PFL-ийн хагас хөнгөн жингийн аварга Крис Сайборг ирэх бямба гарагт Кетлен Виератай хийх тулааны дараа ч спортын замналаа үргэлжлүүлэх боломжтойгоо илэрхийллээ.
Холимог тулааны ертөнцийн домог, 41 настай Крис Сайборг PFL-тэй байгуулсан гэрээнийхээ хүрээнд сүүлчийн тулаанаа хийхээр бэлтгэж байна. Гэсэн хэдий ч тэрээр энэ нь түүний карьерын эцсийн цэг гэдгийг баттай хэлээгүй бөгөөд тулааны дараа багтайгаа зөвлөлдөж, цаашдын алхмаа тодорхойлох төлөвлөгөөтэй байгаа юм. Сүүлийн гурван жилийн туршид тэрээр тулаан бүрээ сүүлчийнх байж магадгүй хэмээн сэтгэл зүйн хувьд бэлтгэлтэй байсан тул ямар ч нөхцөл байдалд бэлэн байгаагаа онцолжээ.
Сайборг PFL-д хангалттай тулаан олдоогүйгээс шалтгаалан сүүлийн жилүүдэд боксын рингэнд идэвхтэй хүч үзэж, гуравдугаар сард WIBA-гийн дэлхийн аварга болсон. Тэрээр тулааны спортоос гадна мал эмнэлгийн чиглэлээр суралцах, хүүхдүүдэд чиглэсэн нийгмийн төслүүд хэрэгжүүлэх зэрэг өөр хүсэл мөрөөдөл өвөртлөж байгаа ч одоогоор зөвхөн Кетлен Виератай хийх тулаандаа бүх анхаарлаа хандуулж байна.
Өрсөлдөгч Кетлен Виерагийн хувьд UFC-д 10-5 гэсэн амжилттай байхдаа Холли Холм, Миша Тэйт зэрэг шилдэг тулаанчдыг ялж байсан туршлагатай тамирчин юм. Сайборг өөрийгөө жиү-жицүгийн хар бүстэй, зогсолт болон партер аль алинд нь тоглох чадвартай тул өрсөлдөгчийнхөө ямар ч хувилбарт бэлэн байгаагаа мэдэгдлээ. Тус тулаан нь түүний PFL-тэй байгуулсан гэрээний сүүлчийнх боловч PFL болон MVP MMA-ийн хамтын ажиллагаа нь түүнд ирээдүйд шинэ боломжуудыг нээж өгч болзошгүй юм.
Дэлгэрэнгүй эх сурвалжийг харах
Эх сурвалжийг нээх ↓
Cris Cyborg headlines PFL Tampa against Ketlen Vieira this Saturday in what is being promoted as her retirement fight, but that may not be the case. As Cyborg chases her 30th pro win, an all-time record in women’s MMA, she won’t rule out competing again in the sport.
The 41-year-old has been more active in the squared circle over the past few years, collecting boxing wins and clinching the WIBA world super welterweight title this past March, and said that’s been the case because PFL hasn’t offered her more matches. Vieira will be the foe in the last bout of her current deal with PFL, but not necessarily her final MMA fight.
“There are a lot of athletes who don’t plan ahead,” Cyborg told MMA Fighting, “And then suddenly you lose your job, you have nowhere else to fight, and you were counting on the money from your next fight. I’ve been preparing myself for this. For the past three years, I’ve been thinking, ‘This could be my last fight. This could be my last fight.’ Especially because I’m 41 years old.”
Cyborg has always taken good care of her body, undergoing stem cell treatments and even buying a hyperbaric chamber for extra care at home to do “everything I can to keep fighting at a high level and perform at my best when I compete.”
“So when you ask me, it could be my last fight,” Cyborg said. “You never know. It could be my last fight. Maybe the fight ends and I say, ‘That’s it.’ When you no longer have that fire inside you, then you stop. You have to stop at the right time. I always say, this could be my last fight, or it might not be my last fight. But I do know that this is the last fight on my PFL contract. After this fight, I want to sit down with my team and figure out what I want to do. I have some other dreams outside of fighting. I love what I do.”
Cyborg loves animals, reason why she has a private zoo in her California home, and doesn’t rule out studying to become a veterinarian once her gloves are laid down for the last time. Waking up in the morning to train for a fight is still no sacrifice for the legendary athlete 33 fights into her MMA career, and that’s why she can’t guarantee she’s walking away for good Saturday.
“I want to do something that I love after my fighting career, but I have several things in mind,” Cyborg said. “I want to start a project, I want to be at the forefront of a project with children, I want to bring the word of God to them, and I want to change lives. Not just help them become champions in fighting, but champions in life. I have several projects that are still in the works, but I’m already fighting for them, working on them, preparing everything. When the right time comes, God will definitely show me. But right now, I’m focused on this next fight.”
The future looks interesting for Cyborg despite her age. Beaten only once in MMA since a debut loss 21 years ago, the former UFC, Bellator, Strikeforce and Invicta FC champion currently holds the PFL featherweight championship, and seeing the promotion merge with MVP MMA creates a path for more belts in both MMA and boxing.
“I thought what happened was really interesting,” Cyborg said of the merger. “Jake Paul said, ‘When your contracts are up, come here because this is going to be a better place for athletes.’ Let’s see what happens. A lot of people can talk. Let’s see what they actually do. I’ve already seen them making a lot of changes in women’s boxing. They’re putting on a lot of events, and it’s becoming really cool. The Serrano fight, I think it was the first time in history that both fighters made a million dollars each. I believe they really want to change the sport for the better. They want to invest in athletes and pay athletes well. So let’s see what opportunities come from it. I’m happy about it.”
“If it’s going to help the sport grow, I believe athletes need more events,” she continued. “Now Scott Coker is also announcing the next event he’s going to put on. I think that’s important for athletes, to have options and bring everyone together. That increases the value of our work. I’m happy about it. Let’s see what happens. Would I be the first athlete in history to be a champion in MMA and boxing at the same time, and the first MVP athlete with the PFL partnership to be a champion in both sports, boxing and MMA? Let’s see what happens. First, I want to focus on Ketlen, give my best, and then sit down with my team and see what my heart tells me.”
Cyborg is “very happy and grateful” for having worked with Coker in both Strikeforce and Bellator, and that relationship could be brought back to life in 2027 as Coker prepares to launch his new MMA organization. She isn’t focusing too much on what could be as opposed to what’s standing in front of her in Vieira, but it’s definitely an option going forward.
Vieira won a decision over Jacqueline Cavalcanti in her final appearance in the UFC this past May, walking away from the promotion with an octagon record of 10-5. The Nova União talent has beaten former UFC champions and title contenders in Holly Holm, Miesha Tate, Cat Zingano and Sara McMann, and went the distance with future bantamweight queen Kayla Harrison.
“You have to be prepared for any situation,” Cyborg said of Vieira. “Maybe she wants to take the fight to the ground. That’s fine. I’m a jiu-jitsu black belt, I’ve been training a lot, and I have submissions on my record. The thing is, I like to stand and trade. I like to fight on the feet. I started in striking. But that doesn’t mean I won’t go to the ground. I also like wrestling. I like taking people down. So, really, you have to feel things out. We have to have several game plans for the fight and be prepared for any alternative.
“One of the things I always say is that a boxing champion doesn’t have many weaknesses. You have to be tough to become a champion. In MMA, you can kind of camouflage your weaknesses. If you’re very good on the ground or very good on your feet, you can become a champion. But in boxing, you can’t become a champion if you’re not very good. But I see the athletes becoming more and more well-rounded. Over these 21 years, I’ve worked on becoming a more complete fighter. Yes, I started my career in striking, but today I see myself as a complete athlete, and wherever the fight goes, I’ll definitely be looking for the victory.”
