Larissa Pacheco relishes revenge opportunity vs. Kayla Harrison in PFL final
LAS VEGAS – Larissa Pacheco clearly wasn’t bothered by her underdog status last Friday night.
Pacheco (13-3), the former UFC and “The Ultimate Fighter” competitor, defeated betting favorite Sarah Kaufman (21-5) at PFL Playoffs 1 to advance to the women’s lightweight final in December.
“This fight for me was everything that I studied,” Pacheco told reporters. “Everything I’ve been training. Everything went according to plan.”
“… The whole time. I did everything I could to win with intelligence. I did not underestimate her in any moment at all. I knew she was tough, strong. I had to use my intelligence and experience.”
According to Pacheco, people were counting her out – and she knew it. She embraced the doubters and turned negative energy into motivation. The only opinions Pacheco said she cares about are the ones of those around her.
The victory sets up Pacheco for a rematch from the regular season, when she takes on Kayla Harrison on New Year’s Eve in New York.
The Brazilian lightweight was unsuccessful against the American Olympian in May and lost the contest by unanimous decision. With harder training, Pacheco thinks she will get her revenge.
“I knew that nobody believed in me,” Pacheco told MMA Junkie. “But I believed in me, my team believed, and I can to win. The rematch is going to be perfect. I’m going to train double than what I trained last time.
“If I was able to frustrate her in five days, what do you think is going to happen if I have months to train for her? … Train harder, get stronger, just keep hitting her until she quits.”
A lot has changed since her UFC days, according to Pacheco. When she entered the promotion she was only 19 years old. Six years later, Pacheco feels like a seasoned veteran and believes the best is yet to come.
“In the UFC, I was only 19 years old – not a lot of experience,” Pacheco said. “I’ve only lost to the women who have been champions. I fought against (Germaine) De Randamie. She’s got that strength. She’s strong. I knew when I fought her if she couldn’t take me out, nobody was going to do it. Now they’re going to need two of her to take me out.”