2022 Professional Fighters League women's lightweight champion Larissa Pacheco doesn't see her upcoming opponent as a serious threat.
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.
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