PFL Tampa: Cris Cyborg beats Ketlen Vieira to retain featherweight title

Cris Cyborg retained the PFL women’s featherweight championship by beating Ketlen Vieira 49-46, 48-47, 49-46 at PFL Tampa. The unanimous decision gave the Brazilian veteran her 30th professional MMA victory and extended her winning run to 10 fights.

The title bout was contested at a 153-pound catchweight after Vieira weighed 152.2 pounds, 7.2 above the 145-pound featherweight limit. Vieira was therefore unable to claim the championship, even if she had won. Cyborg had agreed to give up the belt if she lost, keeping the title at stake for the champion despite the weight issue.

Cyborg used body jabs, leg kicks and straight punches to establish an early advantage. A right hand troubled Vieira in the opening round, while repeated attacks to the legs and body reduced the challenger’s effectiveness as the fight progressed. Vieira nevertheless stayed on the front foot for long periods and forced Cyborg to work from range.

Vieira’s best stretches came in the second half of the contest. She landed hooks that briefly unsettled Cyborg in the second round, then added pressure, counter punches and grappling exchanges in the championship rounds. A fourth-round throw put the champion on her back, while Vieira also gained top control after reversing an early fifth-round takedown. Cyborg escaped to her feet and traded punches until the final horn.

The victory was Cyborg’s first defence of the PFL title. It also came at the end of her PFL contract, leaving her next move undecided. She did not confirm retirement, instead keeping open the possibility of fighting again and identifying Claressa Shields and UFC women’s bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison as opponents she would like to face. Vieira, who moved up from UFC bantamweight for the opportunity, fell to 16-6 after her PFL debut.

Gadzhi Rabadanov produced the night’s quickest main-card finish, stopping Tracy Reeder with punches at 4:38 of the first round. Sabrinna de Sousa remained unbeaten at 7-0 after defeating Taila Santos by decision, while Luke Trainer stopped Roland Dunlap in the second round with a front kick and follow-up punches. Rabadanov improved to 28-5-2, de Sousa beat the former title challenger on scores of 29-28, 30-27, 30-27, and Trainer moved to 11-1.