Martin On Cyborg's Shields Boxing Callout After PFL Win

Professional Fighters League CEO John Martin praised Cris Cyborg following her victory over Ketlen Vieira at PFL Tampa on Friday night and said a potential boxing match with Claressa Shields could happen under the promotion's new structure.

Martin called Cyborg the most accomplished women's MMA fighter in history after she edged Vieira in a competitive five-round contest at the Amalie Arena. "If you've never seen Cris Cyborg fight before, hopefully you can get an appreciation and an understanding of what a legend this fighter is," Martin told reporters after the event, per Sherdog. "She had a really tough fight tonight, but for five rounds, she fought every single round really, really hard. I thought she absolutely won."

PFL-MVP Merger Opens Door for Cyborg Boxing Bout

The PFL executive addressed Cyborg's post-fight callout of Shields, who recently claimed WBA and WBC middleweight titles by stopping Kaye Scott. Martin said the promotion's merger with Most Valuable Promotions makes cross-discipline matchups viable. "Well, that would be fun to talk about with her," he said. "This is one of the things: since we've announced the merger with MVP, we can now talk to our MMA fighters about if they want to box; the possibility exists."

Martin also credited Vieira for her performance despite coming in over the contracted weight. The Brazilian missed the featherweight limit but pushed Cyborg through all five rounds in Tampa.

No timeline has been set for discussions between Cyborg and Shields regarding a potential boxing date.

Reported via:

• Sherdog — John Martin hails Cris Cyborg, addresses potential boxing bout with Claressa Shields