Cris Cyborg: Quintuple Champion — Fighter Profile, Career & Legacy
- Dana Black
- May 9
- 8 min read
Introduction
Cris Cyborg is the most decorated women's MMA fighter in history and the only fighter — male or female — to win major-promotion world championships in five different organizations. The Brazilian-American holds the inaugural PFL Women's Featherweight Championship as of December 2025, and her championship career spans Strikeforce, Invicta FC, the UFC, Bellator, and PFL. She is also the current WIBA Light Middleweight Boxing World Champion, making her one of the few combat sports athletes to hold simultaneous championships in two distinct sports.
Contents
Quick Stats
Nickname: Cyborg
Age: 40 (born July 9, 1985)
Height: 5'8" (173 cm)
Reach: 67" (170 cm)
Weight Class: Featherweight (145 lb) — also competes at Light Middleweight in boxing
Stance: Orthodox
Team: Cyborg Nation Team, Huntington Beach, California
Pro MMA Record: 29 wins, 2 losses, 1 NC (active in PFL)
Background
Born Cristiane Justino Venancio on July 9, 1985 in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil. Cyborg grew up in working-class circumstances and originally competed in handball before transitioning to combat sports as a teenager. She trained at Chute Boxe Academy in Curitiba — the same gym that produced Wanderlei Silva and Mauricio Shogun Rua — and made her professional MMA debut in May 2005, losing her debut fight by armbar before going on a 20-fight unbeaten run.
She married fellow Brazilian fighter Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos in 2008 and adopted his nickname; the couple split in December 2011. She has been engaged to her trainer Ray Elbe since 2017 and has been a naturalized U.S. citizen since 2016. She legally adopted her teenage niece in 2018 — making her historically the first mother to hold a UFC championship belt. She resides in Huntington Beach, California, where she trains at her own Cyborg Nation gym.
Fighting Style
Aggressive striking-first kickboxing layered with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and elite cardio. Cyborg's Chute Boxe-rooted Muay Thai produces the volume punching and brutal one-shot finishing power that has defined women's featherweight MMA for nearly two decades. Her career stoppage rate (25 of 29 wins by KO/TKO/submission) is among the highest in women's MMA history; the 16-second KO of Marloes Coenen at Strikeforce 2010 and the 51-second KO of Faith Van Duin at Invicta 2014 are the canonical examples of her one-shot finishing power.
Her weakness in her championship-era prime was her vulnerability to one-shot counter punches — Amanda Nunes's UFC 232 51-second KO in 2018 is the canonical example. The shorter, more compact striking patterns of elite bantamweight champions moving up to featherweight produced the only definitive striking loss of her career. Her late-career evolution has added Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu submission threats — the Sara Collins December 2025 rear-naked choke submission was the most decorated submission of her career and confirmed the well-rounded arsenal that has carried her into her 40-year-old 5-promotion championship era.
Career Highlights
August 2009 — Strikeforce Featherweight Champion. Stopped Gina Carano via first-round TKO to win the title.
April 2013 — Invicta FC Featherweight Champion. Won the inaugural Invicta featherweight title.
July 2017 — UFC Women's Featherweight Champion. Defeated Tonya Evinger by third-round TKO at UFC 214 to win the vacant UFC title.
December 2018 — UFC 232 vs Amanda Nunes. Lost the UFC title via 51-second first-round KO — her only UFC loss.
January 2020 — Bellator Women's Featherweight Champion. Stopped Julia Budd by fourth-round TKO at Bellator 238 to win the title.
October 2023 — Bellator 300 vs Cat Zingano. Won by first-round TKO in her first defense of the Bellator title after a 17-month layoff.
October 2024 — PFL Battle of the Giants vs Larissa Pacheco. Won the PFL Super Fights Featherweight title via unanimous decision in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
December 2025 — PFL Champions Series 4 vs Sara Collins. Won the inaugural PFL Women's Featherweight Championship via third-round rear-naked choke in Lyon, France.
Notable Fights & Rivalries
vs Amanda Nunes (UFC 232, 2018)
The fight that produced Cyborg's only UFC loss. Nunes — at the height of her UFC bantamweight reign — knocked Cyborg out cold with a single overhand right at 51 seconds of round one to take the UFC Women's Featherweight Championship. The result remains the most-discussed women's MMA championship fight in history. Cyborg has not faced Nunes again since; she signed with Bellator in September 2019 and has remained outside the UFC ever since.
vs Gina Carano (Strikeforce, 2009)
The fight that crowned Cyborg as Strikeforce featherweight champion. She stopped Carano — at the time the most prominent women's MMA fighter — via first-round TKO to take the title in August 2009. The result definitively shifted the women's MMA spotlight from Carano to Cyborg and established the foundation of women's featherweight as a championship division.
vs Larissa Pacheco (PFL Battle of the Giants 2024)
The Bellator vs PFL unification fight in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Cyborg — moving from Bellator to her PFL debut — defeated the two-time PFL tournament winner Pacheco by five-round unanimous decision to claim the PFL Super Fights Featherweight title. The result was her fifth promotional championship across five different major promotions — a feat no other MMA fighter (male or female) has achieved.
vs Sara Collins (PFL Champions Series 4 2025)
Cyborg's first defense of the PFL title and the canonical example of her late-career grappling evolution. She submitted the previously-unbeaten Australian Collins via rear-naked choke in round three at Lyon's LDLC Arena on December 13, 2025. The result confirmed the well-rounded arsenal that has carried her into her 40-year-old 5-promotion championship era.
vs Cat Zingano (Bellator 300, 2023)
The first defense of Cyborg's Bellator title after a 17-month layoff. She stopped the former UFC bantamweight contender by first-round TKO at the milestone Bellator 300 event in San Diego — Cyborg's tenth career stoppage at championship level. The result extended her Bellator featherweight reign and confirmed her championship-level striking remained intact deep into her late career.
Championships & Accolades
Strikeforce Featherweight Champion (2009).
Invicta FC Featherweight Champion (2013).
UFC Women's Featherweight Champion (2017-2018).
Bellator Women's Featherweight Champion (2020-2025).
PFL Women's Featherweight Champion (December 2025 — present, inaugural).
PFL Super Fights Featherweight Champion (2024).
First and only fighter (male or female) to win MMA world championships in five major promotions.
WIBA Light Middleweight World Champion (boxing).
Career boxing record: 6 wins, 0 losses (5 KOs).
First mother to hold a UFC championship belt (legally adopted teenage niece in 2018).
Most knockout wins in women's MMA history.
Multiple-time Knockout of the Year award winner across promotions.
Current Status
Active and the current PFL Women's Featherweight Champion. Cyborg won the inaugural PFL Women's Featherweight title via third-round rear-naked choke submission of Sara Collins at PFL Champions Series 4 in Lyon, France on December 13, 2025. She has stated she has approximately two MMA fights remaining on her PFL contract and is in a self-described "legacy tour" stretch of her career.
She also remains active in professional boxing as the current WIBA Light Middleweight World Champion. Her 2025 boxing results included three knockouts (Karen Fernandez in March, Valentina Angarita 17 days later, and Precious Harris-McCray in May) — bringing her professional boxing record to 6-0 with 5 KOs. She has expressed interest in eventually facing Claressa Shields in boxing and has been in active negotiations for both potential MMA and boxing matchups through 2026.
Fun Facts
Adopted her nickname "Cyborg" from her ex-husband Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos when they married in 2008; she retained the nickname after their 2011 divorce.
Originally competed in handball as a teenager before transitioning to MMA at Chute Boxe Academy in Curitiba.
Has been a naturalized U.S. citizen since 2016 and resides in Huntington Beach, California where she operates her Cyborg Nation gym.
Legally adopted her teenage niece in 2018 — making her historically the first mother to hold a UFC championship belt.
Has 4.55 million Instagram followers and is one of the most-followed women's MMA fighters globally.
Engaged to her trainer Ray Elbe since 2017.
Holds the most knockout wins in women's MMA history at over 20 career knockouts.
Career MMA, boxing, and Strikeforce purses are reportedly the highest of any women's featherweight fighter in disclosed earnings — over $4 million across MMA promotions and growing in boxing.
Legacy / Verdict
Cris Cyborg is the most decorated women's MMA fighter in history and one of the most influential strikers in the sport's evolution. The five-promotion championship resume — Strikeforce, Invicta, UFC, Bellator, and PFL — is unique in the entire history of MMA, male or female. The 20+ career knockouts make her the most prolific finisher in women's MMA history. The 5'8 frame and 173-cm reach combined with elite striking power redefined what a women's featherweight champion could look like; the entire 145-pound division as it exists today is built on the foundation she established between 2009 and 2018.
What complicates the legacy is the December 2018 UFC 232 KO loss to Amanda Nunes — the only definitive striking loss of her career and the result that ended her UFC reign. The 2024-2025 late-career renaissance with PFL — including the December 2025 inaugural PFL title win and the WIBA boxing championship — has added a chapter that frames the Nunes loss as a single fight in a 20-year career. The eventual UFC Hall of Fame induction is a near-certainty; her place in the top three or four greatest women's MMA fighters of all time is permanent regardless of when that induction arrives.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cris Cyborg still active?
Yes. She is the current and inaugural PFL Women's Featherweight World Champion (MMA) — having won the title via third-round rear-naked choke submission of Sara Collins at PFL Champions Series 4 in Lyon on December 13, 2025. She is also the current WIBA Light Middleweight World Champion in professional boxing. She has stated she has approximately two MMA fights remaining on her PFL contract.
What is Cris Cyborg's professional MMA record?
Twenty-nine wins, two losses, with one no contest across a 20-year career — competing across Strikeforce, Invicta FC, the UFC, Bellator, and PFL. She has won 25 of her wins by knockout or TKO and is widely considered one of the most dominant strikers in women's MMA history.
How many MMA championships has Cris Cyborg won?
Five — making her the only fighter (man or woman) in MMA history to win major-promotion world championships in five different organizations. She won the Strikeforce Featherweight title (2009), the Invicta FC Featherweight title (2013), the UFC Women's Featherweight title (2017), the Bellator Women's Featherweight title (2020), and the inaugural PFL Women's Featherweight title (December 2025).
What style does Cris Cyborg fight?
Aggressive striking-first kickboxing layered with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and elite cardio. Her Chute Boxe-rooted Muay Thai produces the volume punching and brutal one-shot finishing power that has produced 20+ knockouts; her career stoppage rate is among the highest in women's MMA history. The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu submission win over Sara Collins in December 2025 was her first submission since the early 2020s and showcased the well-rounded version of her arsenal that emerged in her late career.
Did Cris Cyborg fight Amanda Nunes?
Yes. Nunes knocked out Cyborg with a 51-second first-round KO at UFC 232 on December 29, 2018 — taking the UFC Women's Featherweight Championship in the process. The fight is the only UFC loss of Cyborg's career and one of the most-discussed women's MMA championship fights ever. Cyborg has not faced Nunes again since.
Is Cris Cyborg in the UFC Hall of Fame?
Not as of 2026. She fought in the UFC from 2016 to 2019 and held the UFC Women's Featherweight title; she meets the eligibility requirements but has not yet been inducted. Her future Hall of Fame induction is widely expected by MMA observers given her championship resume across five major promotions.
How tall is Cris Cyborg?
Five feet eight inches (173 cm), with a 67-inch (170 cm) reach. She competes at featherweight (145 lb) for nearly her entire MMA career and at light middleweight in professional boxing.
Where is Cris Cyborg from?
Born July 9, 1985 in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil — the same city that produced Wanderlei Silva, Mauricio Shogun Rua, and the Chute Boxe Academy generation of Brazilian fighters. She has been a naturalized U.S. citizen since 2016 and resides in Huntington Beach, California.
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