About a month away from what is billed as her last fight, women’s MMA pioneer and legend Cris Cyborg reflected on how the landscape of the sport has changed since her arrival.

In June, the Professional Fighters League announced Cyborg’s swan song against Ketlen Vieira, set for Aug. 22 in Tampa, Fla. The PFL featherweight title bout will conclude a career that has spanned over two decades for one of the pillars of women’s combat.

Speaking to me, the 40-year-old shed light on her decision to walk away from the cage.

“This is gonna be my last fight on my contract," Cyborg shared. "I worked really hard and am very excited about this fight. I just turned 41, I feel great, I love my job so I’m just gonna see what’s gonna be.”

“I’ve been very happy about working with the PFL and fighting in Florida – we have a lot of Brazilians there," she added. "We work very well with the [PFL] team. I feel blessed. Every [promotion] I go to, I feel like we’ve been working together, so I’m happy.”

Standing across from her in her retirement fight will be 16-5 Vieira, who the PFL signed in June after a 10-year stint with the UFC. A fellow Brazilian, Vieira went 10-5 for Dana White's promotion and even challenged for the UFC title.

"She’s a great opponent; she’s in the top 5," said Cyborg. "She fought Kayla Harrison for the title. It’s a challenge for me, and I love challenges."

With a record of 29-2, Cyborg only lost her pro debut in 2005 against Erica Paez and her superfight against Amanda Nunes for UFC gold in 2018. She has since won nine straight, six of which came by finish.

A true veteran, Cyborg decorated her career with titles in Strikeforce, Invicta, the UFC, Bellator, and the PFL. At a time when MMA was far from being embraced as a sport, women competing in the discipline had a greater negative connotation attached to it.

From an underground niche to gaining mainstream appeal, Cyborg has been a staple of the sport and an icon to hardcore followers.

"I started 21 years ago; I’ve seen a lot of changes," Cyborg said. "A lot of divisions, a lot of events with girls fighting; they didn’t have a world title at the time. We wanted to set an example for others to follow. It’s nice to see how [women’s MMA] has grown so much. A lot of girls training, multiple female champions.

"We need to find the best way to help the girls. I want the sport to continue to grow."

The growth of women's MMA naturally brought up new stars over the years. Ronda Rousey placed it on the radar, while the likes of Valentina Shevchenko, Zhang Weili and Dakota Ditcheva keep the pulse going.

Despite her accomplishments and being one of the founding figures for women in the sport, Cyborg deferred to Shevchenko when asked about the greatest female MMA fighter in history.

"Valentina is a great example and a great athlete," Cyborg said of the UFC flyweight champion. "She is disciplined and humble. She never stepped over anybody, and you see when she’s fighting. She’s just doing what she’s supposed to do. She’s a great champion. She defends her titles. She is a great model for the other girls."

Cyborg's final walk comes as Rousey, who has been linked to her in previous years, recently emerged victorious against another pioneer in Gina Carano. The latter came off a 17-year hiatus since losing to Cyborg in Strikeforce to headline the first MMA card on Netflix against Rousey.

Unsurprisingly, it took the former UFC champion just 17 seconds to submit Carano with her signature armbar.

While questions continue to hover over Rousey's future, Cyborg wished her and Carano well in their future endeavors.

"I don’t know what her plan is," she said of Rousey. "I think she’s coming back because she wasn’t happy about how she ended her career. She left after the loss [to Nunes] and then came back to fight Gina, and she knew she was gonna win that fight. Nobody questioned."

"Gina did not fight for a long time. Much respect to Gina, but I was the last one to fight her in 2009. I hope she’s well. I hope she finds her way and she’s happy."

Cyborg enters the bout behind her submission win over Sara Collins in December. Apart from her bouts with Nunes and Carano, Cyborg's impressive resume includes wins over Holly Holm and Cat Zingano.

A win in August would move Cyborg to 13 title defenses across promotions and her sixth in the PFL.

"I accomplished a lot of things in my career," Cyborg reflected. "I just love what I do. It’s a pleasure going to training every day and fighting. I love all my fans. I always put God first in my life.

“My legacy is being an inspiration to other girls and guys, to be a motivation. Life is not easy, but if you walk with Christ and share the gospel, you will be blessed.”