Cris
Cyborg (left) faced several disadvantages against Ketlen Vieira at
PFL Tampa. | 📷: PFL MMA
Nearly two months after her 30th mixed martial arts victory,
Cris
Cyborg considers the circumstances surrounding her Aug. 22 bout
with fellow Brazilian Ketlen
Vieira in Tampa, Fla., to be „extremely unusual.“
Vieira missed weight by more than seven pounds, turning the final
fight of Cyborg’s
Professional Fighters League contract into a non-title
contest.
Those circumstances now include a positive test for a steroidal
substance banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency, according to Mike
Mazzulli, director of the Mohegan Tribe Department of Athletic
Regulation.
Ketlen Vieira missed weight by more than seven pounds before
Cris Cyborg bout; regulator confirms banned steroidal substance in
A and B samples
Mazzulli told Sherdog.com that analysis of Vieira’s A and B samples
from her in-competition collection returned the same adverse
analytical finding.
Mazzulli declined to identify the banned substance but said Vieira
received a six-month suspension retroactive to the date of the
fight.
„Thank you to Mike Mazzulli and everyone involved in maintaining a
serious testing program,“ Cyborg said. „I believe clean sport
deserves strong enforcement.“
Vieira was notified of the positive test and provisionally
suspended pending the results of her requested „B“ sample
analysis.
The Mohegan Tribe Department of Athletic Regulation replaced the
United States Anti-Doping Agency as the Professional Fighters
League’s anti-doping partner in 2025. It previously oversaw
Bellator
MMA’s drug-testing program.
Vieira addressed the
failed test in a statement provided Tuesday morning to
MMAFighting, saying she took the substance to treat a knee
injury. PFL and the Florida Athletic Commission, which regulated
the event, did not respond to requests for comment.
The bout was originally scheduled as the first defense of Cyborg’s
PFL women’s featherweight title. The 41-year-old, who won the belt
by beating Australian Sara
Collins late last year, faced a challenger who had spent nearly
a decade in the UFC.
Vieira went 10-5 in the Octagon, alternating wins and losses over
her final four years with the promotion. Her contract ended after a
victory in May, and the UFC opted against re-signing her.
Three months after a decision win over Jacqueline
Cavalcanti in her final UFC appearance, Vieira was set to
challenge Cyborg for the PFL belt in Florida.
But Vieira missed weight, and Cyborg, who made championship weight,
salvaged the main event by agreeing to a non-title contest at 153
pounds.
„I still accepted the fight and stepped into the cage knowing I
would be giving up a significant physical advantage,“ Cyborg
said.
Vieira told
MMAFighting.com that severe kidney and stomach pain before
weigh-ins prevented her from reaching the featherweight limit.
„Ketlen, I respect you,“ Cyborg said. „I know what it takes to step
into that cage. I wish you nothing but success moving forward.
„I know fighters can face difficult circumstances during a fight
camp. I have no interest in attacking her personally.“
After five rounds against an opponent she described as noticeably
strong, the Strikeforce,
Invicta,
Ultimate Fighting Championship, Bellator and PFL champion was
proud of her performance — enough to reconsider retirement.
Unbeaten for nearly eight years since losing the UFC featherweight
title to Amanda
Nunes, Cyborg intends to fight twice more in MMA and once in
boxing.
The PFL currently retains the right to match any contract Cyborg
signs. When that period expires, she can negotiate as an
unrestricted free agent.
„My career has not been perfect, and I never tried to hide from my
past,“ Cyborg said. „In 2011, I had a positive test for a banned
substance, served my suspension, accepted responsibility for what
was in my body, and made major changes to the way I managed my team
and supplements. Since then, I have competed under the most
rigorous testing programs in MMA, including testing overseen by
Mike Mazzulli and I have continued to pass those tests.
„That is why I believe strict, independent testing is important. It
protects the fighters, the sport and the legacy we work our entire
lives to build.“