Cris Cyborg names Ketlen Vieira as opponent for retirement fight at PFL Tampa

Cris Cyborg will fight for the last time on Aug. 22, defending her PFL featherweight title against Ketlen Vieira in the main event of PFL Tampa at the Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, Florida, the promotion announced Wednesday.

Cyborg (29-2, 1 no-contest) goes into the bout chasing a 30th professional victory. A champion across four major promotions — UFC, Bellator, Strikeforce and Invicta FC — she claimed the vacant PFL featherweight belt in December, submitting previously unbeaten Sara Collins with a rear-naked choke after defeating Larissa Pacheco in her promotional debut. The legendary Brazilian has won eight consecutive fights under the Bellator and PFL banners since her final UFC appearance in 2019, and her résumé includes a victory over former UFC champion Holly Holm. Outside the cage, Cyborg also built an undefeated 6-0 boxing record, most recently winning the WIBA title over Paulina Cardona in March.

Vieira (16-5) arrives as a credible threat. The Brazilian veteran completed her UFC contract in May with a win over Jacqueline Cavalcanti but was not offered a new deal, departing with a 10-5 promotional record that includes victories over Holly Holm, Miesha Tate, Cat Zingano and Sara McMann, as well as a full-distance bout against future UFC champion Kayla Harrison.

“PFL Tampa will be a special event as it hosts the retirement fight for our champion, Cris Cyborg,” PFL CEO John Martin said in a release. “She is a pioneer of not just women’s MMA, but mixed martial arts as a whole, and it has been a privilege for PFL to have her as a deserving champion. Now she headlines one final time in the PFL cage, and will stand across from a proven challenger in Ketlen Vieira, who has one mission: ruin the goodbye and take the title. This is the conclusion to the storied career of Cyborg, and I can’t wait to be there cageside to witness her create MMA history for the last time.”

No other bouts have yet been added to the PFL Tampa card.