Cyborg to make first title defence for two years

Cris Cyborg will defend her featherweight title for the first time in over two years when she faces Sara Collins at PFL Lyon on 13 December.

Cyborg, 40, last defended her belt when she stopped Cat Zingano at Bellator 300 in October 2023, shortly before the promotion was acquired by the PFL.

Since then the Bellator brand has been phased out, meaning the Brazilian's belt will be re-branded as the PFL women's featherweight championship for the bout with America's Collins.

Cyborg defeated fellow Brazilian Larissa Pacheco just under a year ago, but the bout was not for an official title.

Cyborg, who is widely regarded as one of the best women's fighters in MMA history, heads into the fight with Collins having won 31 and lost only two fights.

She has not suffered defeat since losing to Amanda Nunes in the UFC in 2018, and defended her Bellator title five times before it was re-branded.

Collins, 35, enters the contest having won the first six fights of her career, with her last win coming against Leah McCourt in September.

The bout takes place at the LDLC Arena in the city in eastern France on a card headlined by a heavyweight title fight between Russia's Vadim Nemkov and Brazil's Renan Ferreria.

The bout is for the PFL heavyweight world title, which is also re-branded, with the organisation describing it as "the next chapter in heavyweight MMA".

American Ryan Bader was the last Bellator heavyweight champion before the brand was phased out, but he parted ways with the PFL earlier this year.