2022 Professional Fighters League women’s lightweight champion
Larissa
Pacheco doesn’t see her upcoming opponent as a serious
threat.
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After capturing the lightweight strap against Kayla
Harrison in 2022, Pacheco decided to compete in the promotion’s
inaugural featherweight season with hopes of securing two-division
champion status.
The Brazilian is coming off a 14-second knockout of Olena
Kolesnyk in their featherweight semifinal at PFL 8 in August.
The impressive victory allowed Pacheco to book a spot in the
2023 PFL Championships against Russia’s Marina
Mokhnatkina.
A six-time combat sambo world champion, Mokhnatkina is renowned for
her grappling prowess and ability to grind out fights on the
canvas. However, having faced and defeated a former Olympic judo
gold medalist in Harrison, Pachecho doesn’t see the sambo
specialist posing any threat to her inside the SmartCage.
“I know Marina’s game. When Marina fought against Kayla, it was
very obvious they have the same sort of similar sort of style, in
that, having that wrestling and takedown background. But just not
on the same level. Nowhere near as, as good as Kayla obviously,”
Pacheco said through a translator during a recent interview.
“Given that, you know, (I’ve) fought and won against Kayla, (I)
don’t see that it’s gonna be a massive, massive challenge, with all
due respect to Marina obviously, but (I) don’t expect there’s gonna
be much punching going on from her side. (I) don’t see that she’s
got that kind of boxing background. And her jiu-jitsu just isn’t on
the same level as (mine). So, you know, it’s another fight, it’s
another, another one in the books, but in terms of do we think it’s
gonna be a massive challenge? No, we don’t.”
Pacheco and Mokhnatkina will face off inside the SmartCage on Nov.
24 at The Anthem Auditorium in Washington, D.C. The card will also
see lightweights Clay
Collard and Olivier
Aubin-Mercier compete for the lightweight championship in the
main event of the evening.