Last night, Cris Cyborg hit two special milestones in her MMA career.
Firstly (and most importantly), she successfully defended her Bellator featherweight title for the first time. Secondly, she did so with her first-ever professional submission win.
Cyborg took on Arlene Blencowe in the main event of Bellator 249. Though Blencowe is a former boxing champion, Cyborg was able to rain down plenty of punishment, leaving her opponent bloody by the time the fight was finished. At the 2:36 point in the second round, Blencowe tapped to Cyborg’s rear naked choke, ending the fight and sealing the title once again for the reigning champ.
This was Cyborg’s first submission victory and only the second fight of her professional career that ended in a submission at all — her first pro bout, all the way back in 2005, ended with her at the unfavorable end of a kneebar. Since then, she’s finished the vast majority of her fights via KO or TKO, with the second of her only two losses coming by way of two-division UFC champion Amanda Nunes.
You can watch Cyborg’s impressive victory below:
