NEW YORK—Despite suffering losses in their two previous meetings, Larissa Pacheco was confident she had the skills to hand the undefeated Kayla Harrison her first defeat. In the cage, she proved her premonition was correct, scoring a hard-fought decision win, 48-47 on all three cards, to claim the 2022 PFL women’s lightweight title.
The bout served as the main event of Friday’s 2022 PFL World Championship event at Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden, where six champions were crowned, each taking home $1 million for their efforts.
The two fighters were patient on their feet to start the night before Harrison eventually moved into the clinch and delivered a slick outside trip to bring the action to the canvas. Pacheco looked to attack from her back as she fell, but Harrison was able to establish the dominant position and looked to rain down punches from the top. Pacheco returned fire from the bottom and shifted her hips for a potential armbar in the final minute, but Harrison was able to slip around to the back in a late scramble, where she finished the round.
Pacheco was more aggressive to open the second, and an early low kick actually swept Harrison to the canvas. However, Harrison recovered quickly and began to press with strikes of her own. After a few exchanges, Harrison pressed forward for the takedown, briefly exposing her neck, and Pacheco latched hold and dropped to the canvas. After a few tense moments, Harrison was able to work free and back to the feet. That paid dividends for Pacheco, who landed several big shots in the standup department before Harrison again scored a late takedown and was hunting an armbar as the round ended.
In the third, Harrison was quick to reach for a single, dragging the fight to the canvas and surviving a barrage of hammerfists to push Pacheco all the way to her back. Undaunted, Pacheco quickly locked up a triangle choke that seemed menacingly tight. Harrison was able to outlast the hold, and when Pacheco switched to an armbar, she countered perfectly to not only escape but also transition to mount, where she finished the frame in the dominant position.
Harrison opened the fourth with a quick takedown, avoiding a guillotine attempt as she brought the action to the floor. However, Pacheco refused to stay there, scrambling up and establishing back control, though Harrison was able to escape relatively soon after, and the two fighters moved to the feet. The two battled for position in the clinch, and when a scramble sent the action back to the canvas, it was Pacheco who wound up in side control, driving in several punches to the body before Harrison could work back to her feet.
With the fight seemingly in the balance heading into the final frame, both women were desperate to establish control. An early Harrison clinch saw her score with an outside trip, but Pacheco refused to stay on the floor, popping right back to the feet. Knees were traded inside before Harrison latched on to a single and tried to wrench the action down. Pacheco defended perfectly, firing in hammerfists and crisp hooks at every available opportunity. Harrison was eventually able to scramble to top position, settling into her opponent’s guard, where she landed short strikes and finished an incredibly even final round in top position. However, judges valued the damage Pacheco landed early in the frame and awarded her the decision win, marking one of the biggest upsets in PFL history.
Full 2022 PFL World Championship results include:
Main Card
- Larissa Pacheco def. Kayla Harrison via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47) – to win women’s light heavyweight title
- Brendan Loughnane def. Bubba Jenkins via TKO (punches) – Round 4, 2:38 – to win featherweight title
- Ante Delija def. Matheus Scheffel via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 2:50 – to win heavyweight title
- Aspen Ladd def. Julia Budd via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Olivier Aubin-Mercier def. Stevie Ray via knockout (punch) – Round 2, 4:40 – to win lightweight title
- Sadibou Sy def. Dilano Taylor via decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46) – to win welterweight title
- Rob Wilkinson def. Omari Akhmedov via TKO (doctor’s stoppage) – Round 2, 5:00 – to win light heavyweight title
Preliminary Card
- Sheymon Moraes def. Marlon Moraes via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 0:58
- Natan Schulte def. Jeremy Stephens via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 2, 1:32
- Magomed Magomedkerimov def. Gleison Tibau via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Dakota Ditcheva def. Katherine Corogenes via knockout (knee, punches) – Round 1, 4:20
- (a) Biaggio Ali Walsh def. (a) Tom Graesser via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 0:45
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