Tag: Larissa Pacheco

‘The Belt Collector’ – Jon Jones, Conor McGregor, & Others React As Cris Cyborg Adds PFL Gold To Her Résumé

Cris Cyborg has once again done something that no one else has ever done before — capture a championship in a fifth major MMA promotion. Cyborg managed to do this by defeating the first two-weight PFL champion, Larissa Pacheco, in the first PFL superfight championship bout as part of the PFL Battle of the Giants […]

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Cris Cyborg has once again done something that no one else has ever done before — capture a championship in a fifth major MMA promotion.

Cyborg managed to do this by defeating the first two-weight PFL champion, Larissa Pacheco, in the first PFL superfight championship bout as part of the PFL Battle of the Giants pay-per-view in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The Brazilian now becomes the first fighter to win gold in the UFC, Bellator, PFL, Strikeforce, and Invicta — all at 145 pounds.

The MMA legend used her striking prowess to pressure Pacheco in the begininng of the fight, getting her against the fence before landing a takedown. Cyborg looked for a surprising Von Flue choke, and while her compatriot got back to her feet, she ate a solid head kick. The 39-year-old performed strongly and busted Pacheco open around her ear, though Cyborg wore damage around her eyes.

Both fighters came out strong in the second round, with Cyborg landing a series of strikes and a clean backfist. The veteran applied pressure as she got Pacheco back to the ground. Cyborg remained control in the second round, but Pacheco seemed to battle back in a quieter third round. There, the PFL star got the former UFC champ to the ground, dropping her with a right hand and attacking from the top. Cyborg defended well, but Pacheco looked to open her back up.

Cyborg went on to land strong combinations in the championship rounds, while Pacheco looked to land her own power shots. In the fourth frame, in fact, the reigning Bellator titleholder landed a power shot that appeared to get Pacheco to retreat.

The 39-year-old continued to land at will in the fifth round and ended up taking all three judges’ cards with 49-46 scores.

Cris Cyborg Wins 5th Major MMA Championship, Becomes First-Ever PFL Super Fight Champion

Cyborg entered tonight having lost just twice in her professional MMA career, her pro debut in 2005 and her superfight against Amanda Nunes at the end of 2018.

The first to win gold in four major MMA promotions (Strikeforce, Invicta, UFC and Bellator), the Brazilian had not fought in MMA since her successful Bellator title defense against Cat Zingano at Bellator 300 last year.

Meanwhile, this marked Pacheco’s first fight since winning the PFL women’s featherweight title in 2023, becoming the first fighter to win gold in more than one weight class inside the SmartCage. Pacheco won the PFL women’s lightweight title in 2022 in her trilogy fight with Kayla Harrison, becoming the sole loss in Harrison’s MMA career.

Continue Reading ‘The Belt Collector’ – Jon Jones, Conor McGregor, & Others React As Cris Cyborg Adds PFL Gold To Her Résumé at MMA News.

Kayla Harrison Makes Surprising Prediction For Larissa Pacheco vs Cris Cyborg: ‘Unless She’s Been Goofing Off…’

Kayla Harrison fighting Cris Cyborg is a fight that has been spoken about for many years, but looks to be completely off the table at this stage. The former PFL and Bellator champions could’ve put on one of the biggest fights possible outside of the UFC but with Harrison signing to the MMA leader, it […]

Continue Reading Kayla Harrison Makes Surprising Prediction For Larissa Pacheco vs Cris Cyborg: ‘Unless She’s Been Goofing Off…’ at MMA News.

Kayla Harrison fighting Cris Cyborg is a fight that has been spoken about for many years, but looks to be completely off the table at this stage.

The former PFL and Bellator champions could’ve put on one of the biggest fights possible outside of the UFC but with Harrison signing to the MMA leader, it wasn’t possible even with Cyborg joining the PFL in the Bellator acquisition.

Now, on October 19, Cyborg will fight a PFL champion but it will instead be the only woman to have beaten the former Olympic Judoka during her pro career.

Larissa Pacheco has won back-to-back PFL tournaments including her shock upset win over the former champ in 2023.

Though Harrison may now be competing at the top of the UFC’s bantamweight division, she has got some thoughts on this match-up between the two greatest rivals of her career so far.

Kayla Harrison Picks Larissa Pacheco To Defeat Cris Cyborg, Says Age A Key Factor

In a recent interview with Inside Fighting, Harrison picked Pacheco to get the better of Cyborg when they clash at PFL: Battle Of The Giants.

The bout is set to be the co-main event for the debut of the promotion’s PPV Super Fights division, which will see both the winner of this fight and the main event between Francis Ngannou and Renan Ferreira receive a new Super Fights belt.

Harrison said that as long as Pacheco hasn’t lost her dedication, after being able to earn a lot of money, she has the edge in this fight.

“I think Pacheco wins. She’s young, I mean unless she’s been goofing off, you know. Couple mil will do that sometimes. Couple mil in the bank account makes it hard to get out of bed but she’s young, she’s hungry, she keeps getting better, she’s got real power. Cyborg’s at the end of her career.”

Harrison then elaborated on the idea that in her opinion, Cyborg is in the final stages of her career now at 39 years old, which gives Pacheco an advantage.

The Brazilian MMA icon made her pro debut back in 2005, whereas Pacheco wouldn’t make hers until seven years after in 2012.

“Yeah I think she’s a little bit older and I just think that we like we haven’t seen a lot of progress from her like I don’t see her fight IQ growing. I haven’t seen progression really, she fights the same way now that she fought, you know, however long ago so I think Pacheco is gonna win.”

Read also: Jéssica Andrade Teases Inaugural Women’s BMF Matchup With Retired Legend: ‘I’ve Been Talking To Joanna…’

Continue Reading Kayla Harrison Makes Surprising Prediction For Larissa Pacheco vs Cris Cyborg: ‘Unless She’s Been Goofing Off…’ at MMA News.

Kayla Harrison: “I Still Have What It Takes To Be The Greatest”

2022 may not have ended quite the way she planned, but Kayla Harrison isn’t about to let one loss alter the ultimate goal for her MMA career. The 32-year-old is the biggest star in the Professional Fighter’s League (PFL), and Harrison was given t…

2022 may not have ended quite the way she planned, but Kayla Harrison isn’t about to let one loss alter the ultimate goal for her MMA career. The 32-year-old is the biggest star in the Professional Fighter’s League (PFL), and Harrison was given the headlining slot in the promotion’s final event of the year at…

Continue Reading Kayla Harrison: “I Still Have What It Takes To Be The Greatest” at MMA News.

PFL Champion Larissa Pacheco Unlikely To Make UFC Return

2022 PFL women’s lightweight tournament winner Larissa Pacheco seems unlikely to return to the UFC based on some recent remarks. In arguably the biggest upset of 2022, Kayla Harrison suffered her first career loss at the hands of Larissa Pacheco …

2022 PFL women’s lightweight tournament winner Larissa Pacheco seems unlikely to return to the UFC based on some recent remarks. In arguably the biggest upset of 2022, Kayla Harrison suffered her first career loss at the hands of Larissa Pacheco at PFL 10 last month. Pacheco earned a unanimous decision victory after having lost to…

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Kayla Harrison Dismisses Common Narrative About First Career Loss

Kayla Harrison was prepared for the best version of Larissa Pacheco and didn’t lack motivation for their trilogy. Harrison fell for the first time in her MMA career by a unanimous decision to Pacheco at the 2022 PFL Championships. It was not only…

Kayla Harrison was prepared for the best version of Larissa Pacheco and didn’t lack motivation for their trilogy. Harrison fell for the first time in her MMA career by a unanimous decision to Pacheco at the 2022 PFL Championships. It was not only the first loss of her career but also the first time during…

Continue Reading Kayla Harrison Dismisses Common Narrative About First Career Loss at MMA News.

Kayla Harrison Endorses Open Scoring After Stunning PFL Loss

Kayla Harrison feels open scoring might’ve changed things with her loss to Larissa Pacheco at the 2022 PFL Championships. Harrison suffered the first setback of her MMA career to Pacheco at PFL 10 this past weekend. She lost via a split decision …

Kayla Harrison feels open scoring might’ve changed things with her loss to Larissa Pacheco at the 2022 PFL Championships. Harrison suffered the first setback of her MMA career to Pacheco at PFL 10 this past weekend. She lost via a split decision in a five-round war with her now three-time adversary. The loss shook up…

Continue Reading Kayla Harrison Endorses Open Scoring After Stunning PFL Loss at MMA News.