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The PFL just concluded their 2023 season and Larissa Pacheco walked away with $1 million after winning the women’s featherweight division playoff finals.
Many thought that despite the win, Pacheco would have to wait for Kayla Harrison versus Cris Cyborg to happen before she got her shot at the Bellator Women’s Featherweight Champion, but PFL Founder Donn Davis has different plans.
“It’s champ versus champ,” Davis confirmed at the PFL post-fight press conference (transcript via Damon Martin of MMA Fighting). “Larissa’s earned that but then will Cris fight Kayla in 2024? One-hundred percent, that is going to happen. Cris will have two fights in 2024. Kayla will have two fights in 2024. One of those will be Cris against Kayla, but we think that Larissa’s earned that. Once again, you have to give them champ versus champ. Cris is the champ of Bellator, Larissa’s the champ here, so you’ve got see that fight happen first, and then coming out of that, you’ll see Cris Cyborg against Kayla Harrison as the next fight in 2024.”
Harrison also competed at the 2023 PFL World Champions, defeating Aspen Ladd by unanimous decision.
Davis also believes the potential fights between Cyborg and Pacheco and then Cyborg versus Harrison will be big opportunities for all involved.
“I think she signed a big contract,” Davis said of Cyborg’s future. “I think she wants to add to her legacy. I don’t think she needs to do anything to earn her legacy. Her record speaks for itself. She’s one of two, three, or four, the best to have ever done it in the female MMA community, but I think she’d love the opportunity. We have two of the greatest fighters in the world in Kayla and Larissa. ... Who wouldn’t want to do that?”
