Cris Cyborg vs. Simone Silva: Live Stream, Predictions for Fight in Brazil

After dominating the world of mixed martial arts for years, Cris Cyborg will test her skills in boxing for the first time when she takes on Simone Silva on Sunday at Fight Music Show 2 in Curitiba, Brazil.

Cyborg, 37, has accomplished plenty in her storied career. She's the only MMA fighter ever to become a "Grand Slam" champion, winning world titles in the UFC, Strikeforce, Invicta FC and Bellator, where she's the reigning women's featherweight champion. She 26-2 all-time and hasn't lost since 2018.

Despite the monumental achievements, Cyborg still has a burning desire to test her limits, and boxing has been on her checklist for some time now.

“I have some butterflies in my belly, but I like to feel this,” Justino said, per the Greg Beachem of the Associated Press. “I’ve had a lot of incredible fights, but it’s good for me to still have challenges. I always want to challenge myself. I never want to stop. Why not? Everybody has to do something uncomfortable. You can’t just sit on the couch and think about having a dream. You have to go for it.”

Cyborg, 37, will make that dream a reality in front of a hometown crowd The event starts at 1 p.m. ET Sunday and can be live-streamed on FITE.TV ($13.99) for viewers outside of Brazil.

Cyborg's opponent, Silva, is an unheralded fighter out of São Paulo, Brazil. She's 17-22 with just six knockouts and is on a nine-match losing streak. According to MMAFighting.com's Guilherme Cruz, Silva is still within the window of her 60-day medical suspension after getting knocked out by Jessica Camara on Aug. 13. Cruz notes that Organização Brasileira de Boxe will not oversee or sanction the fight, so the contest may be a glorified exhibition instead of a professional match.

Silva appears to be a carefully chosen opponent for Cyborg, who lacks formal experience in boxing but is nevertheless an accomplished striker, having won several MMA matches on the strength of her punches. Cyborg has also competed professionally in Muay Thai, where she holds a 2-1 record with both wins coming by stoppage.

If Cyborg wins on Sunday, she has the potential to move to top-tier opponents quickly due to her status as a combat sports icon. One dream opponent would be Katie Taylor, the undefeated lightweight champion. Cyborg says there have been discussions about meeting in the ring.

"Katie Taylor, our teams have talked about this fight maybe happening in the future," Cyborg said, per DAZN.com's Steven Muehlhausen. "It is an honor for me when they call me out. I have much respect for Katie Taylor, and her history, and everything she’s done for women’s boxing."

While a fight against Taylor would be a blockbuster event, it's still on far horizon for now. Cyborg has to focus on beating Silva and then deciding if she wants to focus solely on boxing or switch back to MMA. Look for Cyborg to make easy work of Silva and score a stoppage win within the first few rounds of the fight on Sunday.

Prediction: Cyborg via KO