by NEW YORK – On Friday, Kayla Harrison will attempt to claim her third straight PFL World Championship when she takes on a familiar foe in Brazilian standout Larissa Pacheco. The two have shared the cage twice before, with Harrison picking up decision wins each time, but Pacheco promises something different this time.
Pacheco has been outspoken about her intentions to unseat a woman she now considers a rival, but Harrison shut down that conversation at Wednesday’s pre-event press conference before the card.
“I mean, can you call it a rivalry if you’ve never won a round?” Harrison asked. “I don’t know if that’s fair. I don’t want to put that kind of pressure on Larissa. It’s not a rivalry. She has nothing to lose.”
Harrison and Pacheco meet for the third time in Friday’s 2022 PFL World Championship in New York.
Courtesy of PFL
Whatever you want to call it, what’s at stake in Friday’s game between Harrison (15-0) and Pacheco (18-4) is clear. The women’s lightweight showdown headlines the ESPN+ (8 pm ET) pay-per-view event, the promotion’s first, at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden. The winner will be crowned the 2022 PFL World Champion and receive the $1 million prize that goes along with that title.
While Harrison was dominant in their first two meetings, they also took place more than three years ago, and since then Pacheco has claimed five first-round knockouts to book the fight of the trilogy.
A two-time Olympic gold medalist in judo, Harrison’s grappling prowess is unquestionable. However, as she continues to develop her striking game, some are wondering how her chin would hold up should she be hit clean by a heavy-handed striker, which we have yet to see in competition. Harrison insists that doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.
“Just because you don’t see me get hit in a fight doesn’t mean I don’t get hit,” Harrison said. “I train hard. I train harder than almost everyone I know, and I work hard to make fight night look easy.”
“I’m getting hit. I’m not worried about getting hit. I’m going to go out there, I’m going to instill my will one round at a time, one minute at a time, one exchange at a time, one breath at a time, and I’m going to break it.” .
Harrison’s confidence is not new. As a two-time Olympic gold medalist, she’s long since understood the kind of self-confidence it takes to succeed at the highest level of sport. However, she also insists that doesn’t mean she isn’t taking her opponent seriously as she prepares for the third match with Pacheco.
“I think for me, it’s always been about being humble and hungry,” he told MMA Underground. “I know she’s young, she’s hungry, she’s a killer in her own right. She has nothing to lose, and she’s coming to rip my head off, and I think about that every time that maybe I don’t want to train, or maybe I don’t want to go running. , or maybe I want to sleep in. I think about that.
“I’m still a dog. I keep working harder. I keep grinding because she’s coming for me, and if I’m not fully prepared and I make a mistake, she’s going to capitalize on it, and it’s my job to be the best version of her.” Kayla Harrison on Friday night.”
The 2022 season is expected to be Harrison’s final run in the PFL’s unique format before he focuses more on superfights in 2023, including a potential meeting with reigning Bellator featherweight champion Cris Cyborg, a woman widely considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in history. But what that potential pairing could generate in interest depends largely on Harrison walking away from her with his third straight PFL title.
Harrison is aware of that fact and vows to comply.
“I’m excited for Friday night,” Harrison said. “I can’t wait. It’s been a great camp for me. I feel like I’m in the best physical shape of my life. I feel calm. I feel ready. I feel like a killer, and I know it on the other side of this fight. there are many good things.”
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