Cris Cyborg Closes Career Against Ketlen Vieira at PFL Tampa

Cris Cyborg fights the final bout of her MMA career on Saturday night, defending her PFL women's featherweight title against Ketlen Vieira in the main event of PFL Tampa on ESPN.

The card runs a lengthy preliminary and main slate, with first fights starting midafternoon and the Cyborg-Vieira headliner set for a 9 p.m. ET walkout on ESPN. Cyborg came in at 145 pounds and Vieira weighed 152.2 for the 145-pound title fight. The rest of the main card features a lightweight bout between Gadzhi Rabadanov and Tracy Reeder, a light heavyweight matchup pitting Luke Trainer against Roland Dunlap, and a bantamweight fight between Magomed Magomedov and Daniel Marcos. The prelims include Taila Santos against Sabrinna de Sousa, Javid Basharat against Movsar Ibragimov, and Natan Schulte against Makkasharip Zaynukov, among other bouts.

What Cris Cyborg's Retirement Fight Means for Her Legacy

Cris Cyborg has held titles across four organizations, Strikeforce, Invicta FC, the UFC and Bellator, before capturing the PFL featherweight belt, and this fight closes out a two-decade run that helped build women's MMA into what it is today. She walks in with a 29-2 professional record. Ketlen Vieira, a 16-5 fighter making her promotional debut after leaving the UFC, gets the assignment of trying to spoil the ending, and a win here would easily be the signature victory of her career.

Betting Angle

Cyborg opens as a clear favorite in early market projections, with sportsbooks pricing her around -200 ahead of fight week, though a full consensus line had yet to firm up across major books. That number reflects her power and finishing ability holding up even at this stage, but Vieira brings real size and a wrestling-heavy style that has given plenty of strikers trouble in the past. Bettors leaning Cyborg are essentially betting that two decades of experience and finishing instinct beat out Vieira's youth and reach in a five-round title fight. Anyone considering the underdog price should watch how Cyborg's cardio and takedown defense look in the championship rounds, since that's historically where challengers have had their best luck against her.

Sherdog's live PFL Tampa coverage begins Saturday at 5:30 p.m. ET, with the Cyborg-Vieira main event airing on ESPN at 9 p.m. ET.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this really Cris Cyborg's last fight?

Cris Cyborg's bout against Ketlen Vieira at PFL Tampa is being billed as the final MMA fight of her career, closing out a run that included title reigns in Strikeforce, Invicta FC, the UFC and Bellator before she won the PFL featherweight belt.

What title is on the line at PFL Tampa?

Cris Cyborg is defending her PFL women's featherweight championship against Ketlen Vieira in the main event of PFL Tampa on ESPN.

Who is Cris Cyborg fighting at PFL Tampa?

Cris Cyborg is fighting Ketlen Vieira, a 16-5 fighter making her promotional debut with PFL after leaving the UFC.