Here’s the incredible, unprecedented record Cris Cyborg can set with PFL ‘Battle of the Giants’ victory in Riyadh

Five world titles in five different promotions.

There are three things certain in life: Death, taxes ... and Cris Cyborg winning world titles in every major mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion.

To date, the fearsome striker has won four women’s Featherweight belts and will now attempt to capture her fifth when she takes on reigning Professional Fighters League (PFL) 145-pound queen, Larissa Pacheco, in the co-main event of the PFL: “Battle of Giants” pay-per-view (PPV) event in Riyadh.

The action takes place this weekend (Sat., Oct. 19, 2024), featuring PFL’s inaugural women’s Featherweight “super” fight championship.

Before that landmark event takes place, let’s have a look back at Cyborg’s tremendous (and violent) run in combat sports, one that has led her to win four titles in four different promotions, including Strikeforce, Invicta FC, UFC and Bellator MMA.

STRIKEFORCE

Cyborg’s first-ever attempt to win MMA gold came under the Strikeforce banner back in Aug. 2009, when she squared off against the face of women’s MMA, Gina Carano. While many expected a tough, drawn-out battle, it was anything but. From the jump, Cyborg pounced on Carano with her ruthless, aggressive style that made her an instant fan favorite early on in her career. “Conviction” had some success in grappling exchanges on the ground; but on the feet, Cyborg dominated her foe, eventually knocking her down and ending the job with punishing ground-and-pound — with just one second remaining in the first frame. And thus began the Brazilian bomber’s collection of belts. At the same time, we can’t dismiss the fact that she was eventually stripped of the title following her win over Hiroko Yamanaka, thanks to a positive drug test for stanozolol.

INVICTA FC

After parting ways with Strikeforce, Cyborg joined Invicta FC and eventually faced off against longtime veteran, Marloes Coenen, for the inaugural women’s 145-pound title in 2010. This time around, however, Cyborg found the path to gold a bit tougher because Coenen was a legitimate test, pushing the dangerous striker into deep waters. In the end, Cyborg once again proved to be too much to handle, punishing her foe with a vicious onslaught of ground-and-pound to end the fight in the fourth frame. Cyborg went on to defend the belt three times before vacating it in 2017 in order to join Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)

There were many fans (and pundits) wondering if Cyborg signing with UFC would ever be a possibility, especially since it didn’t seem like a match made in heaven, at least from the outside. While a dream fight with then-UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey was the bout fight fans were salivating for, it was nothing more than a pipe dream because Cyborg dropping down to 135 pounds was physically impossible. After winning two catchweight fights (140 pounds) against Leslie Smith and Lina Lansberg rather violently, Cyborg got the chance to compete for the vacant featherweight title against Tonya Evinger.

What ensued was another vicious beatdown and another world title for the Brazilian striker. She went on to defend the belt twice before running into Amanda Nunes at UFC 232, a much-desired title fight that lived up to the hype ... for as long as it lasted. From the jump, the two combatants came out swinging, which isn’t anything new for Cyborg. This time, however, she ran into someone who wasn’t afraid to trade punches — and had a slight reach advantage. That reach proved to be a difference maker because Nunes used her distance to perfection, resulting in an onslaught of laser-like punches that wobbled and ultimately finished Cyborg in under a minute. After returning with a successful win over Felicia Spencer, Cyborg left UFC and reunited with Scott Coker in Bellator MMA.

Bellator MMA

Thanks to the great working relationship Cyborg had with Coker during their Strikeforce days, she didn’t have to wait long to get a title shot, taking on Julia Budd at Bellator 238 in her promotion debut. Budd proved to be a formidable foe, taking Cyborg all the way to the championship rounds before she suffered the same fate as 17 other opponents against the heavy hands of the devastating puncher. What followed was a record-breaking run thanks to five consecutive title defenses, which includes four finishes (three by knockout). In her last outing, Cyborg demolished Cat Zingano at the historic Bellator 300 event with a first-round knockout.

PFL ...?

The fight against Zingano was more than one year ago and Cyborg has been lobbying for another title fight in the months that followed, though she’s found her request hard to come by ever since PFL purchased Bellator. But, that’s all about to change as she gets to face Pacheco for PFL’s “super” fight championship in just a few days. Pacheco is a two-time PFL tournament winner, defeating Kayla Harrison in 2022 to win the Lightweight tournament, and then winning the Featherweight title one year later by defeating Marina Mokhnatkina at PFL 10. In Pacheco, Cyborg will find another foe willing to stand with her, and she has 11 knockout wins on her resume that says as much.

Whether or not that’s how the fight plays out, no one really knows. If it does, I wouldn’t completely discount Pacheco, though the odds favor Cyborg in a fire fight more often than not. Of her 29 professional fights, this will be Cyborg’s nineteenth championship bout. So, while Ronda Rousey and Amanda Nunes are considered to be pioneers of women’s MMA and two of the best female fighters of all time, no one can deny Cyborg’s overall impact on the sport. Sure, big fights against Rousey and Harrison have eluded her, but should she prove victorious against Pacheco she will have won her fifth title in as many promotions, putting her in an elite club with a member count of one. No one has ever done that ... and no one may ever have the chance to do it ever again.

Boxing next?

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