PFL Women’s Featherweight 2023 champ Larissa Pacheco is just as confused as others about the news of Kayla Harrison’s signing with UFC.
This week, UFC CEO Dana White made a groundbreaking announcement that Harrison is now a part of the promotion’s roster. On April 13, the former PFL talent will have her debut when she faces Holly Holm at UFC 300 in a bantamweight bout.
PFL already addressed the matter and expressed its disappointment over it. It is considered a huge blow for the company, especially since it had plans to put the fighter against Bellator’s Cris Cyborg. Many believed the plan for the fight was already on the move, with Harrison making callouts in the past months and Cyborg recently reiterating her intention to fight her instead of Pacheco. However, with Harrison now under the UFC banner, the possibility of the fight was completely wiped out.
Pacheco is puzzled by the immediate move of the fellow fighter. As the PFL fighter pointed out, Harrison made aggressive callouts to Cyborg in the past months, which appeared irrational now.
“We heard all the rumors; I am the champion, but we heard all the rumors,” Pacheco told MMA Junkie on YouTube via a translator. “Kayla, it’s been for two years, Kayla calling Cyborg out and all the rumors around that and the talk and the gossip around that fight, and then all of a sudden she signs to the UFC where she’s not gonna fight myself nor Cyborg when she was, for the whole time, asking for the Cyborg fight.
“Then there’s Donn Davis’ word that he’s gonna do champ versus champ, and he has the last say in all of this. It’s not surprising, I just didn’t understand very much why the constant call out of Cyborg and then all of a sudden signed with the UFC but you know what, it’s not about me.”
Despite this, it is undeniable that Harrison’s departure has brought something positive for her. After the 2023 PFL Championships and the acquisition of Bellator, PFL announced that it would prioritize the Pacheco vs. Cyborg fight, but the Bellator champ kept on insisting on having Harrison first. Nonetheless, with the 33-year-old now out of the promotion, it is certain that the UFC rival no longer has any other option but to put Cyborg against Pacheco.
“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.”
