Cyborg May Retire After Harrison Fight, Shields Wants Cyborg Match in PFL
Cris Cyborg is targeting a fight with Kayla Harrison before she walks away from MMA.
Cyborg’s last fight in combat sports was against Cat Zingano at Bellator 300 as she defended her featherweight title. Cyborg stopped her opponent in the first round to keep her undefeated record in Bellator, which moved to 6-0. Following the PFLs’ acquisition of Bellator, a Cyborg-Harrison fight was entertained. PFL chairman Donn Davis was open to making it happen.
Harrison is a winner of the 2021 PFL Lightweight Tournament after beating Taylor Guardado. After Harrison left the PFL in 2021, she almost signed with Bellator. But the PFL matched their offer as Harrison stayed. Harrison’s last fight was a victory over Aspen Ladd in November. The narrative is now in place for a fight.
Cyborg On Harrison
“I’m in a moment in my career in which we’re trying to finish it in the best way possible and I see that she’s a big name. We’ve been building up that rivalry between the two of us for a while, three years. I think that’s a fight everyone would like to see. I talked to my team, we want to do big fights and I think that Kayla Harrison should be next. Cat Zingano was a great fight, I could have finished my career with that one, but I think Kayla Harrison is another great one. I could finish my career after that, too,” Cyborg said
Cyborg’s attention may turn to boxing if the fight does not happen. She boxed twice last year, with wins over Simone Silva and Gabrielle Holloway. If the fight with Harrison fails, Claressa Shields is open to facing Cyborg in the PFL.
Shields is coming off a unanimous decision win over Maricela Cornejo, which kept her status as the undisputed middleweight champion in boxing. But her decision to sign with the PFL has shown that she is open to having more MMA fights. Her current record in MMA stands at 1-1. Following the merger of the PFL and Bellator, that dream fight could play out.
Shields On Cyborg
“The fight that I see – it’s the scariest fight for me in MMA – would be me vs. Cris Cyborg,” Claressa Shields stated in a recent interview, discussing her PFL future. “She’s a GOAT in MMA, and I’m a GOAT in boxing, and we both have multiple world titles in our field.
“I feel that fight right there would be the biggest fight and a fight that I would get up for. Listen, I would get up for a fight against Kayla Harrison or Larissa Pacheco. Those girls are badasses and good at what they do. But Cris just seems like she’s the beast… If I had to pick a dream fight, it would be against her. I feel she’s better than Kayla and Larissa,” Shields stated
As of now, Cyborg is on course to face Kelsey Wickstrum in a boxing bout in January, leaving plenty of options. Provided that she comes through that, there is a chance that combat sports fans see a mega showdown with Shields.
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