Cris Cyborg Weighs Retirement After 41st-Year PFL Fight as Ronda Rousey Feud Rekindles
Updated
Updated · USA TODAY · Aug 22
Cris Cyborg Weighs Retirement After 41st-Year PFL Fight as Ronda Rousey Feud Rekindles
3 articles · Updated · USA TODAY · Aug 22
Summary
41-year-old Cris Cyborg said Saturday’s PFL bout with Ketlen Vieira in Orlando will help decide whether she retires, with one fight left on her contract.
Cyborg told USA TODAY Sports she still loves fighting and feels better than at 21, but said she will wait to see how she feels after the bout before choosing her next step.
Ronda Rousey’s return to retirement sharpened that backdrop: Cyborg said she feels "sad" for her former rival and claimed Rousey never recovered from knockout losses to Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes.
Cyborg enters the fight with a 29-2 record and 21 knockouts, while saying she has proved she is a clean athlete after past doping cases in 2011 and 2016.
The recent PFL-Most Valuable Promotions merger could still create options in both MMA and boxing, leaving Saturday’s result and Cyborg’s appetite as the key variables.