In a sport dominated by male athletes, Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos holds her own as one of the most ferocious and intimidating fighters of either gender. She is, put simply, female MMA's version of Wanderlei Silva, striking fear into opponents with a combination of superior power and reflexes, intimidating cage persona, and ruthless Muay Thai.

Though she lost her debut in 2005 by submission, it remains Santos's only professional loss. She went on a nine-fight winning streak thereafter, defeating notable female fighters Shayna Baszler, Hitomi Akano, and Marloes Coenen. That impressive winning streak earned her a shot against the face of women’s MMA, Gina "Conviction" Carano. After a pre-fight buildup unprecedented in women's MMA history, "Cyborg" became the first woman to defeat Carano in professional competition, outmuscling and stopping her with strikes on the ground at the first round buzzer. Santos seized the Strikeforce 145 lb. Women’s Championship in August of 2009 in that watershed bout, the first major televised MMA event to be headlined by female fighters.

Santos has finished the vast majority of her professional fights by knockout or TKO. Training at the famed Chute Boxe Academy in Curitiba, Brazil, and married to professional MMA fighter Evangelista Santos, Santos utilizes punishing top control, aggressive striking, and the most physically imposing physique in women’s MMA. She earned her “Cyborg” moniker because of the frenetic pace she keeps in her fights, breaking an opponent's will through sheer aggression and physical dominance before finishing the fight in the latter rounds. Following the Carano bout, "Cyborg" has become female MMA's biggest star.