally relate to greatness. In fact, no Ronda Rousey or Amanda Nunes can match her accomplishments with title wins in the UFC, Bellator, Strikeforce, Invicta FC, and the PFL.
Cris Cyborg Meeting Challenges in Cage at 41
Astonishingly, even at 41, she is still winning five-round fights against experienced opposition. That said, the Vieira fight wasn't vintage Cyborg in the way some of her most memorable performances were.
There was a time when a Cyborg fight often felt like a countdown to destruction. Vieira, despite missing weight by more than seven pounds before the bout, survived all five rounds and made the champion work for the decision.
Cyborg still won, but it wasn't the sort of devastating statement that suddenly changes how voters view the pound-for-pound pecking order.
