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Cris Cyborg Wins PFL Title in Bloody War at Battle of the Giants

Cyborg met Larissa Pachecho met in a huge matchup for the PFL Super Fights belt.

Drew Beaupre

(PFL)

Cris Cyborg entered the PFL SmartCage for the first time when she met Larissa Pacheco in the co-main event of PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants.

Cyborg Defeats Pacheco in Five-Round War

After returning to the win column in the UFC by defeating Felicia Spencer in 2019, Cyborg debuted for Bellator the following year and won the promotion's featherweight belt from Julia Budd.

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The 39-year-old went on to defend her title five times while also competing in professional boxing, and after the PFL acquired Bellator late last year Cyborg was finally booked to meet two-time PFL Champion Pacheco in the co-main event of Battle of the Giants in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Pacheco entered the matchup on a 10-fight win streak and was slightly favored to defeat her Brazilian compatriot when the cage door closed, but Cyborg surprised both her opponent and the fans when she secured some well-timed takedowns during the opening round.

The two women spent more time trading strikes in the second frame before Cyborg once again landed a takedown when Pacheco got too aggressive, but in the third round the two-time PFL champion found more success on the feet and ended up in top position.

Rounds four and five saw the two Brazilians trade huge shots, and after stifling a rally from Pacheco it was Cyborg who took a unanimous decision to win the inaugural PFL Women's Featherweight Super Fights Championship.

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Cyborg's victory was preceded by fellow Bellator champion Johnny Eblen defending his middleweight belt in a rematch with Fabian Edwards, and those two title fights rolled straight into the night's headlining attraction between Francis Ngannou and Renan Ferreira.

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Drew Beaupre
DREW BEAUPRE

Drew is an MMA writer that regularly watches regional events in addition to major promotions such as the UFC, PFL, Bellator, and ONE Championship. He joined MMA Knockout when it was founded in 2023.

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