Tag: Larissa Pacheco

Larissa Pacheco worried Kayla Harrison will ‘lose potency’ with bantamweight drop for UFC 300

Larissa Pacheco is among those who has concerns about Kayla Harrison’s ability to safely cut to bantamweight for UFC 300 vs. Holly Holm.

[autotag]Larissa Pacheco[/autotag] is among those who are concerned about [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag]’s ability to safely cut to the women’s bantamweight division.

Pacheco (23-4) has fought Harrison three times in her career, going 1-2 in their matchups under the PFL banner. All three of those fights were contested at lightweight, which is 20 pounds heavier than the weight Harrison (16-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) will attempt to compete at when she makes her anticipated UFC debut on April 13 vs. Holly Holm at UFC 300.

Harrison has fought as low as women’s featherweight in her career, but 135 pounds will mark new territory. Pacheco has felt Harrison’s size and strength in the cage before during, and she said she was surprised the two-time Olympic gold medalist made this commitment for a new division..

“I think it’s going to be difficult for her,” Pacheco told MMA Junkie through an interpreter. “For example, myself, I don’t even have as much muscle mass as she does, and I know how much I suffered to cut down to 145 (pounds), and she’s going to come out to a lower division. I worry that she’s going to lose performance, she’s going to lose potency. It’s going to be tough for her. It’s going to be difficult.”

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UFC CEO Dana White claims that Harrison has already made multiple test cuts to bantamweight and will have no issues on the scale ahead of UFC 300. MMA journalist Ariel Helwani disputed those comments and reported Harrison has not done any test cuts.

The mystery around this attempt will serve as a compelling storyline throughout UFC 300 fight week, where Harrison will try to make her mark on a new promotion.

If Harrison had stayed with PFL, a fourth matchup with Pacheco would’ve likely been one of her future notable fight options. It won’t happen now, though, and although Pacheco would’ve liked to even the score in head-to-head matchups, she is satisfied knowing she won the most recent fight between them and that she remains the only blemish on Harrison’s resume.

“Whatever happens, that ‘1’ on her record has my name on it,” Pacheco said. “I fought her in 2019, I lost. Then now I beat her in 2022. I’m the only one to ever beat her. But I now have to focus on the opponents in my division. I’m really going to let this go. I’m kind of neutral on it. I’m just going to move forward. But for sure she’s always going to have my name on her record. So it’s fine. All is good.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.

Larissa Pacheco expects PFL to make good on Cris Cyborg fight after Kayla Harrison’s UFC signing

Larissa Pacheco was “frustrated” PFL was trying to book Kayla Harrison vs. Cris Cyborg, then Harrison signed with UFC and things changed.

[autotag]Larissa Pacheco[/autotag] admits she was “frustrated” that PFL was overlooking her by trying to book [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag], but in the end things played out in her favor.

Pacheco (23-4), who has won consecutive $1 million PFL championships in 2022 and 2023, expected to be at the forefront of the conversation when PFL acquired Bellator and announced a champion-vs-champion event on Feb. 24 in Saudi Arabia. PFL founder Donn Davis originally said Pacheco vs. Bellator champ Cyborg was the fight to make, but the narrative quickly shifted to fight with Harrison, who Pacheco beat to win her first of back-to-back titles.

In fact, Pacheco said she was led to believe she should prepare for the Cyborg fight next month in Riyadh, but it never came to fruition.

“Definitely I’m frustrated,” Pacheco told MMA Junkie through an interpreter on Wednesday. “I lost my holidays. Time is money. I kept on working. I had worked already the whole year to show what I can do, show my work and I obliged and I did everything they asked me for. I don’t think the communication was very good. But, I keep on working. I’m here. I keep focused and we have to move on.”

The situation took a wild twist on Tuesday when UFC CEO Dana White announced he’d signed Harrison to fight Holly Holm at UFC 300 on April 13 in Las Vegas. That now leaves Pacheco vs. Cyborg as the most prominent women’s fight PFL can put together, and Pacheco said that’s how it should’ve been from the start.

“It was supposed to happen anyway,” Pacheco said. “I put the work in here. I won it two times. I am the champion. It’s supposed to be champion-vs-champion. … I think this just establishing the correct way things should be, because I am the champion, and it’s champion-vs-champion.”

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Whatever Pacheco’s next move turns out to be, it’s going to be a change from what she’s experienced thus far in her PFL tenure. The promotion is rapidly evolving in the wake of the Bellator deal, and one of the changes is the dissolution of the women’s featherweight season, which will be replaced by women’s flyweight.

PFL CEO Peter Murray said on Wednesday that Pacheco fights will likely be placed on pay-per-view cards, and a matchup with Cyborg would fit the standard. Pacheco said she is “relieved” she won’t have to go through the grueling schedule of another PFL season, and it will allow her to train more efficiently for each bout.

She will need to be at her best to fight Cyborg, who is the most decorated women’s featherweight in MMA history.

“She’s a great striker,” Pacheco said. “I think I’m a little bit more versatile. I think a fight between us, it’s going to be a war. It could end in the first round, it could be a five-round war. I think our styles are similar. I think that it’s a great matchup. I think that she’s a very good striker. I think I’m a more complete fighter. I think a fight like this, anything can happen.”

Beating Cyborg would be a signature win on Pacheco’s resume. At only 29, she has already been a professional for nearly 12 years. She’s earned 19 of her 23 career victories by stoppage, and is currently riding a 10-fight winning streak.

The Brazilian has all the tools to go down as one of the legendary female MMA figures, and despite all her success to this point, Pacheco said further greatness remains a key driving force.

“Now it’s about my legacy,” Pacheco said. “Now I want to solidify my name up there with Amanda Nunes and with Cris Cyborg. I want to show the world what I can do. I want to do, not only for my name and my career, but also for the sport, I want to retire knowing I did everything possible for my legacy and for the sport. That’s really important for me right now to establish my name among the very best in the world in history.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL vs. Bellator.

Cris Cyborg open to fighting Larissa Pacheco, but wants Kayla Harrison matchup first

Bellator champion Cris Cyborg wants Kayla Harrison, not Larissa Pacheco, for her first fight in PFL.

Bellator women’s featherweight champion [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] isn’t scared to fight anyone, but she definitely has a preference for who should be next.

Cyborg wants her debut under the PFL to come against [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag], not [autotag]Larissa Pacheco[/autotag], which was the name PFL had in mind for her first fight after the acquisition of Bellator.

Cyborg and Harrison have a feud that spans over the past couple of years, and she strongly believes that should be the first order of business.

“I don’t have any problem fighting Larissa Pacheco, she’s the champion, but we’ve been promoting this fight against Kayla Harrison for three years,” Cyborg told MMA Junkie Radio. “You can use the opportunity after this fight to promote for Larissa.

“I think everyone is waiting for me and Kayla Harrison. But I don’t have any problem fighting Larissa, but I believe you have to start promoting this fight. First is Kayla Harrison.”

Pacheco won the 2023 women’s featherweight championship. PFL’s original plan was to match up PFL champions against Bellator champions – which it already has for the first PFL vs. Bellator card on Feb. 24. The only champion not booked for the card is Pacheco.

Harrison, one of the biggest names in the promotion, fought out her PFL contract in a non-season bout during the 2023 championship event in November. She defeated Aspen Ladd by unanimous decision. It’s unknown for now if she’s going to re-sign with the promotion.

Cyborg is a former UFC, Strikeforce, Invicta FC and current Bellator champion, and is regarded by many as the best women’s featherweight in the history of MMA. Cyborg is unsure who she’ll fight next, but adding the PFL belt to her collection is of interest.

“I never thought I was going to have all the belts,” Cyborg said. “At the beginning of my career, I wanted to be the best in the world, but I never thought about the belts. I feel very, very blessed and thankful for all the opportunities I’ve had because at the beginning of my career there weren’t a lot of girl fights. Now, you see how women’s MMA has grown so much, and I continue to fight. People continue to call out my name to fight me. … I feel very blessed”

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PFL lists its top 5 fights of the 2023 season

Relive the PFL’s best fights of the year with this video ranking the top 5.

In 2023, MMA delivered some top-notch fights, and several of those went down under the PFL banner.

From a wild, standup battle between [autotag]Clay Collard[/autotag] and [autotag]Shane Burgos[/autotag], to [autotag]Jesus Pinedo[/autotag]’s close loss to [autotag]Gabriel Braga[/autotag], which kicked off his incredible championship run, PFL was home of some barn burners. Now with the season over, the promotion ranked its best knockouts as the following:

1. Clay Collard def. Shane Burgos via unanimous decision
2. [autotag]Zach Juusola[/autotag] def. [autotag]Brandon Jenkins[/autotag] via unanimous decision
3. Magomed Umalatov def. Nayib Lopez via unanimous decision
4. Gabriel Braga def. Jesus Pinedo via split decision
5. [autotag]Larissa Pacheco[/autotag] def. [autotag]Marina Mokhnatkina[/autotag] via unanimous decision

You can watch the replay of the highlights of the top 5 PFL fights in the video above.

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PFL names its top 10 knockouts of the 2023 season

Relive the PFL’s best knockouts of the year with this video ranking the top 10.

Some nasty knockouts were on display this year in the PFL.

From [autotag]Sadibou Sy[/autotag]’s masterful spinning wheel kick in the playoffs to [autotag]Cedric Doumbe[/autotag]’s PFL debut, there were plenty of quality finishes in the smart cage. And now with the season over, the promotion ranked its best knockouts as the following:

1. Sadibou Sy def. Shane Mitchell
2. Cedric Doumbe def. Jordan Zebo
3. [autotag]Amber Leibrock[/autotag] def. Martina Jindrova
4. [autotag]Jesus Pinedo[/autotag] def. Brendan Loughnane
5. [autotag]Denis Goltsov[/autotag] def. Yorgan De Castro
6. [autotag]Renan Ferreira[/autotag] def. Maurice Greene
7. [autotag]Carlos Leal[/autotag] vs. Dilano Taylor
8. [autotag]Lewis McGrillen[/autotag] def. Salih Culucan
9. [autotag]Larissa Pacheco[/autotag] def. Olena Kolesnyk
10. [autotag]Impa Kasanganay[/autotag] def. Marthin Hamlet

You can watch the replay of the top 10 PFL knockouts in the video above.

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Video: Which 2024 PFL matchup is most intriguing?

PFL has a few interesting matchups ahead in 2024, but which one are we looking forward to the most?

The PFL is going big early in 2024 with an event that will see its champions take on Bellator’s titleholders.

The champion vs. champion event is expected to take place in Q1 2024, with a date and venue to be determined soon. The premise is interesting because it does answer a question that often arises in conversation: Which promotion has the best champion?

We get to answer that question next year between PFL and Bellator, but which matchup is the most intriguing?

[autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jesus Pinedo[/autotag], [autotag]Vadim Nemkov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Impa Kasanganay[/autotag], and [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Larissa Pacheco[/autotag] are all possibilities for the event. But the matchups don’t stop there. There’s more fights to be made between the two rosters, and other PFL bouts to be made, including [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag]’s return.

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Our “Spinning Back Clique” of panelists Mike Bohn, Danny Segura and Brian Garcia and host George Garcia discuss which potential fight for 2024 excites them the most.

Watch the video above to see the discussion, or check out the entire episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below on YouTube or in podcast form.

Video: Cris Cyborg vs. Larissa Pacheco appears next, but what about Kayla Harrison?

PFL wants Cris Cyborg vs. Larissa Pacheco in a champ vs. champ fight, but who will Kayla Harrison fight next?

In one of the biggest decisions after the news of PFL’s acquisition of Bellator, the promotion wants [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] to face [autotag]Larissa Pacheco[/autotag] next.

The matchup would be a Bellator champion vs. PFL champion matchup, which is the theme of an upcoming event the promotion intends to create in early 2024. However, this would leave former two-time PFL champion [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] out of the mix for one of the biggest potential fights in women’s MMA.

Harrison and Cyborg have gone back and forth over recent years about making the fight happen. Those talks grew louder when Harrison was a free agent, but resigned with PFL. Now that they are both under the same promotional umbrella, the fight would appear easier to make, but the PFL seems to want Pacheco to get a piece of Cyborg next instead.

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Is that the right move? Should the PFL go straight into Harrison vs. Cyborg, skirting around the theme the current PFL champion vs. Bellator champion?

Our “Spinning Back Clique” of panelists Mike Bohn, Danny Segura and Brian Garcia discuss how this triangle should unfold along with host George Garcia.

Watch the video above to see the discussion, or check out the entire episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below on YouTube or in podcast form.

 

PFL founder Donn Davis: Cris Cyborg will fight Larissa Pacheco next, not Kayla Harrison

PFL founder Donn Davis says fans will have to wait to see Cris Cyborg vs. Kayla Harrison.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Despite years of back-and-forths on social media and links to a potential fight, it appears [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] and [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] will not fight each other next.

With the PFL’s acquisition of Bellator earlier this week, the possibility of Cyborg vs. Harrison fight finally became a reality, yet, this is not the matchup the PFL will be looking to do, at least not yet.

PFL founder [autotag]Donn Davis[/autotag] revealed on Friday night following 2023 PFL Championship that it will be the 2023 PFL women’s featherweight champion [autotag]Larissa Pacheco[/autotag] welcoming Bellator featherweight titleholder Cyborg to the organization rather than Harrison.

“It’s champ vs. champ,” Davis told reporters. “Larissa has earned that. But will Cris then fight Kayla in 2024? One-hundred percent. That is going to happen. Cris will have two fights in 2024, Kayla will have two fights in 2024, and one of those will be Cris against Kayla. We think that Larissa has earned that.

“Once again, you have to do champ vs. champ. Cris is the champ of Bellator. Larissa is the champ here. We have to see that fight happen first. Coming out of that, you’ll see Cris Cyborg vs. Kayla Harrison as the next fight in 2024.”

If Cyborg vs. Pacheco is next, that leaves Harrison with no opponent for her first of her two fights planned for 2024. Davis guarantees Harrison will be taken care of in terms of fighting a quality name.

“We will develop a plan for her in the meantime,” Davis said. “Kayla has earned the right to fight the best, and we’ll make sure that she’s happy, and she has really, really good fights.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for 2023 PFL Championship.

2023 PFL champion Larissa Pacheco expects ‘legendary fight’ against Cris Cyborg: ‘It’s going to be a war’

Larissa Pacheco previews the expected fight against Bellator champion Cris Cyborg.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – [autotag]Larissa Pacheco[/autotag] looks to have a big fight lined up next.

After winning the 2023 PFL women’s featherweight title, PFL founder Donn Davis told media in attendance that Pacheco (23-4) is expected to now fight Bellator women’s featherweight champion [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] in her next outing.

Pacheco who defeated Marina Mokhnatkina (11-4) in a unanimous decision at 2023 PFL Championship at The Anthem in Washington, D.C. to crown herself a two-time PFL champion, expects a wild fight against Cyborg.

“It’s going to be a war,” Pacheco told MMA Junkie through an interpreter. “She’s Brazilian and so am I. She’s not going to give up and neither am I. I’m going to prepare a lot for when that happens. I don’t have a prediction for that fight, just that it’s going to be a legendary fight.”

Many thought that Kayla Harrison would be the one to fight Cyborg first, given they’ve long teased a fight between the two and have a degree of bad blood.

When asked about Harrison not getting the chance, Pacheco said she’s got to get in line.

“The reality is that she was the champion, and she was a two-time champion,” Pacheco said. “Before she was like, ‘Oh, I’m two-time champion. I’ve won the championship twice,’ but now I’m a two-time champion, and there’s nothing more fair than for me to get that fight instead of her.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for 2023 PFL Championship.

Larissa Pacheco def. Marina Mokhnatkina at 2023 PFL Championship: Best photos

Check out these photos from Larissa Pacheco vs. Marina Mokhnatkina at 2023 PFL Championship for the women’s featherweight title.

Check out these photos from [autotag]Larissa Pacheco[/autotag]’s featherweight title victory over Marina Mokhnatkina at 2023 PFL Championship at The Anthem in Washington, D.C. (Photos by Cooper Neill, PFL MMA)