Tag: Cris Cyborg

Kayla Harrison: Cris Cyborg ‘just attention seeking’ by helping Holly Holm prep for me at UFC 300

Kayla Harrison says she doesn’t care if Cris Cyborg is lending Holly Holm a helping hand for UFC 300.

[autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] says she doesn’t care if [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] is lending [autotag]Holly Holm[/autotag] a helping hand for UFC 300.

Harrison (16-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) makes her octagon debut against former bantamweight champion Holm (15-6 MMA, 8-6 UFC) at UFC 300 on April 13 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Bellator women’s featherweight champion Cyborg traveled to Albuquerque, N.M., to help Holm, but Harrison is a little confused by that move.

“I really just don’t think much of it,” Harrison told MMA Junkie. “It doesn’t really make a lot of sense. Cyborg is an orthodox striker and I’m a southpaw grappler, so I guess, like, cool? But kudos to them. When I was in judo, I trained with all the girls I competed with.”

Harrison and Cyborg were on a collision course, but the fight never materialized after PFL acquired Bellator, and Harrison signed with the UFC. Harrison questions Cyborg’s intentions.

“I think it’s great – good for them. I think Cyborg is just attention seeking, but whatever,” Harrison said. “Who cares?”

As for Holm, the two-time Olympic gold medalist judoka and two-time PFL lightweight champion respects her opponent’s accolades and longevity in the sport.

“She’s just another fighter,” Harrison said. “I probably have the most respect for her. She seems like such a champion in life. I just have a lot of respect for her as a human being and as a fighter – what she’s accomplished, how she’s stayed relevant and adjusted and grown as a fighter.

“I have a lot of respect for that. It’s not an easy thing to do in this sport because it is constantly evolving. … It’s not personal. It’s just business. This is my job, and I’m coming to take her head off.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.

Cris Cyborg set for April 27 boxing bout vs. Widnelly Figueroa at Green Bay Fight Night

Cris Cyborg will return to the boxing ring in April to take on Widnelly Figueroa in the main event of Green Bay Fight Night in Wisconsin.

[autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] is set for her next combat sports appearance, and it won’t be in an MMA cage as she hoped.

On April 27, Cyborg (3-0) will return to the boxing ring to face Widnelly Figueroa in the main event of Green Bay Fight Night at The Watering Hole in Green Bay, Wis., according to a press release. The fight will be two four-minute rounds in 10-ounce gloves, contested at 154 pounds.

The bout promoted by Roughhouse Promotions and Salomon Becerra will be Cyborg’s second boxing fight of the year, following an 81-second finish of Kelsey Wickstrum in January. Figueroa (0-2) will return to boxing for her first fight since 2017.

“I was hopeful to be fighting (Larissa) Pachecho in June, which gave me limited dates to pursue a Boxing fight,” Cyborg said in the release. “Figueroa is a tough opponent who has been in the ring with Boxing Olympians with a lot more experience than me. I have been training hard and am hoping to continue showing the improvements I am making in my Boxing skills.

“I want to prove to the people in Boxing that my KO power in MMA can translate into KO power with the bigger gloves. I’m working on my boxing techniques so that I am going to be able to deliver the type of fight-ending finishes fans want to see. I’m looking to bring excitement to Women’s Boxing like I’ve done in WMMA.”

Cyborg, 38, is undefeated in pro boxing through three fights. She holds wins over Simone da Silva, Gabrielle Holloway, and Wickstrum. With a win over Figueroa, Cyborg will continue to seek a bout against Cecilia Braekhus, the No. 1-ranked super welterweight according to BoxRec.

Cyborg’s last appearance in MMA was a first-round TKO stoppage of Cat Zingano at Bellator 300, which notched her fifth Bellator women’s featherweight title defense. Since PFL’s acquisition of Bellator, Cyborg has been calling for a champion vs. champion bout against Larissa Pacheco, but that fight, or any other MMA bout has yet to come together.

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Kyla Harrison rolls her eyes at mention of Cris Cyborg helping Holly Holm train for UFC 300

If her body language is any indication, it’s safe to say Kayla Harrison is now completely annoyed by Cris Cyborg.

MIAMI – If her body language is any indication, it’s safe to say [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] is now completely annoyed by [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag].

For almost two years, Harrison and Cyborg went back and forth calling each other out for a superfight while they were in PFL and Bellator, respectively. A path to a showdown was paved when PFL acquired Bellator late last year, but those plans changed after Harrison signed with the UFC.

Now Harrison is set to make her promotional debut as a bantamweight against former champion Holly Holm on April 13 at UFC 300 in Las Vegas. With about six weeks until UFC 300, who visited Jackson Wink MMA last month to help Holm with her training?

None other than Cyborg – who beat Holm in a UFC featherweight title fight back in December 2017.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C31pJQPMYyW/

When asked about this during a UFC 300 Q&A on Friday at Kaseya Center, Harrison immediately rolled her eyes before throwing some shade.

“Who?” Harrison said. “God, she just loves to stir the f*cking pot, doesn’t she? Go home already. Nobody cares.”

With Cyborg clearly in her rearview, Harrison, a two-time PFL lightweight champion and Olympic gold medalist in judo, can’t wait to get this UFC chapter of her career started. And she’s especially thrilled to be facing a “legend” like Holm.

“I don’t use the word ‘legend’ lightly, but I think Holly is very much a legend in the sport,” Harrison said. “(She’s) been in the top 10 for years now, been a former champ. I didn’t come over here to see how I can do and fight amongst everyone. I’m here to come over and win a UFC title and finish my career on top, so Holly’s a good start to that.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.

Cris Cyborg headed to Albuquerque to help Holly Holm train for Kayla Harrison fight at UFC 300

Cris Cyborg will give Holly Holm a helping hand in her preparation for Kayla Harrison.

[autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] will give [autotag]Holly Holm[/autotag] a helping hand in her preparation for [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag].

Holm (15-6 MMA, 8-6 UFC) welcomes Harrison (16-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) to the octagon and bantamweight division on April 13 at UFC 300 in Las Vegas. Holm challenged Cyborg for the UFC featherweight title in December 2017, but lost a unanimous decision in a Fight of the Night effort.

With Harrison parting ways with PFL, Bellator featherweight champion Cyborg won’t get her long-desired fight with the two-time Olympic gold medalist. She will however play her part, when she travels to Albuquerque, N.M., to assist Holm.

“I already have a date to go to Albuquerque – I’m very excited,” Cyborg said on her YouTube channel. “I talked to the team, talked to Holly – we’ve been studying Kayla for a little while already. I have been training for her already.  I’m a superfan of Holly Holm. I think she’s a legend. She’s a big example for female fighters. (I’ll) be a part of her camp, and I think she’s going to come with a great victory. It’s going to be good.”

Cyborg (27-2-1) has now turned her attention to Larissa Pacheco (23-4), who defeated Harrison to win her first of back-to-back PFL titles. However, she’s yet to hear anything and her patience is starting to grow thin.

“I had some (Bellator) fights on my contract, and I’d like to make some fights on my contract,” Cyborg said. “I know one (potential fight) is Larissa, but we have to work and see what’s going to happen.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.

PFL CEO says Kayla Harrison ‘chose not to’ make Cris Cyborg fight happen, wishes her well in UFC

Peter Murray is disappointed that Kayla Harrison isn’t fighting Cris Cyborg under the PFL banner, but he holds no ill will.

PFL CEO Peter Murray wishes [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] well in her next endeavor with the UFC.

Widely considered the PFL’s biggest star, Harrison opted to sign with the UFC after six years with the promotion. Harrison (16-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) meets former champion Holly Holm (15-6 MMA, 8-6 UFC) in a bantamweight bout April 13 at UFC 300 in Las Vegas.

Even before PFL acquired Bellator, a superfight between two-time PFL champion Harrison and Bellator champ [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] was brewing, but Harrison’s decision to join the UFC has put a halt to that.

“We’re disappointed that fight between Cyborg and Kayla did not happen,” Murray said in Wednesday’s press conference. “Kayla chose not to make it happen and move on to her next chapter.”

Murray did not clarify what happened with Harrison’s PFL contract, which, according to PFL co-founder Donn Davis, still had one fight remaining. Murray did, however, continue to express his disappointment in losing out on the Harrison vs. Cyborg fight.

“We had the fight that matters – the fight that matters most,” Murray said. “Candidly, the biggest fight in women’s sports, in MMA. Ultimately, Kayla made a decision to move on. We wanted to make that fight, but once again, we’re going to continue to build what we’re building. We have a great PFLW roster, and with respect to contract details, it’s all good. We’re supportive of Kayla.”

Murray insists there’s no bad blood between PFL and Harrison.

“Listen, we wish Kayla well,” Murray said. “She’s a two-time champion with us, women’s 155, and she’s moving on to UFC. She’s going to be on a historic card, which I believe is a testament to the level and quality of talent in the PFL, so we wish her well.”

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Larissa Pacheco expects PFL to make good on Cris Cyborg fight after Kayla Harrison’s UFC signing

Larissa Pacheco was “frustrated” PFL was trying to book Kayla Harrison vs. Cris Cyborg, then Harrison signed with UFC and things changed.

[autotag]Larissa Pacheco[/autotag] admits she was “frustrated” that PFL was overlooking her by trying to book [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag], but in the end things played out in her favor.

Pacheco (23-4), who has won consecutive $1 million PFL championships in 2022 and 2023, expected to be at the forefront of the conversation when PFL acquired Bellator and announced a champion-vs-champion event on Feb. 24 in Saudi Arabia. PFL founder Donn Davis originally said Pacheco vs. Bellator champ Cyborg was the fight to make, but the narrative quickly shifted to fight with Harrison, who Pacheco beat to win her first of back-to-back titles.

In fact, Pacheco said she was led to believe she should prepare for the Cyborg fight next month in Riyadh, but it never came to fruition.

“Definitely I’m frustrated,” Pacheco told MMA Junkie through an interpreter on Wednesday. “I lost my holidays. Time is money. I kept on working. I had worked already the whole year to show what I can do, show my work and I obliged and I did everything they asked me for. I don’t think the communication was very good. But, I keep on working. I’m here. I keep focused and we have to move on.”

The situation took a wild twist on Tuesday when UFC CEO Dana White announced he’d signed Harrison to fight Holly Holm at UFC 300 on April 13 in Las Vegas. That now leaves Pacheco vs. Cyborg as the most prominent women’s fight PFL can put together, and Pacheco said that’s how it should’ve been from the start.

“It was supposed to happen anyway,” Pacheco said. “I put the work in here. I won it two times. I am the champion. It’s supposed to be champion-vs-champion. … I think this just establishing the correct way things should be, because I am the champion, and it’s champion-vs-champion.”

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Whatever Pacheco’s next move turns out to be, it’s going to be a change from what she’s experienced thus far in her PFL tenure. The promotion is rapidly evolving in the wake of the Bellator deal, and one of the changes is the dissolution of the women’s featherweight season, which will be replaced by women’s flyweight.

PFL CEO Peter Murray said on Wednesday that Pacheco fights will likely be placed on pay-per-view cards, and a matchup with Cyborg would fit the standard. Pacheco said she is “relieved” she won’t have to go through the grueling schedule of another PFL season, and it will allow her to train more efficiently for each bout.

She will need to be at her best to fight Cyborg, who is the most decorated women’s featherweight in MMA history.

“She’s a great striker,” Pacheco said. “I think I’m a little bit more versatile. I think a fight between us, it’s going to be a war. It could end in the first round, it could be a five-round war. I think our styles are similar. I think that it’s a great matchup. I think that she’s a very good striker. I think I’m a more complete fighter. I think a fight like this, anything can happen.”

Beating Cyborg would be a signature win on Pacheco’s resume. At only 29, she has already been a professional for nearly 12 years. She’s earned 19 of her 23 career victories by stoppage, and is currently riding a 10-fight winning streak.

The Brazilian has all the tools to go down as one of the legendary female MMA figures, and despite all her success to this point, Pacheco said further greatness remains a key driving force.

“Now it’s about my legacy,” Pacheco said. “Now I want to solidify my name up there with Amanda Nunes and with Cris Cyborg. I want to show the world what I can do. I want to do, not only for my name and my career, but also for the sport, I want to retire knowing I did everything possible for my legacy and for the sport. That’s really important for me right now to establish my name among the very best in the world in history.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL vs. Bellator.

Photos: All-time UFC women’s champions

Take a look at the history of females who have claimed UFC gold.

From the first-ever UFC women’s champion, Ronda Rousey, to the current crop of titleholders, here’s a look at the females who have captured UFC gold since women first step foot in the octagon in 2013.

Video: Cris Cyborg lands 81-second walkoff KO in latest boxing bout

Cris Cyborg’s first combat sports outing of 2024 didn’t last long, as she added to her extensive highlight reel.

[autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] started her year quickly and violently.

In her first combat sports outing of 2024, Cyborg (3-0) made fast work of her latest pro boxing opponent Kelsey Wickstrum in the main event of WFC 163 in Temecula, Calif. The boxing bout was scheduled for six rounds, but Cyborg only needed 81 seconds to land a walkoff knockout punch.

Check out video of the finish below (via X):

Cyborg entered the boxing ring for the third time as a pro, following unanimous decision wins over Simone da Silva and Gabrielle Holloway. After the win over Holloway, she returned to MMA to successfully defend her Bellator featherweight title against Cat Zingano at Bellator 300.

After her win, BKFC champion Christine Ferea entered the ring to call out Cyborg. It was a respectful moment, between the combatants, but Cyborg warned Ferea, “You know I have hands, it’s going to be hard.”

Following the PFL’s acquisition of Bellaotr, Cyborg has been eyeing her next matchups inside the cage. If she gets her wish, a long-awaited matchup against former Olympian and two-time PFL champion Kayla Harrison would come before a fight against Larissa Pacheco.

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Cris Cyborg open to fighting Larissa Pacheco, but wants Kayla Harrison matchup first

Bellator champion Cris Cyborg wants Kayla Harrison, not Larissa Pacheco, for her first fight in PFL.

Bellator women’s featherweight champion [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] isn’t scared to fight anyone, but she definitely has a preference for who should be next.

Cyborg wants her debut under the PFL to come against [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag], not [autotag]Larissa Pacheco[/autotag], which was the name PFL had in mind for her first fight after the acquisition of Bellator.

Cyborg and Harrison have a feud that spans over the past couple of years, and she strongly believes that should be the first order of business.

“I don’t have any problem fighting Larissa Pacheco, she’s the champion, but we’ve been promoting this fight against Kayla Harrison for three years,” Cyborg told MMA Junkie Radio. “You can use the opportunity after this fight to promote for Larissa.

“I think everyone is waiting for me and Kayla Harrison. But I don’t have any problem fighting Larissa, but I believe you have to start promoting this fight. First is Kayla Harrison.”

Pacheco won the 2023 women’s featherweight championship. PFL’s original plan was to match up PFL champions against Bellator champions – which it already has for the first PFL vs. Bellator card on Feb. 24. The only champion not booked for the card is Pacheco.

Harrison, one of the biggest names in the promotion, fought out her PFL contract in a non-season bout during the 2023 championship event in November. She defeated Aspen Ladd by unanimous decision. It’s unknown for now if she’s going to re-sign with the promotion.

Cyborg is a former UFC, Strikeforce, Invicta FC and current Bellator champion, and is regarded by many as the best women’s featherweight in the history of MMA. Cyborg is unsure who she’ll fight next, but adding the PFL belt to her collection is of interest.

“I never thought I was going to have all the belts,” Cyborg said. “At the beginning of my career, I wanted to be the best in the world, but I never thought about the belts. I feel very, very blessed and thankful for all the opportunities I’ve had because at the beginning of my career there weren’t a lot of girl fights. Now, you see how women’s MMA has grown so much, and I continue to fight. People continue to call out my name to fight me. … I feel very blessed”

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MMA Junkie Radio #3429: Guests Cris Cyborg and John McCarthy, PFL vs. Bellator, more

Check out the latest episode of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze.”

Thursday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here.

On Episode 3,429, the fellas welcome in Bellator champion [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] and official turned commentator John McCarthy. They also discuss the big PFL vs. Bellator event set to go down in Saudi Arabia, and more. Tune in!