Cris Cyborg made history with Gina Carano more than 15 years ago.
Very few fighters have a resume like Cris Cyborg’s. The current PFL champion has won titles in the UFC, Bellator, Strikeforce and Invicta with her ultra-aggressive fighting style.
Cyborg has shared the cage with the likes of all-time great Amanda Nunes, Holly Holm, Larissa Pacheco, Cat Zingano and many more. The Brazilian once had a 13-fight win streak and went undefeated for 13 years until she met Nunes in arguably the biggest fight in women’s MMA history at UFC 232 in 2018.
A decade before she lost to Nunes, Cyborg won her first world title against undefeated superstar (and future actress) Gina Carano in a back-and-forth fight that changed women’s MMA forever.
Cris Cyborg retired Gina Carano in first super-fight in women’s MMA
On Aug. 15, 2009, Cyborg and the undefeated Carano became the first women to headline a major MMA event when they fought for the Strikeforce Featherweight Championship. Over 500,000 fans tuned in to watch the women’s title fight on Showtime, putting women’s MMA on the map.
Cyborg and Carano got quite the reception in San Jose, fighting to the roar of the crowd as they brawled for five straight minutes.
Pushing the pace, Cyborg went for two takedowns which Carano used to gain top control. Carano landed decent ground and pound on Cyborg from full mount before she let her opponent up to her feet.
Carano withstood Cyborg’s attacks and managed to land several good shots of her own in the striking exchanges.
Cyborg smothered Carano with strikes before completing a takedown. After attempting an Americana submission on the ground, Cyborg teed off and landed vicious shots from the top in the final seconds of round 1.
Right as the buzzer sounded, the referee stopped the contest with the newly-crowned champion Cyborg clocking in the first round TKO at 4:59 of Round 1.
This would be Gina Carano’s final MMA fight. The marquee star retired with a record of 7-1 to pursue a future in acting where she landed roles in Deadpool and The Mandalorian.
Cris Cyborg’s next fight marks full-circle moment
Cris Cyborg has been fighting since 2005 and this weekend, she will celebrate her 20th anniversary as an MMA fighter.
Cyborg returns to San Jose, California, the same place she stopped Carano in Strikeforce—for a boxing match against the 4-1 Precious Harris-McCray on Saturday. Fight Night San Jose is promoted by former Strikeforce champion Gilbert Melendez and Cyborg’s former Strikeforce/Bellator boss Scott Coker.
“May 17, I’m gonna complete twenty years in the sport,” Cyborg told Bloody Elbow.
“I’m really happy back to San Jose. San Jose was a really special place.
“It was where I fought Gina Carano. It was my first world title. It was the first time in women’s MMA I was fighting on live TV on [Showtime].
“It’s a great memory,” Cyborg said of beating Carano back in 2009.