Kayla Harrison slams her own performance after winning lopsided decision in PFL 3 main event

Kayla Harrison may be one of the top pound-for-pound women’s fighters in the sport but she’s also her own worst critic.

The two-time Olympic gold medalist picked up a dominant win in her season debut in the PFL 3 main event on Friday but Harrison was critical about her performance after going to decision for only the third time in her career. All three judges scored the fight 30-27 for Harrison but she was not happy with the way the fight played out.

“I thought it was utterly dog crap,” Harrison stated after the victory. Sorry to all the fans. I tried to give a better show. These girls are tougher than you think. It’s not always easy, but I try .”

to make it seem that way.

The fight started as so many past performances from Harrison as she used her strikes to set up the takedown, which brought Mokhnatkina down into her world on the ground. Harrison was quick to advance her position as she initially looked to set up a potential rear-naked choke but Mokhnatkina managed to defend well enough to escape and then get back to the feet.

As she pushed Mokhnatkina through the cage, Harrison continued to display her strength and size. While she wasn’t able to get the takedown, Mokhnatkina rolling for a leg lock actually allowed Harrison to end up on top where she looked to rain down some ground and pound.

As the fight moved into the third round, Harrison was struggling to hold onto her opponent after telling her coaches that Mokhnatkina was too slippery with sweat to maintain her grip during the grappling exchanges. Still, Harrison was in complete control as she continuously kept Mokhnatkina in troublesome positions, advancing to take the back and then looking to set up her submissions.

The final five minutes were spent mainly in the clinch, with Harrison pushing Mokhnatkina to the cage and landing short punches on the inside. Harrison was unable to locate an opportunity to finish the fight because Mokhnatkina did not do enough to stay in trouble.

The win moves Harrison to 13-0 in her career and she also spent 15 more minutes in the cage, which can’t be discounted as she continues to evolve with every fight.

” This is an experience,” Harrison stated. “I’m still young in my career. My career is only getting better the more I spend in the cage. Ready for the next one.”

Carlos Leal Pulls Off the Upset

PFL Challengers Series veteran Carlos Leal picked up the biggest win of his career with a dominant performance over ex-champion Ray Cooper III, who actually came into the fight overweight after hitting the scale at 176. 4 pounds — 5. 4 pounds over the welterweight limit.

Leal was confident in his strikes from the beginning. He tagged Cooper with some stiff feet, including one that left the Hawaiian tense. Despite Cooper’s best efforts to turn to his wrestling, Leal was ready to defend as he shrugged off takedowns repeatedly over all three rounds.

In the third round Leal nearly scored another win after injuring Cooper and trying to punch him to the ground. Cooper found a way to survive and he nearly pulled off a dramatic comeback after swinging heavy leather at Leal during the final minute in the fight.

Leal endured the barrage, and traded shots with Cooper till the last bell.

The win puts Leal that much closer to a potential birth in the PFL playoffs while Cooper will need a strong showing in his next fight after already being penalized for missing weight for Friday’s event.

Anthony Pettis Gets First PFL Win

After submitting Myles Price in round one with a mounted triangle choke, Anthony Pettis became the ex-UFC champ and finally won the PFL.

Following back-to-back losses in the PFL in 2021, Pettis came out with something to prove on Friday night and before he got the finish on the ground, he was looking for the knockout on the feet. As soon as Price dove for his legs to start the fight, Pettis clipped him with a hard uppercut that brought the action down to the floor.

Price managed to escape and then reverse his position, but Pettis quickly made Price pay by locking him in a triangle choke. Price tried to break free but he only found himself with Pettis mounted on top of him with the submission cinched up even fighter, which forced him to tap out with the stoppage coming at 4:17 in the first round.

“Flawless victory for me,” Pettis said afterwards. “This year is my year.”

Rory MacDonald Scores Flawless Victory

Following a disappointing end to his first season with the PFL, Rory MacDonald got back on track in a big way in his return to action on Friday night with a lightning quick finish over Brett Cooper.

After spending part of his Bellator training camp with John Danaher (a noted grappling coach), the ex-champion put those skills to use after getting an early takedown and shredding Cooper’s defense to get into the mount position. MacDonald continued to throw punches at Cooper until he fell to his knees.

As soon as MacDonald locked up the choke, he tightened his grip and Cooper was forced to tap out with the end coming at 2:23 in the opening round.

Larissa Pacheco Picks Up Stunning Knockout Win

Larissa Pacheco kicked off her season with an aggressive beating of Zamzagul Fayzallanova in the first fight on the maincard. Pacheco jumped on fire and did not stop until Fayzallanova was knocked down with a vicious right hand.

Pacheco won the first round and earned six points. This was her start to the third season of the PFL.

Full PFL 3 Results:

Kayla Harrison def. Marina Mokhnatkina via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Carlos Leal def. Ray Cooper III via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 29-27)

Anthony Pettis def. Myles Price via submission (mounted triangle choke) at 4:17, R1

Rory MacDonald Def. Brett Cooper via submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:23, R1

Larissa Pacheco def. Zamzagul Fayzallanova via TKO (strikes) at 1:25, R1

Dilano Taylor def. Joao Zeferino via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)

Genah Fabian def. Julia Budd via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Sadibou Sy def. Nikolay Aleksakhin via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 27-30)

Jarrah Hussein Al-Silawi def. Gleison Tibau via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 27-30)

Helena Kolesnyk def. Abigail Montes via split decision (30-27, 29-28, 28-29)

Martina Jindrova def. Vanessa Melo via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)