Cris Cyborg Chasing MMA History: Ketlen Vieira Stands Between the 18-Time World Champion and 30 Wins

On August 22, Cris Cyborg will have an opportunity to add another unprecedented achievement to a career already filled with them.

The 18-time MMA World Champion will defend her PFL Women’s Featherweight World Championship against former UFC title challenger Ketlen Vieira in the main event of PFL Tampa at Benchmark International Arena. More than another championship fight, however, the matchup represents a chance for Cyborg to become the first woman in MMA history to reach 30 professional victories.

Tapology currently lists Cyborg’s professional MMA record at 29-2-0 with one no contest, making her the winningest woman in professional MMA history by career victories on the database.

One more win against Vieira would move Cyborg to 30 professional MMA victories—a milestone no woman has previously reached.

Already the Winningest Woman in MMA History

Cyborg doesn’t need August 22 to establish herself at the top of the women’s MMA record books.

She is already there.

According to Tapology, Cyborg’s 29 professional MMA victories put her ahead of every other woman in the sport. Her résumé includes championship victories across Strikeforce, Invicta FC, UFC, Bellator and PFL, making her the only fighter to win major MMA world championships across all five organizations.

Her most recent MMA victory came against Sara Collins at PFL Lyon in December 2025, when Cyborg submitted the previously undefeated Australian in the third round to move from 28 to 29 professional wins.

Now, one victory separates her from an even more exclusive place in the record books.

30 wins.

No woman has ever done it.

The Women Chasing Cyborg’s Record

The magnitude of Cyborg’s accomplishment becomes clearer when looking at the women closest to her on Tapology’s all-time professional MMA wins list.

There are ties in the rankings, which means more than 10 fighters occupy the top 10 positions.

The numbers underline just how far ahead Cyborg has separated herself.

Rin Nakai and Emi Fujino have 27 wins. Tapology lists Fujino at 27-16-1 with one no contest.

Valentina Shevchenko and Megumi Fujii have 26 victories. Shevchenko’s current Tapology record is 26-4-1, while the retired Fujii finished her career at 26-3-0.

Also sitting at 26 wins are Jéssica Andrade, Ayaka Hamasaki, Liz Carmouche and Rumina Sato. Tapology lists Andrade at 26-15-0, Hamasaki at 26-8-0 and Sato at 26-17-2.

And Liz Carmouche recently demonstrated exactly how difficult it is to climb this list, earning her 26th victory against Viviane Araujo at PFL San Diego.

At the next level are Seo Hee Ham and Qihui Yan, each with 25 professional wins.

Yet Cyborg sits alone at the top with 29.

18 World Championships. 29 Wins. One More for History.

The 30-win milestone is only one part of the story.

Cyborg enters Tampa as an 18-time MMA World Champion, with championship victories spanning five major promotions: PFL, Bellator, UFC, Invicta FC and Strikeforce.

Her championship résumé is one of the most unusual in combat sports history.

She has competed across generations, organizations and eras of women’s MMA while continuing to add major titles to her résumé. In 2026, she also became a professional boxing world champion while holding her PFL MMA championship, becoming the first fighter to simultaneously hold major world championships in professional MMA and boxing.

That makes the Vieira fight about much more than another defense.

It is another opportunity for one of the sport’s most accomplished athletes to create a record that could stand for decades.

Ketlen Vieira Is No Easy Path to History

Standing across the cage will be Ketlen Vieira, a Brazilian veteran with a résumé of her own.

PFL lists Vieira at 16-5 and describes her as a former UFC contender. She has spent her career competing against elite opposition and enters Tampa with the opportunity to take the PFL featherweight championship from one of the most accomplished fighters in MMA history.

That makes the matchup particularly compelling.

Cyborg has the opportunity to make history.

Vieira has the opportunity to prevent it.

A Vieira victory would become one of the biggest wins of her career. A Cyborg victory would give the sport a milestone that has never existed before.

ESPN Will Carry the Historic Fight

The stakes will be on display for fans across two of MMA’s biggest markets.

PFL Tampa will air live on ESPN in the United States, with the main event scheduled for August 22. ESPN’s fight center lists the Cyborg-Vieira main card for 10 p.m. ET, with preliminary action on ESPN+.

Brazilian fans will also have access through ESPN and Disney+, following PFL’s new multi-year partnership making ESPN the exclusive home of PFL live events in Brazil.

For Brazilian MMA fans in particular, the matchup is a special one: two accomplished Brazilian fighters meeting for a world championship, with one of them attempting to become the first woman ever to reach 30 professional MMA victories.

A Record That Fits the Legacy

There have been dominant champions.

There have been world champions.

There have been pioneers.

And there have been fighters who changed the trajectory of their sport.

Cris Cyborg has spent more than two decades combining all four.

She already owns the women’s professional MMA wins record with 29 victories. She already owns an unprecedented 18 MMA World Championship victories. She has won major championships in five of MMA’s most important promotions.

Now she has one more number in front of her.

30.

On August 22 in Tampa, Cris Cyborg vs. Ketlen Vieira isn’t simply another PFL title fight.

It is an opportunity to make MMA history.

Cyborg is one win away from becoming the first woman with 30 professional MMA victories.

And the entire world will be watching on ESPN in the United States and ESPN in Brazil.