Cyborg title not at stake as opponent misses weight
Cris Cyborg's expected final MMA fight, a PFL featherweight world title bout in Tampa, Florida, was nearly cancelled after opponent Ketlen Vieira missed weight by seven pounds. Rather than scrap the contest, organisers agreed to let it proceed as a non-title catchweight bout, meaning Cyborg cannot add another world title to her collection in what may be the closing fight of her 21-year career.
Vieira weighed in at 152lb against the 145lb limit, while Cyborg made championship weight. Vieira said severe kidney and stomach pain overnight forced her coach to stop her cutting further weight, and she will forfeit part of her purse as a result. Cyborg, 41, said she was relieved the fight would still go ahead, having previously won world titles across Strikeforce, Bellator, the UFC and the PFL.
- Cyborg's possible farewell fight nearly cancelled over weight miss
- Opponent Ketlen Vieira came in seven pounds over limit
- Bout proceeds as catchweight; Cyborg's title not at stake
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Cris Cyborg is one of women's MMA's most decorated fighters, having held world titles across four different organisations over a 21-year career. She had been due to fight Ketlen Vieira for the PFL featherweight world title in Tampa, Florida, in what many expected to be the final bout of her career.
Weigh-ins are a standard part of MMA, requiring both fighters to hit an agreed weight limit before a fight can go ahead for a title. Vieira came in well over the 145lb limit, which under normal rules would put the title bout, and potentially the fight itself, in jeopardy.
The outcome matters because it affects whether Cyborg can add one final world title to her career total before she is expected to retire, changing what is at stake in what could be her last fight.