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While it didn’t surface in their two previous bouts, it’s common
knowledge that the great equalizer for Larissa
Pacheco in her third meeting with Kayla
Harrison is her knockout power.
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Pacheco is currently in the midst of a five-bout winning streak in
Professional Fighters League competition, with all of her victories
coming via knockout or technical knockout. Harrison disputes the
idea that she won’t respond well if Pacheco connects with something
significant when they square off for the women’s lightweight title
at the PFL Championships on Friday.
“Just because you don’t see me get hit in a fight, doesn’t mean I
don’t get hit,” Harrison said at a press conference on Wednesday.
“I train hard. I train harder than pretty much anyone I know. I put
in the work so that on fight night it looks easy. I get hit. I’m
not worried about getting hit. I’m gonna go out there and instill
my will one round at a time, one minute at a time, one exchange at
a time, one breath at a time. And I’m gonna break her.”
Pacheco went the distance in both previous fights against Harrison,
including a five-round unanimous decision defeat in the 2019 PFL
final. While the Brazilian’s impressive streak has made her an
interesting potential rival for the two-time Olympic gold medalist,
the fact remains that she hasn’t been competitive in eight rounds
against Harrison thus far.
“Can you call it a rivalry if you’ve never won a round?” Harrison
quipped. “I don’t know if that’s fair. I don’t want to put that
kind of pressure on Larissa. She has nothing to lose.”
With that said, Harrison works hard to stay motivated, even as she
prepares to face an opponent that she has dominated in the
past.
“I think for me it’s always been about staying humble and staying
hungry,” Harrison said. “I know that she’s young, she’s hungry and
she’s a killer in her own right. She’s got nothing to lose and
she’s coming to take my head off. I think about that every time I
maybe don’t want to train, or don’t want to go for a run or want to
sleep in. I think about that. I stay a dog. I stay working harder.
I stay grinding because she’s coming for me. If I’m not completely
prepared and I make a mistake, she’s gonna capitalize.
“It’s my job to be the best version of Kayla
Harrison on Friday night.”