A legend of MMA is making the switch to the boxing ring.
On Wednesday, current Bellator featherweight champion [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] announced on that she will make her professional boxing debut on Sept. 25.
The fight will take place in Curitiba, Brazil against Simone Silva, a former Brazilian Nation Boxing Champion with a professional boxing record of 17-21.
The bout will be eight two-minute rounds in 8-ounce gloves. The promotion hosting the bout is Fight Music Show and the event takes place at Arena da Baixada soccer stadium, the same venue that hosted UFC 198, where Cyborg made her UFC debut. Broadcast information for the event is not yet available.
MMA Champ @criscyborg to make Professional Boxing debut against former World Champion contender Simone Silva Sept 25th in Curitiba Brazil
👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽https://t.co/DlhTxdnoDt pic.twitter.com/0JESfdIRHJ— Grand Slam Champ CrisCyborg.com (@criscyborg) August 10, 2022
Cyborg, a former UFC, Strikeforce, and Invicta FC champion with a professional MMA record of 26-2 has teased competing in professional boxing for years since acquiring her professional boxing license in 2017. She has also competed in Muay Thay, most recently in 2014 against champion Jorina Baars.
Cyborg last competed under the Bellator banner in April, where she defended her featherweight title by defeating Arlene Blencowe via unanimous decision. She intends to retain her title and continue to fight with Bellator in the future.
“I’m still a Bellator champion,” Cyborg said on The MMA Hour. “I have a great relationship with Bellator. I believe I’m going to do this boxing fight and I look forward to defending my title (next) summer.”
Silva, 39, has competed three times in 2022 and has lost her previous eight bouts. She has challenged for four world boxing titles and has competed against champions such as Shelly Vincent and Amanda Serrano. According to BoxRec, Silva is set to face Jessica Camara on Aug. 13 in Houston.