The Professional Fighters League has released former two-weight champ Larissa Pacheco, over a year on from her last fight.
Pacheco (23-5) won PFL Global seasons at both lightweight and featherweight, in the process becoming the only woman to defeat current UFC bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison. The Brazilian, who competed twice for the UFC prior to signing with the PFL, holds notable wins over ex-Invicta FC champ Sarah Kaufman, former Bellator champ Julia Budd, and current UFC contender Irene Aldana, among others.
Despite that resume, and despite having Cris Cyborg under contract, the PFL did away with its featherweight division, instead focusing on flyweight and budding star Dakota Ditcheva. With women’s lightweight long scrapped and Pacheco’s last fight a loss to Cyborg, her days in the promotion were clearly numbered, and have now come to an end.
PFL officials released a statement announcing Larissa Pacheco’s release on Thursday. “Professional Fighters League has released Larissa Pacheco from her contract,” it read. “We thank her for her memorable bouts and wish her the best in her future endeavors.”
Pacheco won the PFL Global season at lightweight in 2022, defeating Kayla Harrison in the final to do so. The victory moved their career series to 2-1 in favor of Harrison, who had defeated Pacheco twice previously. The victory was considered a sizeable upset for Pacheco, whose star seemed to have arrived and grew further when she won the promotion’s featherweight season the following year.
After that, however, Pacheco was sat until the Cyborg fight in October 2024. She went the distance with the featherweight legend, losing a unanimous decision. More recently, Pacheco has been seen alongside Amanda Nunes, who is preparing for a comeback fight against Harrison expected sometime in 2026.
