{"id":378856,"date":"2026-08-23T05:18:11","date_gmt":"2026-08-23T05:18:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/378856\/"},"modified":"2026-08-23T05:18:11","modified_gmt":"2026-08-23T05:18:11","slug":"cris-cyborg-gets-pushed-to-the-limit-in-potential-final-mma-fight-at-pfl-tampa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/378856\/","title":{"rendered":"Cris Cyborg gets pushed to the limit in potential final MMA fight at PFL Tampa"},"content":{"rendered":"<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">30 WINS FOR CRIS CYBORG \ud83c\udfc6<\/p>\n<p>Cris Cyborg defeats Ketlen Vieira by unanimous decision in what<br \/>\ncould be one of the final fights of her illustrious career.<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/hashtag\/PFLTampa?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow\">#PFLTampa<\/a><br \/>\npresented by <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/VisitSPC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow\">@visitspc<\/a> | \ud83d\udcfaLIVE<br \/>\nNOW on ESPN <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/9J8QPCSCWy\" rel=\"nofollow\">pic.twitter.com\/9J8QPCSCWy<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 PFL (@PFLMMA) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/PFLMMA\/status\/2091367906600784182?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow\"><br \/>\nAugust 23, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, Florida, played host to the<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sherdog.com\/organizations\/Professional-Fighters-League-12241\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><br \/>\nProfessional Fighters League<\/a> on Saturday night, as the<br \/>\npromotion concluded its Summer Series with an entertaining<br \/>\ncard.<\/p>\n<p>In the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sherdog.com\/events\/Professional-Fighters-League-PFL-Tampa-Cyborg-vs-Vieira-113435\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><br \/>\nPFL Tampa<\/a> main event, the legendary <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sherdog.com\/fighter\/Cristiane-Justino-14477\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Cris<br \/>\nCyborg<\/a> potentially competed for the final time when she faced<br \/>\nlongtime UFC bantamweight contender <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sherdog.com\/fighter\/Ketlen-Vieira-178961\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Ketlen<br \/>\nVieira<\/a>. Because Vieira missed weight, only Cyborg was eligible<br \/>\nto win the PFL women\u2019s featherweight title.<\/p>\n<p>Ketlen Vieira gives Cris Cyborg a major test in the PFL title<br \/>\nfight<br \/>\n<br \/>\nThe fight delivered in impressive fashion. Cyborg spent much of the<br \/>\nopening 10 minutes circling and picking her shots, while Vieira<br \/>\nanswered with short right hands. The final three rounds were less<br \/>\nstraightforward.<\/p>\n<p>Cyborg secured takedowns in the third and fifth rounds as Vieira<br \/>\nbecame an increasing threat. Cyborg\u2019s control of the range had<br \/>\ndisappeared by the fourth, when Vieira cut her and finished the<br \/>\nround on top. When the fifth round began, commentator <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sherdog.com\/fighter\/Dan-Hardy-10629\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Dan Hardy<\/a><br \/>\nsuggested Vieira might be ahead. However, Cyborg did enough to<br \/>\nclaim three rounds and earn a unanimous decision in what was<br \/>\nperhaps the most competitive fight of her career.<\/p>\n<p>The co-main event featured former PFL titleholder <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sherdog.com\/fighter\/Gadzhi-Rabadanov-149247\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Gadzhi<br \/>\nRabadanov<\/a> welcoming <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sherdog.com\/fighter\/Tracy-Reeder-382319\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Tracy<br \/>\nReeder<\/a> to the promotion. The Russian made quick work of his<br \/>\nAmerican opponent. Rabadanov used his jab to close the distance,<br \/>\ngained top position and landed punches until referee Bryan Miner<br \/>\nstopped the fight late in the first round.<\/p>\n<p>An outstanding women\u2019s flyweight matchup saw <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sherdog.com\/fighter\/Sabrinna-de-Sousa-353195\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Sabrinna<br \/>\nde Sousa<\/a> defeat former UFC title challenger <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sherdog.com\/fighter\/Taila-Santos-143185\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Taila<br \/>\nSantos<\/a> in a bout that could determine the division\u2019s next No. 1<br \/>\ncontender. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sherdog.com\/fighter\/Dakota-Ditcheva-320485\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Dakota<br \/>\nDitcheva<\/a> is injured, while <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sherdog.com\/fighter\/Liz-Carmouche-67007\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Liz<br \/>\nCarmouche<\/a> is scheduled to face <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sherdog.com\/fighter\/Jena-Bishop-392402\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Jena Bishop<\/a><br \/>\nfor the title later this year.<\/p>\n<p>De Sousa impressed from the opening bell. The multiple-time amateur<br \/>\nworld champion attacked her fellow Brazilian with a trio of right<br \/>\nhands early and established the pressure-heavy approach she<br \/>\nmaintained throughout the fight. Santos\u2019 rally early in the third<br \/>\nround represented de Sousa\u2019s only significant setback. There was<br \/>\nlittle doubt about the winner when the scores were announced, as de<br \/>\nSousa vaulted herself toward the top of the division.<\/p>\n<p>\nThe main-card opener featured kick-heavy light heavyweights<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sherdog.com\/fighter\/Luke-Trainer-222645\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Luke<br \/>\nTrainer<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sherdog.com\/fighter\/Roland-Dunlap-202725\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Roland<br \/>\nDunlap<\/a>. Both men traded damaging strikes in the first round and<br \/>\nwere staggered by jabs late in the frame. Dunlap started well in<br \/>\nthe second round before Trainer landed an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sherdog.com\/fighter\/Anderson-Silva-1356\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Anderson<br \/>\nSilva<\/a>-style front kick to the face that knocked him<br \/>\nunconscious.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/pflmma.com\/watch\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Cris Cyborg\u2019s<br \/>\nfinal MMA bout headlines PFL Tampa: Tune in on Saturday, Aug. 22 at<br \/>\n9 p.m. ET on ESPN<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The standout matchup for longtime PFL followers was the<br \/>\npreliminary-card headliner between 2025 PFL World Tournament<br \/>\nchampion <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sherdog.com\/fighter\/Marcirley-Alves-265781\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Marcirley<br \/>\nAlves<\/a> and PFL Africa champion <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sherdog.com\/fighter\/Nkosi-Ndebele-269431\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Nkosi<br \/>\nNdebele<\/a>. Ndebele started quickly, using his jab and kicks to<br \/>\ndominate the first round. Alves responded in the second with<br \/>\naggressive body kicks \u2014 one of which caught Ndebele\u2019s arm and<br \/>\nappeared to cause significant damage \u2014 and powerful counterstrikes.<br \/>\nNdebele\u2019s size and control ultimately prevailed, as he rebounded to<br \/>\ntake a close third round and earn a unanimous decision.<\/p>\n<p>European prospect <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sherdog.com\/fighter\/Gino-van-Steenis-302467\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Gino van<br \/>\nSteenis<\/a> also earned a victory, while <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sherdog.com\/fighter\/Javid-Basharat-222651\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Javid<br \/>\nBasharat<\/a> survived a significant first-round knockdown to take a<br \/>\ndecision over <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sherdog.com\/fighter\/Movsar-Ibragimov-389946\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Movsar<br \/>\nIbragimov<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sherdog.com\/fighter\/Dakota-Bush-203711\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Dakota Bush<\/a><br \/>\nprevailed by a controversial decision, and sizable underdog<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sherdog.com\/fighter\/Natan-Schulte-95763\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Natan<br \/>\nSchulte<\/a> walked down and dominated <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sherdog.com\/fighter\/Makkasharip-Zaynukov-149237\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Makkasharip<br \/>\nZaynukov<\/a> in the night\u2019s biggest upset.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sherdog.com\/fighter\/Daniel-Marcos-205313\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Daniel<br \/>\nMarcos<\/a> earned a victory after opponent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sherdog.com\/fighter\/Magomed-Magomedov-79175\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Magomed<br \/>\n\u201cTiger\u201d Magomedov<\/a> suffered a dislocated shoulder. Magomedov\u2019s<br \/>\ncornerman, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sherdog.com\/fighter\/Islam-Makhachev-76836\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Islam<br \/>\nMakhachev<\/a>, threw in the towel early in the third round.<\/p>\n<p>The opening bout saw top Irish prospect <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sherdog.com\/fighter\/Eoin-Sheridan-333647\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Eoin<br \/>\nSheridan<\/a> finish <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sherdog.com\/fighter\/James-Vake-230641\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">James Vake<\/a><br \/>\nin devastating fashion. The accomplished kickboxer landed a series<br \/>\nof knees to the body before connecting with a knee to the head that<br \/>\ndislodged Vake\u2019s mouthpiece and rendered him unconscious.    <\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"30 WINS FOR CRIS CYBORG \ud83c\udfc6 Cris Cyborg defeats Ketlen Vieira by unanimous decision in what could be&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":378857,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[1111,115,135,137,136,148155],"class_list":["post-378856","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tampa","tag-article","tag-news","tag-tampa","tag-tampa-headlines","tag-tampa-news","tag-womenu2019s-mma"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/378856","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=378856"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/378856\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/378857"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=378856"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=378856"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=378856"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}