PFL’s Larissa Pacheco Talks Kayla Harrison Upset And Semifinals In NY

Professional Fighters League featherweight contender Larissa Pacheco is the favorite to be crowned the 2023 champion in her promotion. She’ll attempt to take the next step in that journey on Aug. 18 at the Hulu Theater in New York when she battles Olena Kolesnyk in the semifinals.

It’ll be the third time Pacheco has faced Kolesnyk, and the former has come out victorious with stoppage victories in the previous two meetings.

Pacheco has learned the third time can be the charm in her own career. After losing twice to Kayla Harrison, the 28-year-old Brazilian was able to get over the hump and hand her rival her first loss as a mixed martial artist in November 2022.

That performance and Pacheco’s current eight-fight win streak have her nominated for Upset of the Year and Female Fighter of the Year at this year’s World MMA Awards.

I had a chance to speak with Pacheco (with help from an interpreter) about pulling the upset, avoiding falling into the same trap that might have impacted Harrison, and the prospects of claiming the 2023 championship.

Pacheco is currently the No. 1 ranked women’s featherweight in the world, and ranked ninth in pound-for-pound division dominance, per MMA Matrix. If she defeats Kolesnyk for a third time, she will advance to the finals where she’ll meet the winner of Amber Leibrock and Marina Mokhnatkina.

Pacheco scored a first-round KO win over Leibrock in June, but has never faced Mokhnatkina. During the interview, Pacheco didn’t express a major preference in her opponent–should she beat Kolesnyk–but she did appear to be intrigued by the possibilities of facing a grappler like Mokhnatkina.

The August 18 show begins at 6 pm ET, airing on ESPN+ for the prelims. and 9 pm ET ON ESPN for the main card. In addition to the women’s featherweight playoffs, we’ll also see the heavyweight semifinals featuring Denis Goltsov vs. Jordan Heiderman and Renan Ferreira vs. Maurice Greene.

Before this leg of the PFL Playoffs, men’s light heavyweight and featherweight playoff action gets underway (light heavyweights: Josh Silveira vs. Ty Flores, Marthin Hamlet vs. Impa Kasanganay, featherweights: Bubba Jenkins vs. Jesus Pinedo and Gabriel Braga and Chris Wade) with a spot in the finals on the line in both divisions on Friday night in San Antonio.

This show will also air on ESPN+ and ESPN at 6:30pm ET and 9pm ET, respectively. Be on the lookout for pre and post-event coverage of this event.