Sara Collins welcomes Underdog Tag to PFL Lyon: ‘No one expects anything from you’

Sara Collins steps into the SmartCage to take on the toughest challenge of her career when she takes on 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 seriousness of the situation.“Well, I’ve been waiting for this fight for a year, so it wasn’t really a surprise when I got the contract and got the fight,” Collins told Sherdog.com. “I mean, I started to worry that it would never happen, but it was more of a relief that I’m finally getting the fight.”

Six wins in a row – she victimized Leah McCourt with a rear-naked choke in her most recent outing on September 14, 2024 – put Collins in position to make an attack on one of the sport’s true legendary figures.“Yes, I think after my last fight I felt like I earned it, especially after Leah was supposed to fight Cyborg and I finished her in the first round,” she said. “So then it was like, yeah, that’s when I started believing in myself and thinking maybe I deserved a fight with Cyborg.”

Collins ventured into hostile territory to take down McCourt, as she put the Northern Irish native away with a rear-naked choke in London.“That night was amazing,” she said. “The crowd wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I even got a few cheers, which was nice. Much better than when I fought in Dublin and was booed all the time. The London crowd was actually quite good. Yeah, the whole night was quite surreal. It happened so quickly, but yeah, looking back, it was probably one of the best nights of my life. It was amazing.”

Long odds against Cyborg

Collins’ next step could be life-changing. Cyborg has a record of 28-2 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 have such a strong judo background, [for]
Every MMA fight I’ve really focused on my striking just because it’s the newest form of martial arts I’ve gotten into, so definitely, this camp was no different. I scored a lot. I kept my hands up a lot, but I still focus a lot on wrestling as well. I think it was just a very well-rounded camp. I know she can do anything. Her combat IQ has increased.”The battle gives Collins the opportunity to become a prominent figure in the PFL at an opportune time, with the company poised to break into the Oceania market.

“Hopefully the PFL will come to Australia next year as planned,” she said. “I hope I can fight on home turf again when they come to Australia. That would be great. I know we saw the announcement of PFL Pacific. That’s super exciting. There are so many Australian fighters coming up, and they’re really good. They just don’t get the opportunities overseas and internationally. I think having a PFL in our home country would just be a great stepping stone for all of them.”

Despite her 6-0 record, Collins doesn’t put much stock in her early success. She understands that her career is still in its infancy.

“I don’t really think about it at all,” Collins said. “I don’t know. Yes, I’m undefeated, but I’ve also only had six fights. I feel like within those six fights I’ve always fought the strongest person available to fight. I’ve never tried to take a tough fight. I’ve never tried to take an easy fight. I think I’ve had good experiences in those six fights, but yeah, undefeated, but it’s only six fights. Most people are undefeated in their first fight. six fights.”

Collins confronts the heavily favored Cyborg as a major underdog. She embraces the role.

“I like 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 too.”

Cyborg has been a secret target for the Australian judoka from day one.

“When I first started doing MMA, we kind of manifested this by accident,” Collins said. “We were always like, ‘Okay, we’re going to start MMA. One day we’re going to beat Cyborg.’ So basically I’ve been training to fight Cyborg since 2019. I love that. Sometimes I think about it [the
possibility of beating her]but I just don’t want to look too much into the future. I just really want to stay present and focus on the fight, but I mean, it would be pretty cool to wake up with that belt. Sometimes I think, ‘How do I get it home? Will it fit in my backpack?’”

*Editor’s note: Sherdog contributor Mike Pendleton is a frequent guest on PFL CEO Jonathan Coachman’s gambling podcast “Coach and Company.”