Cris Cyborg's statement about Brazilian MMA rings true across the UFC in 2026
Cris Cyborg has long been a revered representative of Brazilian MMA, and her recent remark regarding it seems to be backed by major developments.
Cris Cyborg made waves with her victory against Ketlen Vieira, outpointing her fellow Brazilian fighter in their five-round showdown in August.
Going into the fight, many fans and experts believed it'd mark the final one of the legendary Cyborg's MMA career. It was also the final fight of her PFL contract. Well, the fan-favorite combatant is now a free agent, and she recently asserted that she's open to competing in MMA again.
Former UFC champ and current PFL titlist Cris Cyborg's confident statement regarding Brazilian MMA
Cris Cyborg also often piques fan interest with her analysis of significant happenings in the mixed martial arts and broader combat sports realms. One such assertion of hers recently came via her official handle on X (formerly known as Twitter), wherein she praised female Brazilian MMA fighters.
The first-ever Grand Slam MMA champion put forth a post on X, which comprised a few photographs of herself. Her statement in the post read as follows:
"Brazilian Women are the best at fighting MMA."
Certain sections of the MMA community appeared to agree with Cyborg, while others argued that women's MMA does feature a few dangerous and skilled fighters from other nations who might beg to differ.
Nevertheless, a closer look at the current MMA landscape, particularly in Cyborg's former stomping grounds, the UFC, does make the Brazilian-American star's statement ring true here in 2026.
Brazilian Women are the best at fighting MMA. https://t.co/A9T6TOniw8
— CrisCy₿org.com 19X World Champ (@criscyborg) October 16, 2026
Mackenzie Dern and other Brazilian UFC staples make a mark in 2026
American-Brazilian grappling savant Mackenzie Dern captured the vacant UFC women's strawweight title last year. The BJJ maestro beat Virna Jandiroba via unanimous decision to notch the 115-pound belt. Dern registered her first title defense this August, outpointing Canada's Gillian Robertson.
On one hand, a few skeptics argue that Zhang Weili could surely return to the strawweight division and outwork Dern to reclaim the title. On the other hand, Dern's supporters have warned that it's easier said than done. All that aside, Dern has earned praise for solidifying her position as the undisputed ruler at 115 pounds in the consensus largest MMA promotion in the world.
Incidentally, Dern's friend and training partner Natalia Silva recently captured the vacant UFC women's flyweight belt by outpointing Wang Cong earlier this month. Former divisional ruler Valentina Shevchenko, who had vacated the title due to back-related and shoulder-related injury issues, is keen on recapturing the title.
However, as of now, it's the undefeated Silva, representing her native Brazil, who rules the 125-pound division.
Meanwhile, two of Cris Cyborg's longtime rivals, Kayla Harrison and Amanda Nunes, are on a collision course for the UFC women's bantamweight championship. Harrison -- a former PFL women's lightweight champion and reigning UFC women's bantamweight champion -- will defend her UFC belt against ex-two-division UFC champion Nunes at UFC 334 on November 14.
On that note, Natalia Silva recently suggested that she's backing the Brazilian-American Nunes over Harrison, with a potential Nunes win over the American Judoka resulting in each of the UFC's current women's divisions being ruled by Brazilian fighters.
Now, some might say that the UFC isn't the only major MMA organization out there. Agreed. But it does have the largest presence, and it's something that mixed martial arts legends like Cris Cyborg seem to have taken note of. Cyborg's statement of Brazilian women ruling MMA is backed by yet another fact -- by herself and her list of accolades!
The 41-year-old is considered to be one of the greatest to ever compete in the sport of MMA and is the reigning women's featherweight champion in the PFL, a prominent MMA organization that confirmed its merger with MVP MMA this year. Cyborg also held the Strikeforce, Invicta FC, UFC, and Bellator MMA women's featherweight titles.
So, the naysayers notwithstanding, Cyborg's confident claim about Brazilian women's extraordinary MMA success does hold credence. Now the question that arises is: who can challenge that? Which country can match Brazil in producing as many women's MMA champions at the highest level of the sport? Time will tell.
