Larissa Pacheco can’t be certain what comes next for her following an upset win over Kayla Harrison but she definitely has some ideas.
After handing the two-time Olympic gold medalist in judo her first defeat in mixed martial arts, Pacheco already knew that she would eventually see Harrison again — possibly even her next fight. As it stands, Harrison holds two wins over Pacheco so the 28-year-old Brazilian knows there’s still some unfinished business between them.
“Like she told me [after our fight on Friday],, I’ll gladly grant her the rematch,” Pacheco stated on The MMA Hour. She deserves the fight. I’m losing 2-to-1 so I need to catch up with her.”
While Pacheco expects to cross paths with Harrison once again, the PFL still hasn’t decided what schedule will take place when we look ahead at the 2023 seasons.
Prior to her loss, Harrison had already decided that she wasn’t going to participate in the typical regular season tournament format next year but rather focus on individual “super fights” that wouldn’t be as taxing on her body.
Meanwhile, Pacheco isn’t against returning for another season, which could earn her another $1 million prize, but she’s also open to the idea of those same one-off contests that could allow her to face Harrison again or other top fighters in the same division.
“Everybody’s talking about super fights,” Pacheco said. Kayla spoke of the superfight with [Cris] Cyborg. Now I’m in the game, too. Let’s do a super fight, Cyborg. Let’s fight at 155. These are super fights. Let’s get to it. You can be here, too.
“I want to work. I’m interested in everything. The organization has only been around for three days, so I have no idea what they are doing. I’m in for anything. I want to work.”
Although Harrison was openly calling to fight Cris Cyborg in a fight, her defeat will probably dampen the excitement that has been growing towards such a showdown.
Now that Pacheco has the momentum from her win over the PFL champion twice, Pacheco thinks maybe she should fight the PFL champ instead.
” I just fought Kayla. I have the utmost respect for Cyborg,” Pacheco said. “This is what we do. She does this. We do this. This is what the fans want.
“Ok, I’d like to play this game. Cyborg is my dream fight. Kayla is the one I would like to fight. I want to be in the middle of this. I want to make it happen.”
Ex-UFC fighter Aspen Ladd made an impressive debut with the PFL, winning a split victory over Julia Budd on Friday’s championship card.
Following her win, Ladd credited Pacheco for making the necessary improvements to beat Harrison but then slighted both athletes when stating that their resumes are “nothing compared to the people that I have fought.”
Pacheco did not understand Ladd’s motivation for taking a swipe at her, but maybe it was a desperate attempt to grab attention to the winner of the main event on which she competed undercard.
“I don’t know why she’s saying these things,” Pacheco said. She just arrived. She’s probably trying to get to the window to see if she can catch the bus. She got cut from another organization because she couldn’t make weight.
“We’re all in the same organisation. If we have to fight, that’s the way it’s going to be. She’s just trying to get ahead .”
Source: https://www.mmafighting.com/2022/12/4/23483665/larissa-pacheco-open-to-future-superfights-including-cris-cyborg-fires-back-at-aspen-ladd?rand=96749
