Tag: Larissa Pacheco

Larissa Pacheco tops gritty Marina Mokhnatkina, makes PFL two-division history | PFL Championship Fight Night HQ

No. 1 seed Larissa Pacheco (22-4) meets No. 2 Marina Mokhnatkina (11-3) in the PFL’s women’s 145-pound season championship.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The PFL crowned its first $1 million women’s featherweight winner Friday.

No. 1 seed [autotag]Larissa Pacheco[/autotag] (22-4) met No. 2 [autotag]Marina Mokhnatkina[/autotag] (11-3) in the women’s 145-pound season championship at The Anthem in Washington, D.C.

Go inside the matchup below, from the backstory and the buildup through the end of the fight itself, with stats, photos, preview videos, highlight videos, quotes, recaps and more.

The story will update throughout the fight and event.

UFC veterans in MMA action Nov. 23-24

Check out which veterans of the UFC are competing in combat sports across the globe this weekend.

This week, the UFC is idle during Thanksgiving week.

Elsewhere, many other combat sports events are taking place that feature a number of familiar names that have competed under the UFC banner.

Check out which veterans of the global MMA leader are competing Nov. 23-24.

Scroll below to see how the UFC veterans fared last week, and see the names and details of this weekend’s competitors.

Upcoming event information from Tapology.

After record-setting knockout, Larissa Pacheco sets sights on PFL title repeat

Larissa Pacheco will head into the PFL women’s featherweight final on a tear after a record-setting KO of Olena Kolesnyk.

[autotag]Larissa Pacheco[/autotag] wasted no time securing her spot in the PFL women’s featherweight final with a record-setting knockout, and it’s not a stretch to say the weigh-ins might’ve had something to do with it.

Pacheco (22-4) quickly and easily dispatched Olena Kolesnyk at 2023 PFL Playoffs 2, needing just 14 seconds to knock her out in the co-main event at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York. It was Pacheco’s third first-round knockout in as many fights with Kolesnyk (9-6), who was overmatched before the opening bell even rang.

Kolesnyk also came in to the fight overweight after she missed the 146-pound limit by almost 2 pounds, which didn’t sit well with Pacheco.

“Yes, it did (bother me) a lot, because the time when I missed weight, I got cut out of the tournament,” Pacheco said through an interpreter afterward. “Simply got cut out, didn’t have another chance. So, yeah, it bothered me. …

“In the weigh-in, I felt that she was a little bit unstable, and so I went in there and did what I had to do.”

Pacheco, 28, is now on a nine-fight winning streak dating back to May 2021. Her 14-second knockout is now the fastest finish by a woman in PFL history, a record she’s proud to hold.

“I’m very happy,” Pacheco said. “We work very hard for this, for these moments, so I’m really excited and happy for them.”

Pacheco, who last year upset Kayla Harrison to win the women’s lightweight title, now has a date with Marina Mokhnatkina in the women’s featherweight final. Earlier Friday night, Mokhnatkina submitted Amber Leibrock with an armbar in Round 1 to punch her ticket to the PFL Championships in November. It’ll be the first time Pacheco and Mokhnatkina have faced off.

Pacheco said she plans to take a week off, enjoy eating some Brazilian barbeque, and relax a little before she gets back to business.

“I’m gonna keep on going,” Pacheco said. “I don’t take any fight as a given. I know that any opponent is always a tough opponent. I don’t take things for granted. I’m gonna keep on working hard.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for 2023 PFL Playoffs 2.

Larissa Pacheco def. Olena Kolesnyk at 2023 PFL Playoffs 2: Best photos

Check out these photos from Larissa Pacheco vs. Olena Kolesnyk at 2023 PFL Playoffs 2 in New York.

Check out these photos from [autotag]Larissa Pacheco[/autotag]’s victory over Olena Kolesnyk at 2023 PFL Playoffs 2 at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York. (Photos courtesy of Cooper Neill, PFL MMA)

2023 PFL Playoffs 2 results: Renan Ferreira sparks Maurice Greene to claim finals spot

Check out the full results of 2023 PFL Playoffs 2, which included knockout victories by Renan Ferreira and Larissa Pacheco.

2023 PFL Playoffs 2 took place Friday, and MMA Junkie provided live and official results throughout the card.

The event featured men’s heavyweight and women’s featherweight playoff bouts at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York. The main card aired live on ESPN at 9 p.m. ET following prelims on ESPN+ beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET.

In the feature bout, [autotag]Renan Ferreira[/autotag] (11-3) took on [autotag]Maurice Greene[/autotag] (11-9) in a heavyweight semifinal bout. For the first time in his career, the 6-foot-7 Greene was the shorter man in the cage against Ferreira, who is listed as one inch taller.

Ferreira quickly brought the fight to Greene, keeping him on his backfoot, and circling on the outside early. “Problema” landed a few clean combinations throughout the round that put Greene in trouble, but it was a fierce right hand that sent him crashing to the canvas as the round was nearing a close. The follow-up hammerfist put Greene out for the knockout stoppage at 4:46.

Ferreira advances to the finals to face Denis Goltsov, who picked up a submission victory over Jordan Heiderman earlier in the event.

In the co-feature, 2022 champion [autotag]Larissa Pacheco[/autotag] (22-4) faced[autotag]Olena Kolesnyk[/autotag] (9-6) in a women’s featherweight semifinal. Pacheco only needed 14 seconds to close the show and punch her ticket to the finals in violent fashion.

Pacheco will face Marina Mokhnatkina, who submitted Amber Liebrock with an armbar in the first round earlier in the evening.

The semi-final winners now advance to the 2023 PFL Championships, where a $1 million prize awaits.

Full 2023 PFL Playoffs 2 details and official results are below:

2023 PFL Playoffs 2 results: Larissa Pacheco tears through Olena Kolesnyk in 14 seconds

Larissa Pacheco only needed a few seconds to advance to the PFL finals with a stoppage against Olena Kolesnyk.

[autotag]Larissa Pacheco[/autotag] predicted a fast finish at 2023 PFL Playoffs 2, but she perhaps surpassed her own expectations.

In the co-feature bout of the event at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York, 2022 PFL women’s featherweight champion Pacheco (22-4) made quick work of Olena Kolesnyk (9-6). Pacheco predicted a one-minute finish in the semifinal bout, but she would only need 14 seconds to punch her ticket to the finals.

Pacheco quickly closed the distance and opened with a leg kick. She then pressed forward with right hand punches, with each offering landing harder. The third time was the charm, as Pacheco sent Kolesnyk to the mat, and the referee quickly stepped in as Kolesnyk covered up.

Check out video of the finish below (via Twitter):

The result marks the third victory for Pacheco against Kolesnyk. In their first meeting in the 2021 regular season, Pacheco stopped her in the closing seconds of the first round with crushing punches. In their second meeting in the 2022 playoffs, Pacheco recorded another first-round stoppage, this time at 2:09.

Pacheco now advances to the finals, where she will face Marina Mokhnatkina, who recorded a first-round submission victory over Amber Leibrock earlier at the event.

Up-to-the-minute results of 2023 PFL Playoffs 2 include:

  • Larissa Pacheco def. Olena Kolesnyk via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 0:14
  • Denis Goltsov def. Jordan Heiderman via submission (arm triangle) – Round 1, 4:16
  • Marina Mokhnatkina def. Amber Leibrock via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 1:45
  • Nathan Kelly def. Damion Nelson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
  • Danilo Marques def. Satoshi Ishii via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Maira Mazar def. Katylin Neil via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for 2023 PFL Playoffs 2.

UFC veterans in MMA and boxing action Aug. 18-20

Check out which veterans of the UFC are competing in combat sports across the globe this weekend.

This week, the UFC ships up to Boston for UFC 292.

The pay-per-view event at TD Garden features two title fights at the top of the bill: Strawweight champion [autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag] faces [autotag]Amanda Lemos[/autotag] in the co-feature, and bantamweight champion [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] takes on [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag].

Elsewhere, many other combat sports events are taking place that feature a number of familiar names that have competed under the UFC banner.

Check out which veterans of the global MMA leader are competing in MMA and boxing this week from Aug. 18-20.

Check out the names and details about their bouts below.

Upcoming event information from Tapology.

Photos: 2023 PFL Playoffs 2 main, co-main event faceoffs atop Empire State Building

Check out these photos of 2023 PFL Playoffs 2 competitors facing off at the Empire State Building in New York.

Check out these photos of 2023 PFL Playoffs 2 feature competitors facing off atop the Empire State Building in New York, including [autotag]Larissa Pacheco[/autotag], [autotag]Olena Kolesnyk[/autotag], [autotag]Maurice Greene[/autotag] and [autotag]Renan Ferreira[/autotag]. (Photos courtesy of PFL MMA.)

USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, June 20: Arman Tsarukyan, Larissa Pacheco climb

Arman Tsarukyan and Larissa Pacheco picked up big wins over the weekend, resulting in upward movement in this week’s update.

Two impressive fighters in their respective divisions picked up big wins last weekend and made moves up the ladder.

First, at 2023 PFL 5 on Friday, 2022 season winner [autotag]Larissa Pacheco[/autotag] picked up another first-round finish by making quick work of Amber Leibrock. The quick finish earned her six points and a guaranteed spot in the playoffs as she looks to win back-to-back championships. As a result, she climbs to the No. 2 spot in the women’s featherweight division.

Saturday at UFC on ESPN 46, [autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag] continued his winning ways by finishing Joaquim Silva in the third round. The result marked two in a row, resulting in a bump from the honorable mention to claiming No. 13 in the lightweight rankings.

Check out all the latest pound-for-pound and divisional USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings above.

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2023 PFL 5 fighter pay: Aspen Ladd among five six-figure earners

Check out the disclosed 2023 PFL 5 fighter pays released by the state of Georgia.

PFL returned to Atlanta this past Thursday for the second of three shows in consecutive weeks at Overtime Elite Arena.

2023 PFL 5 featured final regular season bouts at heavyweight and women’s featherweight, as well as a showcase fight. In the main event, 2022 PFL heavyweight champion [autotag]Ante Delija[/autotag] defeated former UFC fighter and Jon Jones teammate [autotag]Maurice Greene[/autotag].

Also on the card was 2022 PFL women’s lightweight champion [autotag]Larissa Pacheco[/autotag], former Bellator women’s featherweight champion [autotag]Julia Budd[/autotag], and former UFC notable [autotag]Aspen Ladd[/autotag].

MMA Junkie acquired a list of the 22 pro athletes’ disclosed payouts Sunday from the Georgia Athletic and Entertainment Commission. The amounts do not include bonuses, sponsorships, or any other discretionary payments.

Six fighters topped the list at $100,000, while all other fighters received five-figure or four-figure payouts.

Scroll below to see the disclosed pay for each 2023 PFL 5 fighter.