Former UFC featherweight champion Cris Cyborg turned 40 earlier this year, but still has aspirations of conquering mulitple sports in 2026
After turning 40 back in July, Cris Cyborg is showing no signs of slowing down whatsoever.
On Saturday night, the Brazilian is set to return to the cage as she takes on undefeated star Sara Collins for the inaugural PFL women’s featherweight world championship. Cyborg has become accustomed to claiming luxurious belts over the years – with her trophy cabinet stacked with some serious hardware.
The knockout artist was last seen back in October 2024 when she defeated Larissa Pacheco for the PFL super fights women’s featherweight title. After outclassing the tough MMA veteran, Cyborg opted to take some time away from the cage and solely focus on her boxing career.
Cyborg made relatively easy work of her three opponents this year, scoring three consecutive knockout victories. The former UFC champion’s last appearance came in the squared-circle against Precious Harris-McCray back in May, with the Brazilian needing merely minutes to render her American adversary unconscious.
But she has once again decided to swap the boxing gloves for the MMA gauntlets. Two decades on from her professional debut, Cyborg is still hungry for more. The 40-year-old admits inspiring the young generation is what is fuelling her passion and motivation as she enters her twilight years as a top combat sports athlete.
“Crazy, I just turned 40. But I do not feel 40. I train smart. I know how my body works. I have not had any bad injuries in my career thank God. It makes me happy… in 20 years I am still there, I am still making problems for people and this motivates me and I never stay in comfortable places… even when I was champion for a long time, I try to think and stay as number one,” she told Mirror Fighting and other reporters at the PFL Lyon media day.
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“People in training came up to me and said ‘you need to defend title.’ I do not see it this way. I want to get another belt. I love what I do… motivating others and seeing young girls coming to see and talk to me, saying ‘Cris, I started training because I watched your fights ten years ago.’ This really motivates me and I think when you stay on top of things, people look at you so you have a responsibility to be a good example. But I love what I do, and I love to see my fans be happy.”
Whilst fighters at her age are starting to wind it down, it would appear that Cyborg has plenty of accolades she would like to achieve before calling it a day. Over the last few weeks, there have been some serious talks about Cyborg potentially moving back into boxing next year.
There are a few who fear that the Brazilian may retire from MMA this weekend, but the legend herself has scoffed at those claims, insisting she would love to defend her PFL title at least once more before chasing glory in the world of boxing. “In a perfect 2026, I will have the opportunity to fight for a boxing world title. This is one of my goals before I finish my career and defend the PFL title one more time… and finish and put on great fights for all of my fans,” she concluded.
When is PFL Lyon?
PFL Lyon is set to take place on Saturday, December 13 at the LDLC Arena in the Decines-Charpieu area of Lyon, France. The blockbuster showcase will be headlined by a heavyweight showdown between Vadim Nemkov and Renan Ferreira. The action is set to start at around 4pm UK time (11am ET / 10am CT / 8am PT). The card is expected to be completed by 11pm UK time (6pm ET / 5pm CT / 3pm PT). Fans will be able to catch all of the card live on DAZN.
