Atlanta, GA — Following a stunning head kick knockout at PFL 2 that went viral and hit ESPN’s highlight reel, Amber Leibrock appears to have the proverbial target on her back.
“I mean, sure. I would, right?” Leibrock (7-4) noted in an exclusive interview with Cageside Press on Wednesday. “Who is this chick coming in with not really any recognition in PFL? I think all of them are kinda gunning for me.”
That will especially be the case when she does her job Friday at PFL 5, Leibrock added. “I will have the biggest target on my back. But I’m ready for it, because I wouldn’t have joined this tournament if I didn’t think I could beat everybody in it, if I wasn’t ready to take that million dollars.”
“I’m new to PFL, but I’m not new to this game. I’ve been a professional for eight years, I’ve been to all the top organizations when it comes to female sports. So yeah, it’s a pretty cool feeling, and they can come get it. If they want this smoke, I’m here for it.”
After a rough patch in the Bellator MMA women’s featherweight division, Leibrock appears to have hit her stride. Also a veteran of Invicta FC, “Touch ’em Up” now has four straight wins.
So just what has changed? Leibrock explained that it’s her mentality.
“Definitely my mentality. Making sure I held myself accountable on the mats, off the mats. Making the changes I needed to in my personal life. Taking my mental health, how I feel about myself, self-love, confidence, all those things outside of the cage, and fixing that. Fixing the way I felt about my body, the self-image I was creating for myself, and working with my hypnotherapist, and all the sports psychologists that I’ve worked with.”
Leibrock now believes she’s on another level, mentally, and feeling at the top of her game. “This is a mental sport. Yes it’s physical, but at the end of the day, it’s so mental.”
Watch our full interview with PFL 5 featherweight Amber Leibrock above. Leibrock faces women’s lightweight champ Larissa Pacheco in the co-main event this Friday at the Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta, GA.
