Outside Source
Sara Collins (right) will confront a Brazilian juggernaut in Cris Cyborg. | 📷: PFL MMA
Sara Collins will step into the SmartCage to meet the most difficult challenge of her career when she faces Cristiane “Cris Cyborg” Justino for the inaugural Professional Fighters League women’s featherweight title in the PFL Lyon co-main event on Saturday at the LDLC Arena in Lyon, France. The undefeated Australian understands the gravity of the situation.
“Well, I’ve been kind of waiting for this fight for a year, so it wasn’t really a surprise when I got the contract and I got the fight,” Collins told Sherdog.com. “I mean, I was starting to worry that it was never going to happen, but it was more just a relief that yes, I’m finally getting the fight.”
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Six straight victories—she victimized Leah McCourt with a rear-naked choke in her most recent outing on Sept. 14, 2024—put Collins in position to make a run at one of the sport’s true legendary figures.
“Yeah, I think after my last fight, I felt like I had earned it, especially after Leah was meant to fight Cyborg and I finished her in the first round,” she said. “So then, it was kind of like, yeah, that was when I started believing in myself and thought that maybe I do deserve a fight with Cyborg.”
Collins ventured into hostile territory to bring down McCourt, as she put away the Northern Ireland native with a rear-naked choke in London.
“That night was great,” she said. “The crowd wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be. I actually got a couple of cheers, which was nice. Way better than when I fought in Dublin and got booed the whole time. The London crowd was actually pretty good. Yeah, the whole night was kind of surreal. It happened so fast, but yeah, looking back, it was probably one of the best nights of my life. It was great.”
Long Odds Against Cyborg
The next step Collins takes could be of the life-altering variety. Cyborg sports a 28-2 record with 22 finishes and steps into the cage on an eight-fight winning streak. The Brazilian juggernaut has held titles in Bellator MMA, the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Strikeforce and Invicta Fighting Championships.
“It’s hard to forget that I’m fighting Cyborg,” Collins said. “I think because I come from such a strong judo background, [for] every MMA fight, I’ve really concentrated on my striking just because it is the newest form of martial arts that I’ve started, so definitely, this camp was no different. I did a lot of striking. I kept my hands up a lot, but I also still focus on grappling a lot. I think it was just a very well-rounded camp. I know she can do everything. Her fight IQ has gone up.”
The fight gives Collins a chance to become a prominent figure in the PFL at an advantageous time, with the company slated to break into the Oceania market.
“Hopefully, the PFL will come to Australia next year as they planned,” she said. “I’m hoping that I can fight again on home turf when they come to Australia. That would be amazing. I know we’ve seen the announcement of PFL Pacific. That is super exciting. There’s so many Australian fighters that are coming up, and they’re really, really good. They’re just not getting the opportunities overseas and internationally. I think having a PFL in our home country would just be a great steppingstone for all of them.”
Despite her 6-0 record, Collins does not put much stock in her early success. She understands that her career remains in its infancy.
“I don’t think about it at all, really,” Collins said. “I don’t know. Yes, I’m undefeated, but I’ve also only had six fights. I feel like, though, within those six fights, I’ve always fought the strongest person that was available to fight. I’ve never not taken a hard fight. I’ve never tried to take an easy fight. I think in those six fights, I do have good experience, but yeah, undefeated, but it’s only six fights. Most people are undefeated in their first six fights.”
Collins heads into her showdown with the heavily favored Cyborg as a significant underdog. She embraces the role.
“I love being the underdog,” Collins said. “There’s less pressure. No one expects anything from you. It’s good. That’s more fun. Sometimes, I shock myself, as well.”
Cyborg has been a secret target for the Australian judoka from Day One.
“When I first started MMA, we kind of manifested this by accident,” Collins said. “We were always like, ‘OK, we’re starting MMA. We’re going to beat Cyborg one day.’ So really, I’ve been training to fight Cyborg since 2019. I love that. Sometimes, I think about [the possibility of beating her], but I just don’t want to get too into the future. I just really want to stay present and focus on the fight, but I mean, that would be pretty cool to wake up with that belt. Sometimes, I’m like, ‘How am I going to get it home? Will it fit in my backpack?’”
* Editor’s note: Sherdog contributor Mike Pendleton is a frequent guest on PFL executive Jonathan Coachman’s betting podcast “Coach and Company.”
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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