It appears that
Larissa
Pacheco, not
Kayla
Harrison
, will be
Cristiane
Justino’s first opponent on the heels of Professional Fighters
League’s
acquisition of Bellator MMA.
Pacheco became the first two-division champion in PFL history when
she defeated
Marina
Mokhnatkina in their featherweight final on Friday night in
Washington, D.C. “Cyborg,” meanwhile, is coming off a first-round
stoppage of
Cat Zingano
in a 145-pound title defense at Bellator 300.
Although Harrison has long been mentioned as an opponent for
“Cyborg,” PFL founder Donn Davis believes it makes more sense for
Pacheco to face Justino first. While Bellator will continue to run
separately in 2024, it was announced that there will also be a
champions vs. champions event featuring both promotions. That could
be the ideal time to book Pacheco vs. Justino. In the meantime,
Harrison vs. “Cyborg” isn’t off the table — it will just be planned
for a later date.
“It’s champ vs. champ,” Davis told media following the PFL
Championship event (video via