Amber Leibrock Credits Accountability, Work with Hypnotherapist for Recent Success

After a rough stretch earlier in her career that saw her lose three straight fights in Bellator MMA, Amber Leibrock seems to be hitting her stride.

The 35-year-old Californian made a statement in her Professional Fighters League debut, knocking out 2022 postseason participant Martina Jindrova with a first-round headkick in their PFL 2 bout on April 7. It was the fourth consecutive victory for Leibrock — all inside the distance — and it sets her up for a showdown with Larissa Pacheco at PFL 5 on Friday night at Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta.

Leibrock has pinpointed two key reasons for her career turnaround.

“Everyone asks me, ‘How did you go from the skid to where you’re at now?’ I think it’s accountability,” Leibrock said during a PFL virtual media day. “It’s easy in the fight game to blame somebody else or change camps. At the end of the day it’s all within you, so you have to look at yourself. What are you doing? What are you not doing? How hard are you really training?

“Mental game as well. …I changed up the way I approached my mental,” she added. “I have a hypnotherapist named Richard Hart. (He’s) really just changed the game for me, taught me how to visualize. Gave me a lot of self confidence and mentally has brought me to a different level. Being accountable has really changed me as a fighter, changed the way I train and the way I approach everything.”

Working with a hypnotherapist might seem a bit unorthodox, but Leibrock has used it to visualize everything from her career as a whole to her upcoming fight.

“Me and my hypnotherapist work on all scenarios. So we’ve seen this fight going so many different ways. We actually envisioned the PFL opportunity before it even happened,” Leibrock said. “There’s so many different avenues to get to the million dollars and the championship. We address all those things as they come up. I’ve seen so many ways to finish this fight. I’ve seen this fight going three rounds. I’ve seen bad positions, good positions, worst-case scenarios, best-case scenarios.

“That’s the most beautiful thing about working with a hypnotherapist. I definitely suggest it to anybody who could be mentally struggling a little bit. Find a mental coach whatever that avenue is, because that definitely changes the game.”

Leibrock will be a considerable underdog against Pacheco, who upset Harrison to win the PFL championship at 155 pounds in 2022. The Combat Sports Academy representative believes she has one key advantage against her opponent heading into Friday night.

“The unknown. There’s tape on me but it’s really old,” Leibrock said. “I’m not that same fighter anymore. Obviously the last fight didn’t last very long … I don’t think I’ve truly shown exactly what I’m capable of in the cage at this level. A lot of people don’t know exactly what I can do or how much I actually bring to the table. I think that’s hard mentally for people and that’s hard to train for when you don’t know exactly what’s coming at you.”

Pacheco has a well-established reputation for her knockout ability, as she authored a streak of five consecutive KO/TKO victories in PFL competition before back-to-back decision triumphs over Harrison and Julia Budd. With that being said, the rangy Leibrock is confident in her own striking ability, as well as her willingness to engage with the heavy-handed Brazilian.

“My length, my kicks, the ability to be able to strike and kick the way that I do [makes me a tough matchup]. I’m a phenomenal striker, I’m extremely skilled,” she said. “I train at one of the best striking gyms in the entire world. My movement is really good as well, I think I have really nice, evasive footwork. It’s hard to hit something that’s moving all the time. I’m conditioned. I’m ready to go all three rounds and just be on my bike and stick and move. “It’s going to be hard to deal with somebody that’s long and not just standing in front of you.”

Leibrock vows that she won’t be awed by the Pacheco mystique, which she believes has hindered some of the defending champion’s past opponents.

“It’s gonna be hard to deal with somebody who’s not just concerned about not getting hit,” Leibrock said. “I think that’s something people have been doing a lot. They just don’t want to get hit by her. I could care less. I train with dudes; I get hit by strong people all the time. I think my length definitely puts me above anyone else in this tournament that could go against her.”