Genah Fabian says she’s ready to face anyone in the PFL 2019 tournament — and she’ll need to be, with Kayla Harrison awaiting her.
Atlantic City, NJ — Women’s lightweight Genah Fabian opened up the PFL 4 2019 card in Atlantic City, and with a first round TKO finish of Moriel Charneski, punched her way into the PFL playoffs. After starting the night outside the post-season looking in, Fabian managed to put herself in the third seed slot.
Not a bad result, on a night full of big performances for the ladies. Fabian recapped the fight back stage, with media outlets including Cageside Press. There, she said that she knew “straight away, as soon as it landed that my straight, [Charneski] was rattled by it. It landed, but it wasn’t like flush, clean on the button. I just knew I had to set it up and find it and time it. That last one, obviously, dropped her. I could see straight away she was out, it was just a matter of securing that, to the ref’s eyes.”
Which led to a couple of follow-up strikes, even though Fabian was pretty sure her opponent was done. “I think there was three or four on the ground. I could see she was out on her feet, as she was kind of going back. When you’re right there, as a fighter, you can see, you know.”
Prepping for the bout, said Fabian, her team “elevated” her training. “We knew that this girl was orthodox, we knew she was a grappler, she was going to try to take me down. So we just prepared accordingly, defensively. More footwork, more for someone who’s long, quite agile, and athletic.”
Despite earning the first round finish and six points, it was not something her or her team tried to force. “The plan was to win, first and foremost. And if the six points came in that first round, if it was there, which all roads led to that, prior to, absolutely.” But still, the goal was to “secure the win first. Let’s not do something too bum-rushy or stupid that could get me caught or take me out [of the tournament] completely.”
As for her next opponent, Fabian declared that “I’m prepared to fight all of them, and that’s what this tournament is about.” While the rest of the card had yet to play out when she spoke to reporters, Genah Fabian will face Kayla Harrison moving forward. So she’ll very much need to be prepared.
The women’s lightweight division, unlike the men’s side of the Professional Fighters League, won’t see two fights in a night in the playoffs, thanks to the smaller talent pool. It’s not something Fabian is really missing, however. “If [her division had the numbers], of course I’d have to do it, but we do have a smaller pool compared to the men. I’m not disappointed about it.” After all, it’s a shorter path to a million dollars.
She expects, however, that after the PFL 2019 season, the weight class will expand. “Absolutely, after this first season, the first women’s tournament, you’ll see many girls come out of the woodwork.” A case of “if you build it, they will come” perhaps.
For more from PFL 4 2019 winner Genah Fabian, watch the full post-fight press scrum above.
