November 2, 2024

Cris Cyborg granted boxing license in California, intends to pursue career in ring

Cris Cyborg won the UFC women’s featherweight title in July.
 Esther Lin, MMA Fighting

Conor McGregor isn’t the only high-profile MMA fighter dabbling in boxing.

Cris Cyborg recently applied for and was granted Wednesday a boxing license by the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC), MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani confirmed.

Cyborg, the UFC women’s featherweight champion, does indeed intend to box in the 154-pound, junior middleweight division of women’s boxing. She was also granted a federal boxing ID by the commission.

Recently, Cyborg said her UFC contract expires in October. She currently has no deal in place beyond that, but the UFC has an exclusive window to negotiate, Helwani reported.

The UFC is trying to put together an MMA fight between Cyborg and former bantamweight champion (and pro boxing star) Holly Holm for the UFC women’s featherweight title, but there are still hurdles to clear, per Helwani.

Cyborg, 32, won the UFC title by beating Tonya Evinger by third-round TKO at UFC 214 in July. The Brazilian slugger has not lost an MMA fight since 2005, her debut. Cyborg (18-1, 1 NC) has finished every opponent by knockout of TKO going back to 2008. She’s the most dominant female fighter in the history of mixed martial arts.

And now it appears she plans to ply her trade at boxing, too. Cyborg has been training with two-time boxing Olympic gold medalist Claressa Shields and walked out with Shields last month for Shields’ fight against Nikki Adler in Michigan.

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