3. Cris Cyborg in the PFL
I know. The title is slightly vague.
PFL boss Donn Davis has said that the plan is to have Cris “Cyborg” Justino fight 2023 champion Larissa Pacheco first. Justino has publicly continued to mention two-time champion Kayla Harrison who for years expressed interest in fighting her. Justino has also said her focus is on her boxing fight in January and said if that if her return doesn’t align with the PFL’s schedule for the promotion vs promotion card than a fight with top Bellator MMA contender (pre-acquisition, obviously) Leah McCourt could happen in Ireland.
All of this is to say that clearly both sides have plans of their own.
One thing that is clear is that Pacheco, Harrison, and McCourt all have the potential to get the proverbial short end of the stick. Justino can only fight one woman at a time and if she were to lose to the first woman, the luster of fighting the legendary Cyborg diminishes immensely. The PFL’s lineup is also a tall order for Justino at this stage of her career as all three women have the advantage of youth compared to her twenty year career.
Regardless of who Justino fights, it can be argued that it will be the most intriguing fight of the Bellator-PFL merger in 2024.
