The former two-time PFL women’s lightweight champion had been scheduled for a featherweight fight opposite Julia Budd on November 25 in Washington, D.C. However, in a press release issued Wednesday, league officials announced that Harrison (15-1) would instead face UFC veteran Aspen Ladd (11-4).

According to league officials, “the change was made after Budd refused to fulfill her contractual obligation,” though exactly what obligation Budd failed to meet wasn’t specified.

Budd, a former Bellator MMA featherweight champ, gave a her response to the change. “I got pulled from the fight. No injury. Healthy and ready to fight,” she told Cageside Press’ Dylan Rush in a brief statement.

Kayla Harrison vs. Aspen Ladd will be held at a 150lb catchweight.

Harrison has not fought since her 2022 shock upset loss at the hands of Larissa Pacheco, the odds-on favorite to win it all in this year’s women’s featherweight division. The two-time PFL champ and two-time Olympic gold medalist had previously been undefeated in MMA.

Ladd is 2-1 under the PFL banner with wins over Budd and most recently, Karolina Sobek. That arm-bar finish wasn’t enough for Ladd to make the PFL 2023 post-season, however, as she went 1-1 in 2023 and came up just short in points.

The 2023 PFL Championship takes place on November 25, 2023 at The Anthem in Washington, D.C. with all six weight classes closing out their season. The following match-ups have been announced for the card:

• Olivier Aubin-Mercier vs. Clay Collard — lightweight title fight
• Denis Goltsov vs. Renan Ferreira — heavyweight title fight
• Larissa Pacheco vs. Marina Mokhnatkina — women’s featherweight title fight
• Kayla Harrison vs. Aspen Ladd
• Sadibou Sy vs. Magomed Magomedkerimov — welterweight title fight
• Gabriel Braga vs. Jesus Pinedo — featherweight title fight
• Joshua Silveira vs. #3 Impa Kasanganay — light heavyweight title fight
• Ray Cooper III vs. Derek Brunson
• Biaggio Ali Walsh vs. Joel Lopez — amateur bout
• Bubba Jenkins vs. Chris Wade
• Khai Wu vs. Phil Caracappa
• Jesse Stirn vs. Josh Blyden

The post Aspen Ladd in Against Kayla Harrison at PFL Championship, Julia Budd Responds appeared first on Cageside Press.

Budd (17-6), a former Bellator MMA women’s featherweight champion, will be taking on two-time PFL lightweight champion Kayla Harrison in Washington, D.C. next month. It’s a fight fans have been awaiting since Budd’s arrival in the promotion, and one that was scheduled once previously, only to fall through due to injury.

“I was super-excited. When they told me, kind of end of August, I was just, like, yes!” Budd told Cageside Press in a recent exclusive interview, asked about getting the booking a second time. “Because I wasn’t sure if they were going to give it to maybe Aspen [Ladd] or somebody else. They were mentioning it, I had seen Ray [Sefo] mentioning that there were a couple potential opponents, and I was asking for it since my last fight. So I was excited.”

“I’m just super-excited that I’m in awesome shape, I’m ready to go and get in there,” Budd added.

A lot has changed since Budd and Harrison were first scheduled to face off in July of 2022. Budd was forced out of the PFL season last year, and failed to make the playoffs in 2023. Shockingly, Harrison was dethroned by Larissa Pacheco last year, and has not competed since.

On the plus side, Julia Budd is picking up right where she left on in terms of preparing for her fellow world champ.

“I think that it was almost starting back where we left off. I was getting some amazing work in down in Seattle with some great wrestling coaches and jiu-jitsu coaches and just training with the team down here for that first fight that was supposed to happen. So it’s been cool because we kind of just started back and things were going really well last year, so yeah just kind of started back,” she noted. Budd added that the situation is similar to a “school assignment that just kind of starts back. The ball starts rolling again. It felt good.”

With Harrison being out so long, the time off could also be a factor, Budd acknowledged.

“It’ll be interesting to see how she deals with it. I’m expecting the very best version of herself. But you never know, because she was do dominant up until the last fight with Pacheco.”

Ahead of the 2023 PFL Championship, rumors continue to swirl that the league may buy up rival Bellator MMA. Having competed for both companies, Budd is looking forward to facing some of the talent she didn’t get to meet in Bellator during her stint there.

“Excited. Some of those fights, it was disappointing to leave Bellator knowing I didn’t get to fight some of the girls they obviously were building but also signing,” Budd admitted. “I would have loved to fight Cat [Zingano], I would have loved to fight Leah McCourt. I would have loved to have a rematch with [Cris] Cyborg. That was one of the reasons to stay with Bellator, like ‘hey is that on the table, that opportunity?'”

At the same time, Budd doesn’t want to see Bellator go away. “I hope Bellator sticks around because it’s an awesome organization.”

Watch our full interview with PFL featherweight Julia Budd above.

The post PFL: Julia Budd Expecting “Best Version” of Kayla Harrison Despite Layoff appeared first on Cageside Press.

Harrison (15-1) will return to action against former Strikeforce alum and Bellator MMA featherweight champion Julia Budd (17-6) at the 2023 PFL Championship on November 24, 2023. The event is set to take place at The Anthem in Washington D.C. airing live on ESPN+ PPV.

Harrison vs. Budd will serve as a featured fight on the card, which will feature all six of this year’s PFL finals, with Olivier Aubin-Mercier vs. Clay Collard pencilled in as the show’s main event.

Having beaten Pacheco twice prior to her loss last November, few saw the upset coming despite the Brazilian’s track record under the PFL banner. Long the face of the PFL, Harrison, a former two-time Olympic gold medal winner in Judo, had seemed unstoppable. Fantasy bookings against Amanda Nunes and Cris Cyborg were frequent subjects of conversation.

Budd is another name many wanted to see Harrison face upon the former’s arrival to the PFL. The pair were expected to face off in July 2022 at that year’s PFL 6 card, only for Budd to withdraw due to injury.

Canada’s Budd is coming off a decision win against Martina Jindrova in June, putting her at 1-1 in 2023 following a loss to Pacheco earlier in the year. The three points earned were not enough to get the 40-year old into the playoffs, but finally seeing the fight with Kayla Harrison come together might be a silver lining.

This year’s PFL Championship card currently has the following fights attached:

• Clay Collard vs Olivier Aubin-Mercier — for the PFL lightweight championship
• Sadibou Sy vs Magomed Magomedkerimov — for the PFL welterweight championship
• Renan Ferreira vs Denis Goltsov — for the PFL heavyweight championship
• Larissa Pacheco vs Marina Mokhnatkina — for the PFL women’s featherweight championship
• Jesus Pinedo vs Gabriel Braga — for the PFL featherweight championship
• Joshua Silveira vs Impa Kasanganay — for the PFL light heavyweight championship
• Kayla Harrison vs. Julia Budd

The post Kayla Harrison Returns, Booked Against Julia Budd at 2023 PFL Championship appeared first on Cageside Press.

She got one of those, but not the other. Budd (17-6) was hurt in the opening round against Martina Jindrova, but recovered and pushed onward for a decision win — something she credits to that training at Fight Ready.

“I got hurt in the first round, and then I just think the grind of that camp kind of like, I came back and was able to win the second and third,” Budd told media outlets including Cageside Press following the fight. “I’m proud of my performance, but obviously disappointed I wasn’t able to get a six-point finish in the first round.”

With just three points in 2023, following a loss in her first fight of the season, Budd is left on the outside, looking in. Still, the goal reamins gold for Budd, a former Bellator MMA featherweight champ. And she’s definitely ready to step up on short notice if the opportunity arises, now that she has missed the playoffs.

“I want to be the PFL champion. I don’t wish injury on anyone, but I hope that I’m that person standing in the wings that gets called up the next fight in August, or the finals. Whatever it is, I just want to be in there,” Budd stated. “Because I know my three points isn’t going to get me into it, but I’m ready.”

The Canadian noted just how big winning a title in a second major promotion would be, telling Cageside Press that “It’s a huge goal. It would be a massive accomplishment, to win the PFL belt after being the Bellator champion. It would be huge for me.”

At 39, Julia Budd’s window in the sport is closing, but that second belt is something she wants before calling it a career.

“I think, obviously it’s a goal of mine, and it would be a huge accomplishment. It would just be huge, and it’s something that’s on my list of like, I want to do that before I retire, I want to be the champ. I feel like I’m starting to really understand this format. I was with Bellator for so long, and I’m really liking PFL, and I want to be the champ. And that’s all that I can say. I’m here for it.”

Watch the full 2023 PFL 5 post-fight press conference appearance by Julia Budd above.

The post PFL 5: Julia Budd Wants to Claim PFL Title Before She Retires appeared first on Cageside Press.

Former Bellator MMA champ and current PFL featherweight Julia Budd, however, sees a division that is thriving across two promotions at the moment.

“Absolutely. I think that we bring exciting fights, I think we’re awesome athletes. I think in Bellator and PFL, they’ve been showcased, the 145’ers. They’re showcasing us. And they’re showing how exciting and good we are,” Budd (16-6) told Cageside Press in an exclusive interview on Wednesday. “I’ve been in 145, jeez, I’ve been fighting MMA for 13 years, and I’ve fought the best of the best.”

Of course, drafting talent for 145 is a little more difficult than at strawweight or flyweight, given fewer female athletes hit that weight. Budd, however, believes both Bellator and the PFL are doing well on that front.

“I think they’re doing a really good job. Even in Bellator, you see who they’ve got right now. It’s like, I think that they’re doing a really good job. All good names. We bring excitement and eyes to the sport.”

In front of Julia Budd this Friday is Martina Jindrova. More importantly, if Budd wants to keep her playoff hopes alive, she must find a finish. Early if possible.

“My goal is to make it to the next stage, and I prepared this camp differently than I’ve ever prepared for a fight before,” she noted. “So I look forward to showcasing that. I’m going for the first round— I need a six point finish. So I’m going for it.”

Fighting at featherweight, after last year’s 155lb run, is much more natural for Budd.

“It’s better for me. This is more my size. I wasn’t cutting any weight; my only fight in the tournament, the girl missed weight by six pounds,” Canada’s Budd recalled. “So she was huge, and that’s just out of my weight class.”

“So I feel better about this. This really feels like my home, I felt so great my last fight, against Pacheco. I feel ready to go.”

Watch our full interview with PFL 5’s Julia Budd above.

The post PFL 5: Julia Budd Addresses State of Women’s Featherweight Division Post-Nunes appeared first on Cageside Press.

With the promotion doing away with lightweight in favor of the 145lb division for women, Pacheco was looking to become the first-ever double-champ in PFL history. Step one, get past Canada’s Budd in Las Vegas.

The lightweight champ, who competed at 145 and even bantamweight outside the PFL, came out firing in her return to featherweight, walking Budd down and leaving the Canadian with her back to the fence. A combination, and later a high kick, came from Pacheco; Budd blocked, moved, but was generally stalked in the early going. Pacheco was firing 1-2s, mixing in kicks, and sitting down on at least a few of her punches.

Budd, meanwhile, wasn’t getting much offence going, and couldn’t seem to get her head off the centerline. Near the midway mark, however, Budd shot a takedown off a combination, timing it perfectly and landing the attempt. Pacheco looked to lock in an arm-bar off her back, but Budd deftly extricated herself from harm’s way.

Pacheco would work her way back to the fence, but Budd would spend the second half of the round on top, after looking out-matched in the first half.

Round two saw Budd putting Pacheco against the cage, using her strength to tie up the Brazilian and land knees. When she could not get Pacheco down, Budd backed up, with the pair returning to center. From there, Pacheco walked Budd down much as she did in the opening round. She fired combinations while Budd shelled up, but not much was getting through; Budd, meanwhile, answered with a right hand that connected.

After a couple more exchanges, Budd changed levels and landed a takedown — only for Pacheco to reverse and get on top! Pacheco sat in side control; Budd looked to use a kimura to regain dominant position; when that failed, Pacheco wound up in half-guard, though she nearly made her way to mount by the end of the round.

Budd gets a takedown but Pacheco reverses and ends up on top with 1 minute to go in the 2nd round!#PFLRegularSeason LIVE NOW
🇺🇸 ESPN2 & ESPN+
🌎 https://t.co/jPNvomD5xg pic.twitter.com/6XfMrgataa

— PFL (@PFLMMA) April 8, 2023

Early in round three, Pacheco appeared to have hurt Julia Budd — but the lightweight champ didn’t seem to recognize it, and failed to capitalize. The pair wound up tied up against the cage, Pacheco working on a body lock. When they did go to the ground, however, it was Budd on top. She looked to land ground n’ pound while Pacheco fired strikes from her back, with considerable success. Creating a bit of space, Pacheco was able to sweep, getting on top.

With under a minute remaining, Pacheco looked for an arm-triangle choke. With Budd close to the fence, however, Pacheco didn’t have enough space to step over and finish the submission. Instead, she’d move Budd away from the cage and finish the round ripping the body while on top.

The scorecards favored Larissa Pacheco, but she was given a decent test by Julia Budd, who at the very least held her own in the bout.

Official Result: Larissa Pacheco def. Julia Budd by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)

The post PFL 2 2023: Competitive Fight Sees Larissa Pacheco Get Past Julia Budd appeared first on Cageside Press.

The event marked the official launch of the PFL’s women’s featherweight division, taking over from lightweight, where Larissa Pacheco won the title last year. Pacheco was back at 145lbs for the PFL 2 card on Friday, taking on former Bellator champ Julia Budd.

Last year’s heavyweight champion, Ante Delija, was forced out of a fight with Yorgan De Castro, which was the original main event for PFL 2. De Castro was then matched up with Denis Goltsov, who also withdrew, replaced by UFC vet Danilo Marques.

Olena Kolesnyk, the only fighter to miss weight for the card, faced off with another UFC vet in Aspen Ladd.

Full results from the 2023 PFL 2 card at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas, NV on Friday, April 7, 2023 can be found below.

PFL 2: Pacheco vs. Budd Weigh-In Results

Main Card (ESPN2)

Women’s Featherweight: Larissa Pacheco def. Julia Budd by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
Heavyweight: Bruno Cappelozza def. Matheus Scheffel by TKO (punches), Round 1, 2:15
Women’s Featherweight: Olena Kolesnyk def. Aspen Ladd by majority decision (28-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Amateur Lightweight: Biaggio Ali Walsh def. Isaiah Figueroa by TKO, Round 1, 1:42

Preliminary Card (ESPN+)

Heavyweight: Rizvan Kuniev def. Renan Ferreira by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Heavyweight: Maurice Greene def. Marcelo Nunes by TKO (punches), Round 2, 1:20
Heavyweight: Danilo Marques def. Yorgan De Castro by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Women’s Featherweight: Amber Leibrock def. Martina Jindrova by KO (head kick), Round 1, 2:19
Women’s Featherweight: Evelyn Martins def. Karolina Sobek by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Women’s Featherweight: Marina Mokhnatkina def. Yoko Higashi by TKO, Round 2, 1:29

The post PFL 2 2023: Pacheco vs. Budd Full Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

Olena Kolesnyk, set to fight UFC veteran Aspen Ladd, missed the featherweight limit by 0.4lbs, and did not continue her cut for the Las Vegas-based event, scheduled to take place on Friday night at The Theater at Virgin Hotels.

As a result, Kolesnyk has been fined 20% of her purse — and will be deducted one point from the regular season standings on top.

PFL 2 is headlined by Larissa Pacheco, last year’s women’s lightweight champ, making the move back to 145lbs to take on former Bellator MMA champion Julia Budd. Yorgan De Castro, originally booked against last year’s heavyweight champion Ante Delija, has seen two opponent switches, and now gets Danilo Marques.

All other fighters made weight for Friday’s card. Full results can be found below.

PFL 2: Pacheco vs. Budd Weigh-In Results

Main Card (ESPN2)

Women’s Featherweight: Larissa Pacheco (146.0 lbs) vs. Julia Budd (145.6 lbs)
Heavyweight: Bruno Cappelozza (240.8 lbs) vs. Matheus Scheffel (258.0 lbs)
Women’s Featherweight: Olena Kolesnyk (146.4 lbs) vs. Aspen Ladd (145.6 lbs)
Amateur Lightweight: Biaggio Ali Walsh (155.4 lbs) vs. Isaiah Figueroa (155.6 lbs)

Preliminary Card (ESPN+)

Heavyweight: Renan Ferreira (260.4 lbs) vs. Rizvan Kuniev (249.8 lbs)
Heavyweight: Marcelo Nunes (244.8 lbs) vs. Maurice Greene (251.2 lbs)
Heavyweight: Danilo Marques (249.2 lbs) vs. Yorgan De Castro (264.4 lbs)
Women’s Featherweight: Martina Jindrova (145.6 lbs) vs. Amber Leibrock (145.6 lbs)
Women’s Featherweight: Evelyn Martins (145.8 lbs) vs. Karolina Sobek (145.6 lbs)
Women’s Featherweight: Marina Mokhnatkina (146.0 lbs) vs. Yoko Higashi (144.8 lbs)

* Kolesnyk missed weight by 0.4lbs, and will forfeit 20% of her purse plus will be deducted 1 point from the League standings

The post PFL 2 2023: Pacheco vs. Budd Weigh-In Results — One Fighter Heavy appeared first on Cageside Press.

Budd (16-5), a former Bellator MMA women’s featherweight champion, faces PFL lightweight champ Larissa Pacheco in the main event of PFL 2 on April 7, with the league hosting the featherweight division for the first time after three seasons of women’s lightweight fights.

“Last year, obviously the 155 pound season didn’t go as planned for me; I was out after that first fight. So basically I’m looking at this year as a brand new, fresh start and I can’t wait to get in there,” Budd told Cageside Press in a recent exclusive interview.

Getting Pacheco right out of the gate is “absolutely” something Budd likes, she stated.

“It motivates me. I made a lot of changes this year, and I found out about the fight in January, but I was already getting in shape, and getting ready for the season, anticipating a fight like this right away.”

Among the changes for Julia Budd in 2023 has come cross-training at Fight Ready in Arizona. Throughout her career, Budd has trained with husband and UFC vet Lance Gibson at their own gym, where stepson Lance Gibson Jr., a Bellator MMA athlete, also trains in preparation for his fights. As both their careers progressed, however, training at home became a bit hectic.

“We just kind of realized we needed some help,” Budd admitted. “It’s kind of like, get out of the comfort zone, get a new look at everything. That’s kind of what 2023 is all about, kind of a restart, rebirth so to speak.”

In terms of why Budd chose Fight Ready in particular, where Jon Jones has also put in time, she explained that “Just the coaching staff, the athletes, it’s been super motivational. Just watching Henry Cejudo training for his upcoming fight, seeing the discipline, how serious he takes it.” The level of training, and just being there with new training partners has been both challenging, but an excellent learning opportunity, Budd added.

Pacheco turned heads when she defeated promotional darling and two-time PFL women’s lightweight champ Kayla Harrison in last year’s final. Budd wasn’t entirely surprised, given the amount of cage time the pair had together. And she’s expecting a tough fight when her and Pacheco clash on April 7.

“I expect her to bring it. I expect her— obviously she’s coming down in weight at 145, I imagine she wants to be the champ in this division too. But I’m just really focused on myself and developing myself, and bringing out my very best,” Budd said. “Training, being extremely disciplined for this camp, implementing a ton of new stuff and hitting new levels in every area of my game so I can bring out my best.”

“So I’m expecting her to bring her best and I’m definitely bringing my best.”

While Pacheco is looking for a second PFL title in a new weight class, Budd herself is looking to become a two-promotion champ. “It’s what my goals are, that’s what my eyes are set on,” said Budd, who then took a step back, refusing to look past her opponent. “One step at a time. Obviously this fight is like, I know about her power, her knockout power, I’ve been watching all her fights, studying her. It’s definitely a fight that wakes me up in the morning and gets me bringing my best to every single training session.”

In the past, Pacheco has had struggles with weight — missing the lightweight limit in 2021, despite having competed as a bantamweight in the past. Budd addressed that, and her own return to featherweight, after feeling undersized in a losing effort to Genah Fabian last year.

“It is what it is. I’m going to be making weight. This is my weight division, this is a way better weight division for me than 155. To be honest, that first fight that I got, Genah weighed in at 180 fight week. That’s who I was up against, I was up against almost a middleweight in my first fight, and I’m walking around at 154, barely cutting— I wasn’t cutting weight for 155. So seeing my size disadvantage in that first fight, that’s just really not my weight class, I never settled there. 45 is where I’m at, where I’m better, where I’m the strongest. This is my weight class.”

“I can’t be worried about what she’s going to do, or lack of professionalism,” Budd added. “I just got to make sure I make weight, I do my job, and I get in there and do my absolute best. So that’s what I’m focused on.”

Having lost a close decision to Aspen Ladd in the fall, Budd has also taken note of Pacheco’s comments claiming the Canadian isn’t the same fighter since her loss to Cris Cyborg three years ago. “It was kind of that extra fuel that I needed going forward. I was like ‘okay, I’m going to show everybody that I’m better than I was when I fought her, that I’m more motivated.'”

Watch our full interview with PFL 2 women’s featherweight Julia Budd above.

The post PFL 2: Julia Budd Sees 2023 As “Rebirth,” Discusses Training with Fight Ready appeared first on Cageside Press.

It wasn’t long before a prominent MMA manager pumped the brakes on at least some of those fights, however.

Per a PFL press release, the league’s regular season will kick off on April 1 at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas, Nevada. Each of its first three regular season shows will take place at the venue, with the additional dates being April 7 and 14.

Also announced on Thursday were the main and co-main events for each card, and there are some bangers.

At this year’s PFL 1, defending featherweight champ Brendan Loughnane has been announced as facing former WSOF champ and UFC title challenger Marlon Moraes, while the co-main event sees light heavyweight champ Robert Wilkinson take on ex-UFC title challenger Thiago Santos.

PFL 2 is topped by Ante Delija vs. Yorgan De Castro at heavyweight, while women’s lightweight champ Larissa Pacheco moves down to featherweight to face Julia Budd. PFL 3, meanwhile, sees Olivier Aubin-Mercier take on Shane Burgos, who is apparently set to move to lightweight. Sadibou Sy vs. Jarrah Al-Silawi serves as the co-main event of that card.

Things hit a snag, however, when First Round Management’s Malki Kawa claimed that at least some of the fights had not been agreed to. Among others, First Round Management represents Loughnane and Burgos.

It’s unclear how PFL fighters’ contracts are structured, given the league uses a tournament format.

Fans can hope, at least, that things get sorted out, as a number of the announced match-ups were met with great enthusiasm.

The PFL returns to action this Friday with week two of this year’s Challenger Series, with the spotlight on the women’s featherweight division. That card takes place in Orlando, Florida and airs on Fubo Sports Network.

The post PFL Announces First Three Regular Season Shows in Las Vegas, Manager Pumps Brakes on Match-Ups appeared first on Cageside Press.