Cris Cyborg eyes retirement fight after PFL featherweight title win
Updated . First published at
With the clock ticking down towards retirement, MMA legend Cris Cyborg is seeking one final marquee bout to cap off her iconic career.
Cyborg squared off against previously undefeated Australian Sara Collins in the PFL Lyon co-main event on Sunday morning (AEDT), securing a definitive submission victory with a rear-naked choke.
With only her second-ever submission finish, Cyborg moved her professional record to 29-2-0 (1 NC).
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Cyborg secured the submission win at 2:55 in the third round before using her post-fight interview to talk up a potential retirement bout.
The 40-year-old first suggested fellow featherweight Leah McCourt as a potential opponent before shifting focus to the idea of a catchweight fight against rising PFL superstar, Dakota 'Dangerous' Ditcheva.
Despite Ditcheva competing at 56.7kg — which is nearly 9kg lighter than Cyborg weighed for her latest MMA fight — the Brazilian confirmed she is willing to trim down to make a matchup with Ditcheva a reality.
"I would like to fight Leah McCourt, she was a champion in Bellator," she said.
Cris Cyborg defends her PFL women's featherweight world title, securing the victory with a rear-naked choke submission. Stan Sport
Re-live all the action from PFL Lyon 2025, including Cris Cyborg vs Sara Collins, on demand on Stan Sport
"If she's not available, I can go make a weight cut and meet in the middle with Dakota.
"She's beating everybody in her division. 135 (lbs), or we'll think about what we are gonna do. I think it's gonna be good."
For over two decades, Cyborg has been a dominant force across the sport, winning world titles in Strikeforce, Bellator, UFC and Invicta FC.
However, the veteran intends to finish her career on her terms once her current PFL contract expires in 2026.
In the co-main event, Vadim Nemkov secured the PFL heavyweight Championship after making short work of Renan Ferreira.
The Russian delivered a dominant arm triangle submission in the first round to claim the title before calling out Francis Ngannou.
