Cris Cyborg

Cristiane Justino Venâncio (born July 9, 1985), known professionally as Cris Cyborg and formerly by her married name Cristiane Santos, is a Brazilian and American professional mixed martial artist and professional boxer who currently competes in the Women’s Featherweight division of the Professional Fighters League (PFL), where she is the current and inaugural PFL Women's Featherweight World Champion. As a boxer, she is the current WIBA Light Middleweight World Champion. She formerly competed in Bellator MMA where she was the longest reigning and last Women’s Featherweight World Champion. She is also a former UFC, Strikeforce and Invicta FC World Featherweight Champion. She is the only MMA fighter in history to become a Quintuple Champion, holding world championships across five major MMA promotions. Cyborg is widely regarded as one of the greatest female mixed martial artists of all time.

Cyborg first rose to prominence when she won the Strikeforce title on August 15, 2009, by defeating Gina Carano via first-round technical knock-out (TKO) in the first ever major main event to feature women. She holds the record for the most wins by a woman in MMA history and is the first and only female fighter to reach 30 career victories.

Early life Cyborg was born on July 9, 1985, in Curitiba to Brazilian parents. A daughter of divorced parents and a father who had problems with alcoholism, Cyborg started her sports career at the age of twelve, playing handball at a national level in Brazil. Due to her success in the sport, she won numerous athletic scholarships on private universities after her high school graduation, and eventually chose to pursue the path of physical education in the capital of Paraná, Curitiba. Later, she planned to move to the city of Cascavel to become a professional handball player and finish her college studies there, before being discovered by Rudimar Fedrigo, a Chute Boxe Academy trainer who was impressed by her physical size and advised her to enter the world of fighting.

Mixed martial arts career Early career Justino, without yet incorporating the nickname "Cyborg", made her professional debut in mixed martial arts at the age of 19 on May 17, 2005, at Showfight 2 against multiple time world BJJ champion Erica Paes. Paes, who was five years her senior, was the first woman to train at the legendary Brazilian Top Team academy, a rival gym of the Chute Boxe gym where Cyborg trained. Cyborg lost the fight via submission in the first round, which remained her only professional loss in MMA until 2018, when she lost for the second time in her career against Amanda Nunes. Although the method of win for Paes was officially recorded as a submission due to a kneebar, Cyborg's team claims that she tapped out due to an elbow injury sustained after a fall in the fight.

After losing her MMA debut, Cyborg earned her first victory in the sport by defeating Vanessa Porto via unanimous decision. She subsequently won her next three fights in the Brazilian promotion Storm Samurai via first-round TKO finish, improving her record to 4-1.

She made her anticipated United States MMA debut on July 26, 2008, against Shayna Baszler at EliteXC: Unfinished Business. She won the fight by TKO in the second round.

She faced Yoko Takahashi on October 4, 2008, at EliteXC: Heat, winning the fight by unanimous decision.

She was scheduled to face Dutch submission specialist Marloes Coenen at XMMA 7 on February 27, 2009, but backed out of the fight after signing a new contract with Strikeforce. Cyborg earned a BJJ Purple Belt under her jiu-jitsu instructor Cristiano Marcello in 2009.

Strikeforce

She later signed to fight for Strikeforce, She defeated Akano by TKO in the third round.

Before the fight with Carano, Cyborg was interviewed by mmaworldwide.com's reporter Aaron Tru. When asked how long it would take to submit Carano with a choke hold, she choked him.

She fought Gina Carano on August 15, 2009, at Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg for the Women's Featherweight Championship. Cyborg won via TKO at 4:59 of the 5:00 first round. The card was the first time that a major promotion had featured a main event between women. After the match, she hugged Carano, and stated in her interview that she had the utmost respect for Carano, and that it was an honor to fight her.

She next defended her title against Dutch standout Marloes Coenen at a Strikeforce event on January 30, 2010. She won the fight via TKO at 3:40 of round 3.

Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker stated that the next challenger for Cyborg would most likely be Erin Toughill. However, Toughill later announced her intentions to leave Strikeforce and plans for the fight were cancelled.

On April 7, 2010, Coker stated that Cyborg would fight again in June. She faced Jan Finney at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum and won the fight via KO in the second round. Her contract with Strikeforce expired on June 26, 2011. She renewed her Strikeforce contract on August 25, 2011.

Doping violations and suspension On September 23, 2011, Cyborg announced that she would return to the promotion to face Hiroko Yamanaka. The fight took place at Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal on December 17, 2011. She won via TKO just sixteen seconds into the first round, but later tested positive for stanozolol, an anabolic steroid. As a result of the banned substance, the fight's result was changed to a no contest. Cyborg had her license suspended for one year and was fined $2,500.

Invicta Fighting Championships On February 15, 2013, a month after Strikeforce folded, Cyborg signed a multi-fight deal with Invicta Fighting Championships. She was scheduled to make her debut on April 5 at Invicta FC 5: Penne vs. Waterson against Ediane Gomes to determine who would move on to face Marloes Coenen. However, Gomes suffered an injury and Cyborg instead faced Fiona Muxlow. Cyborg was successful in her return, winning the bout via TKO in the first round.

Cyborg faced Marloes Coenen in a rematch for the inaugural Invicta FC Featherweight Championship at Invicta FC 6: Coenen vs. Cyborg on July 13, 2013. She defeated Coenen by TKO in the fourth round to become the first Invicta FC featherweight champion.

She returned to Muay Thai to face Jennifer Colomb at Lion Fight 11 in Las Vegas on September 20, 2013, defeating the previously undefeated Frenchwoman by TKO in round three. She had initially been set to fight Martina Jindrova but Jindrova withdrew with injury.

She lost a five-round unanimous decision against Jorina Baars in a fight for the inaugural Lion Fight Women's Welterweight Championship in the co-main event of Lion Fight 14 in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States on March 28, 2014. Baars officially knocked down Cyborg in the first round with a head kick and in the fifth round with a spinning heel kick, although referee Tony Weeks missed at least two other occasions throughout the fight where a knockdown could have been issued. Cyborg hit the canvas from a front kick in one occasion and from a knee on another, both times they were ruled slips by the referee.

In February 2015, Cyborg returned to MMA to defend her Invicta Featherweight title against Charmaine Tweet in the main event at Invicta FC 11. She successfully defended her title, winning the fight via TKO in just under a minute in the first round.

Cyborg faced Faith Van Duin on July 9, 2015, at Invicta FC 13: Cyborg vs. Van Duin. She won the fight by TKO in the first round due to a knee to the body and punches.

Ultimate Fighting Championship In March 2015, Cyborg signed with UFC. Cyborg made her promotional debut at UFC 198 against Leslie Smith at a catchweight of 140 pounds. She won the fight by TKO in the first round.

Cyborg faced promotional newcomer Lina Länsberg in a catchweight (140 lb) bout on September 24, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 95. The referee stopped the fight midway through the second round after Länsberg could not effectively defend herself.

In December 2016 UFC was notified of a potential USADA doping violation by Cyborg. Cyborg's team immediately responded that it was in regards to a substance that helped her recover from her weight cut. On February 17, 2017, Cyborg was granted a retroactive therapeutic use exemption (TUE). Therefore, her suspension was lifted, and she was immediately eligible to compete.

In March 2017 Cyborg vacated her Invicta featherweight title and called out Germaine de Randamie for the belt targeting UFC 214 in Anaheim, California. De Randamie was stripped of her belt on June 19, 2017, by UFC and Cyborg was expected to face Megan Anderson to fight for the vacated UFC Women's Featherweight Championship at UFC 214 on July 29 in Anaheim, California. On June 27, Anderson pulled out of the fight for personal reasons and was replaced by current Invicta FC Bantamweight Champion Tonya Evinger. Cyborg won by TKO in the third round to claim her first UFC championship.

In the first defense of her title and the first fight of her new four-fight contract, Cyborg faced Holly Holm on December 30, 2017, in the main event at UFC 219. She won the fight via unanimous decision. This win also earned her her first Fight of the Night bonus.

Cyborg faced former Invicta bantamweight champion, Yana Kunitskaya, on March 3, 2018, at UFC 222 for her second featherweight title defense. Cyborg won the fight by TKO in the first round. After the win, she gave out 222 burgers to Los Angeles' homeless, as her way of celebration.

Cyborg faced the reigning UFC Women's bantamweight champion, Amanda Nunes, for the UFC Women's Featherweight Championship on December 29, 2018, at UFC 232. Nunes defeated Cyborg by knockout early in the first round, handing her the first knockout loss in her MMA career.

Cyborg faced Felicia Spencer on July 27, 2019, at UFC 240 in the co-main event. She won the fight via unanimous decision.

Following the fight against Spencer, which was the last fight on her contract, UFC president Dana White announced that the UFC would not negotiate a new contract with Cyborg, and they would waive her three-month exclusive negotiating period. This allowed her to immediately begin negotiations with other organizations.

Bellator MMA

On September 3, 2019, Bellator MMA president Scott Coker announced that Cyborg had signed a multi-fight deal with Bellator. She won the fight via technical knockout in round four.

For the fight with Budd, Cyborg trained in South Africa with trainers Richie Quan, Boyd Allen, and Martin Van Staden. Her and her team's goal for the camp was to train for well-roundedness and to be ready for anything.

After winning her fourth World Championship, Cyborg has stated she would like to make an attempt at a belt in boxing. She won the bout via second round submission, earning the first submission of her MMA career.

Cyborg made her second defense of the title against Leslie Smith on May 21, 2021, in the main event at Bellator 259. They previously met at UFC 198, which was Cyborg's UFC debut, where she won by TKO in the first round. She won the bout via TKO after knocking Smith down and finished her with punches late in the last round.

Cyborg defended her title against Sinead Kavanagh on November 12, 2021, at Bellator 271. After exchanging on the feet, Cyborg knocked Kavanagh out early in the first round.

Cyborg defended her title in a rematch against Arlene Blencowe on April 23, 2022, at Bellator 279. She retained the title and won the bout via unanimous decision. The following summer Cyborg became a free agent. She won the fight via TKO in the first round.

Professional Fighters League Cyborg faced 2023 PFL Women's Featherweight Champion and 2022 PFL Women's Lightweight Champion Larissa Pacheco for the PFL Super Fights Women's Featherweight Championship on October 19, 2024 at PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants. She won the fight by unanimous decision.

PFL Women's Featherweight Champion Cyborg faced Sara Collins for the inaugural PFL Women's Featherweight Championship on December 13, 2025, at PFL Champions Series 4. She won the bout via a rear-naked choke submission in the third round.

In her first title defense, Cyborg defeated Ketlen Vieira by unanimous decision on August 22, 2026, at PFL Tampa.

Boxing career Cyborg made her professional boxing debut on September 25, 2022, facing Simone Silva, a former Brazilian National Boxing Champion, at Fight Music Show 2. Silva had suffered a knockout loss due to a body punch a month prior to the fight and was suspended by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, however Simone Silva was required to complete additional medicals that allowed the Associaçáo Paranaense De Lutas Commission to sanction the bout as a professional fight.

In her second bout on December 11, 2022, she fought Gabrielle Holloway as the co-main event under Terence Crawford vs. David Avanesyan at the CHI Health Center in Omaha, she dropped Holloway and outpointed her on to a unanimous decision victory. The event drew a paid attendance of 14,630 paid to set a state of Nebraska record for largest boxing gate.

On January 19, 2024, Cyborg knocked out Kelsey Wickstrum in the first round to earn her first victory by stoppage in the boxing ring. She then followed that performance up by defeating Aria Wild by second-round knockout on June 15, 2024.

After defeating Larissa Pacheco for the PFL Super Fights Women's Featherweight Championship on October 19, 2024, Cyborg made her return to the boxing ring on March 3, 2025, defeating Karen Fernandez by second-round knockout. Just 17 days later, she knocked out Valentina Angarita in the third round. On May 17, 2025, she earned her third consecutive knockout of the year and fifth overall, after stopping Precious Harris-McCray in the second round.

Cris Cyborg made combat sports history March 28th 2026 when she defeated Paulina Cardona by 3rd round TKO :02 to secure the WIBA World Super Welterweight World Championship The victory improved Cris Cyborg's record to 8-0 while competing in Boxing. Winning the WIBA World Title made her the first combat sports athlete to hold a major world championship belt in Boxing and MMA at the same time.

Personal life Cyborg was married to fellow mixed martial artist Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos, The couple split in December 2011. She has been a naturalized U.S. citizen since 2016. Cyborg announced her engagement to longtime boyfriend, trainer, and former MMA athlete Ray Elbe in 2017.

In 2018, Cyborg legally adopted her teenage niece, making her historically the first mother to hold a UFC championship belt.

Cyborg works with Fight for the Forgotten, a non-profit organization organized by Justin Wren that digs wells to provide drinking water for the Batwa.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts Professional Fighters League

One successful title defense

Bellator MMA

Tied (Arlene Blencowe) for most knockout wins in Bellator Women's Featherweight division history (4) Ultimate Fighting Championship

Two successful title defenses Fight of the Night (One time) vs. Holly Holm Second most wins in UFC Women's Featherweight division history (4) Tied (Megan Anderson and Felicia Spencer) for most knockouts in UFC Women's Featherweight division history (2) UFC.com Awards 2016 Half-Year Awards: Best Newcomer of the 1HY & Ranked #2 Newcomer of the Year 2017: Ranked #5 Fighter of the Year Invicta Fighting Championships

Three successful title defenses Performance of the Night (two times) vs. Charmaine Tweet and Faith Van Duin Strikeforce

Two successful title defenses 2010 Female Fighter of the Year The Athletic 2010s Women's Featherweight Fighter of the Decade BJPenn.com 2010s #10 Ranked Fighter of the Decade World MMA Awards 2009 Female Fighter of the Year 2010 Female Fighter of the Year Women's MMA Awards 2013 Featherweight of the Year 2011 Female Fan Favorite of the Year 2010 Female Featherweight of the Year 2009 Female Featherweight of the Year 2009 Headline of the Year w/ Gina Carano in Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg AwakeningFighters.com WMMA Awards 2013 Featherweight of the Year Sherdog 2010 Beatdown of the Year vs. Jan Finney on June 26 2010 All-Violence Third Team Sports Illustrated 2009 Female Fighter of the Year Inside MMA 2009 Female Fighter of the Year Bazzie Award Fight Matrix 2010 Female Fighter of the Year 2017 Female Fighter of the Year Examiner.com 2009 Female Fighter of the Year MMADNA.nl 2016 Debut of the Year. MMA Fighting 2009 #4 Ranked Fighter of the Year 2010s #9 Ranked Fighter of the Decade 2024 Third Team MMA All-Star

Boxing Women's International Boxing Association

Fight Music Show

Kickboxing AwakeningFighters.com Muay Thai Awards 2014 Fight of the Year vs. Jorina Baars at Lion Fight 14

Submission grappling International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation

Abu Dhabi Combat Club

Amateur wrestling Federação Paulista de Luta Olímpica

Federação Paranaense de Lutas Associadas

Mixed martial arts record Win

Ketlen Vieira Decision (unanimous) PFL Tampa: Cyborg vs. Vieira

Tampa, Florida, United States Win

Sara Collins Submission (face crank) PFL Lyon: Nemkov vs. Ferreira

Décines-Charpieu, France Win

Larissa Pacheco Decision (unanimous) PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Win

Cat Zingano TKO (punches) Bellator 300

San Diego, California, United States Win

Arlene Blencowe Decision (unanimous) Bellator 279

Honolulu, Hawaii, United States Win

Sinead Kavanagh KO (punches) Bellator 271

Hollywood, Florida, United States Win

Leslie Smith TKO (punches) Bellator 259

Uncasville, Connecticut, United States Win

Arlene Blencowe Submission (rear-naked choke) Bellator 249

Uncasville, Connecticut, United States Win

Julia Budd TKO (punches) Bellator 238

Inglewood, California, United States Win

Felicia Spencer Decision (unanimous) UFC 240

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Loss

Amanda Nunes KO (punch) UFC 232

Inglewood, California, United States Win

Yana Kunitskaya TKO (punches) UFC 222

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Holly Holm Decision (unanimous) UFC 219

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Tonya Evinger TKO (knees) UFC 214

Anaheim, California, United States Win

Lina Länsberg TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Cyborg vs. Länsberg

Brasília, Brazil Win

Leslie Smith TKO (punches) UFC 198

Curitiba, Brazil Win

Daria Ibragimova KO (punches) Invicta FC 15

Costa Mesa, California, United States Win

Faith van Duin TKO (knee to the body and punches) Invicta FC 13

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Charmaine Tweet TKO (punches) Invicta FC 11

Los Angeles, California, United States Win

Marloes Coenen TKO (punches and elbows) Invicta FC 6

Kansas City, Missouri, United States Win

Fiona Muxlow TKO (knees and punches) Invicta FC 5

Kansas City, Missouri, United States NC

Hiroko Yamanaka NC (overturned) Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal

San Diego, California, United States Win

Jan Finney KO (knee to the body) Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum

San Jose, California, United States Win

Marloes Coenen TKO (punches) Strikeforce: Miami

Sunrise, Florida, United States Win

Gina Carano TKO (punches) Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg

San Jose, California, United States Win

Hitomi Akano TKO (punches) Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Diaz

San Jose, California, United States Win

Yoko Takahashi Decision (unanimous) EliteXC: Heat

Sunrise, Florida, United States Win

Shayna Baszler TKO (punches) EliteXC: Unfinished Business

Stockton, California, United States Win

Marise Vitoria TKO (stomps) Storm Samurai 12

Curitiba, Brazil Win

Elaine Santiago de Lima TKO (corner stoppage) Storm Samurai 11

Curitiba, Brazil Win

Chris Schroeder TKO (punches) Storm Samurai 10

Curitiba, Brazil Win

Vanessa Porto Decision (unanimous) Storm Samurai 9

Curitiba, Brazil Loss

Erica Paes Submission (kneebar) Show Fight 2

São Paulo, Brazil Professional boxing record

Exhibition boxing record

Kickboxing record

Grappling record

Result Rec Opponent Method Event Division Type Date Location Win

Venla Luukkonen Points (11–0)

Win

Hillary van Ornum Points (4–0) Win

Maia Matalon Submission (armbar) Win

Amanda Lucas Points (8–0)

Win

Sarah Draht Points (16–0) Win

Rosângela Conceição Referee Decision

Loss

Penny Thomas Negative Points (-2 -1) Win

Ida Hansson Points (10–0)

Pay-per-view bouts