Larissa Pacheco isn’t going to sit around and let idiotic mixed martial arts (MMA) fans make fun of her appearance, especially after the biggest night of her life.
Pacheco exacted revenge on Kayla Harrison at the PFL 2022 Championships on Nov. 25, 2022, inside the Hulu Theater in New York City, winning via a unanimous decision to collect PFL’s Lightweight title and a $1 million payout (watch highlights here).
But, Harrison wasn’t the only person Pacheco was “fighting” this week. She was also fighting toxic MMA trolls on social media who were making fun of her appearance and calling her a man.
Pachecho didn’t hide from the mean comments, taking the trolls head-on.
Larissa Pacheco responding to trolls that called her a man pic.twitter.com/HGDxnd6FXg
— CFU (@justantherburn) November 27, 2022
“Why isn’t it fair? Because I didn’t wear a dress? There are no issues,” Pachecho wrote on Instagram when someone said the fight between her and Harrison wouldn’t be fair, “since it’s a guy against a woman.”
“You guys don’t get to identify me — I’m very conscious that I don’t look like the type of woman you are used to seeing,” she continued. “But, there is no difference between [Kayla and I] — everything she has, I also have. My ability as an athlete brought me here, not my sexual orientation.
“I don’t have issues with that, like I said, I think mutual respect is important,” she added. “I’m here because of my abilities as an athlete. I’m here representing me, my country, and my state. So, I’m very proud, and I hope to have the support of whoever truly likes this sport and wants to see our country on top again.”
After winning the 2022 PFL season by becoming the first fighter to defeat Harrison, Pachecho made it a point to slam the trolls who had been making fun of her all week in an interview with Ag.Fight.
“I think ‘sofa criticism’ is for those who don’t do s—t in their homes, you know? So they use the internet to piss people off, people who are working, doing something,” Pachecho said. “Get up and do something, dude. Judging me by the way I look? What can I do about that? I don’t have long hair, I don’t wear girly clothes, and I won’t do that because they are complaining. They will have to get used to it.”