Cris Cyborg ready to fight for the belt in a different promotion if Kayla Harrison "is not ready"
Cris Cyborg teased a future bare-knuckle boxing fight if she’s forced to continue waiting for Kayla Harrison.
In 2019, Harrison parted ways with the UFC and signed with Bellator. Since then, she’s furthered her legacy by establishing a 6-0 promotional record with every fight for the Bellator women’s featherweight title.
Although Cyborg has accomplished plenty, the 38-year-old is focused on making another statement by defeating two-time PFL champion Kayla Harrison. The world-class female MMA fighters have talked about fighting for several years, but nothing has materialized.
On Friday, Jan. 19, Cyborg extended her professional boxing record to 3-0 with a first-round knockout. Following her impressive performance, BKFC champion Christine Ferea entered the ring and politely called out the Brazilian legend for a bare-knuckle boxing match.
Cyborg responded to the callout with the following message on X:
“If Judo Kayla is not ready…I want that Queen of Violence @bareknucklefc Belt next."
Ferea made her BKFC debut in October 2018. Since then, she’s solidified herself as one of the sport's biggest superstars by going 8-1 in the promotion. The BKFC women’s flyweight champion is riding a six-fight win streak after back-to-back wins against former UFC star Bec Rawlings.
Watch Ferea call out Cyborg following the latter’s latest boxing win below:
What is Cris Cyborg’s professional boxing record?
Cris Cyborg took a different route than most MMA fighters who transitioned to professional boxing. Instead of jumping into a super-fight, Cyborg has decided to build herself up, starting with a unanimous decision win against Simone da Silva in September 2022.
Three months later, Cyborg secured another unanimous decision win when she fought Gabrielle Holloway in the co-main event of Terence Crawford vs. David Avanesyan. The Brazilian legend’s latest boxing match was the previously mentioned first-round knockout against Kelsey Wickstrum earlier this week.
As for MMA, Cris Cyborg plans to continue defending her Bellator women’s featherweight title after the promotion’s merger with PFL. With that said, the 38-year-old’s priority is to fight Kayla Harrison and settle their longstanding rivalry.
Harrison last fought in November 2023, defeating Aspen Ladd by unanimous decision at the 2023 PFL World Championship.
Watch Cyborg’s recent first-round knockout against Wickstrum below: