In November of last year, Larissa Pacheco defeated Kayla Harrison for the first time in MMA, winning the PFL lightweight title and a million-dollar reward. It’s doubtful that the two will face off once more this season given that Harrison will not compete in the regular season in 2023 and Pacheco will weigh 145 pounds.
A fourth fight with Harrison “would be great” in terms of hype and a chance to settle the score, according to Pacheco, who lost two decisions to Harrison in 2019 before getting her vengeance three years later. However, Pacheco added that she won’t be waiting for Harrison.
In an interview with MMA Fighting, Pacheco said, “If they offer me a great purse, or at least something equivalent to what they offer her, I would obviously [do it]. But am I going to wait for her to decide when she wants to fight? PFL offered me a spot in the season, so I took it.”
Harrison’s projected comeback date and the prospect of a rematch were discussed by Pacheco in the same interview with MMA Fighting:
“I think this fight won’t happen [in 2023], because I’m stuck in the season. It really depends on the situation, because I would have to abandon the season — and I don’t mean to be cocky, but this season is very advantageous for me – it’s pretty much saying I’ll win another belt. And to drop that for a fight with her and risk my winning streak, they would have to pay me really well, equivalent to what she gets paid, to really make it happen.”
“Kayla has won so many millions of dollars with the PFL and sponsors and everything, so I think she’s happy about that. She wants big names and big fights. Maybe she needs more time to see what’s going on in her life, and all she needs right now are superfights. I’m still very young, I still have a lot to grow. I can’t simply not work just because she doesn’t want [to fight] right now, or because they won’t want to book it right now. I’ll continue working and doing my part.”
Harrison’s return date and opponent are still unknown, but the two-time Olympic gold winner is anticipated to take part in the new PFL pay-per-view format.
Harrison had hinted at possible super fights with fighters like Cris Cyborg and Amanda Nunes before his defeat to Pacheco. However, discussions of either battle taking place have ceased.
In spite of Pacheco’s desire to make a statement in the women’s featherweight class this year, the Harrison rematch will probably be a hot topic in the coming months.
For the time being, Pacheco’s only goals are to win the 2023 featherweight season, claim two titles in the PFL, and finish the year with another million dollars in her pocket.
Pacheco remarked, ““I’m a monster at 155 pounds, so why am I going after a new challenge? I know what I’m capable of in this division, so let’s do it.”
The loss to Larissa Pacheco, according to Kayla Harrison, was the greatest thing to ever happen to her.
Harrison, a judoka who has won two Olympic gold medals, got off to about as hot a start in MMA as she could have asked for, winning 15 straight matches. This past November 2022, Harrison competed for the third time in a row for the Professional Fighters League (PFL) Lightweight championship, but she was unsuccessful against Larissa Pacheco.
Prior to the contest, Pacheco had lost to Harrison by unanimous decision twice. She once again surprised everyone by going into the third match as a significant underdog, winning by unanimous decision, and claiming the title for the first time.
With two more pay-per-view (PPV) event fights, Harrison’s PFL career is anticipated to come to a conclusion at the end of 2023. The promotion always leaves the door open for the teacher of Judo to return, but there was a lot of speculation that Harrison would leave in 2022 while still a free agent.
In the end, Harrison remained put after PFL matched a sizable Bellator offer. It’s not an excuse, despite all the attention she has been receiving from outside sources up until the first defeat.
