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)

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Leibrock (6-4), making her Professional Fighters League debut at PFL 2 on Friday night in Las Vegas, was paired up with Martina Jindrova in a regular season women’s featherweight bout on the preliminary card.

Just over two minutes in, Leibrock fired off a kick that looked at first like it might fall short. Instead, the 35-year old California native made contact, instantly dropping Jindrova. While Leibrock’s fallen foe would briefly sit upright, she was immediately met with some fierce ground n’ pound that removed any question as to the outcome — with the ref already on the way in to make the save.

Amber Leibrock head kick drops Martina Jindrova like a rock!

"If you don't know me, get to know me and remember the name." #2023PFL2 pic.twitter.com/gJiNJ46vJV

— Cageside Press (@Cagesidepress) April 8, 2023

Thanks to that thunderous head kick, Amber Leibrock earned herself six points — at least temporarily putting herself in first place in the league standings, with several more 145lb fights to go on the night.

Taking over from the lightweight division, the PFL’s women’s featherweight division looks stacked this year, with former Bellator champ Julia Budd, former UFC fighter Aspen Ladd, and last year’s 155lb champ, Larissa Pacheco all taking part in the tournament, with a million dollars awaiting the winner at the end of the season.

One name noticeably absent, however, is two-time PFL women’s lightweight champion Kayla Harrison, who is expected to compete in the league’s super-fight division instead.

The post Bellator, Invicta FC Vet Amber Leibrock Drops Opponent With Head Kick at PFL 2 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.

Scheffel (17-9) picked up a unanimous decision win in the pair’s first meeting last year, and went all the way to the final in November. While he was unable to claim the title and million dollar prize — that honor went to Ante Delija — Scheffel is in a good spot heading into his rematch with Cappelozza to kick off the 2023 season.

He’s certainly confident heading in, given his performance in the pair’s first fight. But confidence is nothing new for Matheus Scheffel.

“Yeah, I’ve always got confidence when I fight. Doesn’t matter who, doesn’t matter if it’s the second fight, or first fight, I don’t care,” Scheffel told media outlets including Cageside Press this week. “I’ve always got confidence for the fight.”

With one season under his belt, “I’m feeling better now,” he added. “I know how things work in the PFL now. I like the seaosn, I like the format of the tournament, I live everything, and I’m feeling home here.”

While their last fight went the distance, Scheffel envisions an angry clash that devolves into all-out war during the rematch.

“I think Bruno will come with a lot of anger, and I’m pissed off too. This is my fifth fight here in the PFL, and four of those five fights is against a champion or former champion. So I think I’ve proved to everybody that I deserve to be here. I don’t think I need to prove it to anybody. This is my second year here, and I don’t care. I don’t care about Bruno, I don’t care about his strategy. When the door closes, we’re gonna make a huge war. This is my promise for the MMA fans.”

Watch the full 2023 PFL 2 media day appearance by Matheus Scheffel above.

The post PFL 2 2023: Matheus Scheffel Promises “Huge War” in Cappelozza Rematch appeared first on Cageside Press.

Cappelozza (15-6), the PFL’s 2021 heavyweight champion, lost a unanimous decision against Scheffel last year, before an injury took him out of the season altogether. Scheffel went on to the final, losing to Ante Delija; Cappelozza has not fought since.

“I’m extremely motivated to get this revenge, to avenge this loss, and I’ve spent the last three months away from home, away from my family,” Cappelozza noted, asked about the rematch during this week’s PFL 2 media day. “Put them aside for this one just to really, really focus on getting this one back.”

That focus has seen the Brazilian training his “strong suit a lot,” he added, as he “focused on that as far as my striking goes. Really drilled in on my wrestling and grappling side of things as well. So extremely well prepared.”

Having fought through two PFL seasons thus far, Cappelozza also feels he has the experience necessary to give him an edge.

“I feel like the experience that the past two seasons brings, it’s invaluable,” said Cappelozza. “There’s a lot more that comes into play than just competing. You’ve got to take care of yourself over the course of the season, and I do feel like I have a competitive edge having done this before.”

After going the distance with Scheffel and losing on the scorecards, Cappelozza has also learned not to get too comfortable in his fights.

“One thing that I was able to get out of that, the major thing, was not to get complacent, not to coast by, to feel too relaxed with the fight. I feel like I was winning the first two minutes of that fight, then stuff happened and the fight went the other way.”

Watch the full PFL 2 media day appearance by Bruno Cappelozza above.

The post PFL 2 2023: Bruno Cappelozza Motivated to Avenge Scheffel Loss 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

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Marques (13-4), a UFC veteran, appeared on the PFL Challenger Series in February, defeating Ras Hylton. While he picked up the win, and finish, he did not end up as part of the PFL’s regular season — at least not then.

Instead, Marques had a premonition of sorts that his services might be needed. That turned out to be correct — Marques will fight Yorgan De Castro at PFL 2 this Friday in a heavyweight match-up.

After getting that inkling after his last fight, “I just started training again, and I started feeling something— ‘maybe these guys are going to call me. Let’s see.’ Then a couple of weeks after that, they called and said ‘listen, you’ll be alternate for first show this season, of the heavyweights,'” Marques told media outlets including Cageside Press at the PFL 2 media day on Wednesday.

Marques then saw that last year’s champion, Ante Delija, drop out of his fight with De Castro, replaced with Denis Goltsov.

Next for the Brazilian came a little research on Tapology. “The last four fights [of Goltsov] were cancelled. I said, ‘maybe this guy has a problem with visa or some problem with his passport.’ Then I started to train more, and be ready. When I arrived here, I just heard ‘hey Danilo, maybe you’re going to fight.’ And I’m here. I feel ready, and it’s the best opportunity.”

Marques believes he may have simply manifested the opportunity by wanting it so badly. “I was feeling it. I don’t know how to explain that, but I was feeling, I was feeling it. I was feeling I’d be here for some reason, and I’m here. That’s it.”

For Danilo Marques, however, there will be one change from his last fight, which saw him hit with a nasty low blow. And that comes in the equipment department.

“It was hard,” he said of the foul. “Now I have a special cup. I’m safe.”

Watch the full PFL 2 2023 media day appearance by Danilo Marques above.

The post PFL 2: Danilo Marques Had A Feeling He’d Be Part of PFL Season appeared first on Cageside Press.

Walsh, who will compete as an amateur for the fourth time at this Friday’s PFL 2 card in Las Vegas, also took something of a heroic turn recently. In February, he was awarded a Certificate of Appreciation by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department for some quick thinking while working security at a local club.

“That was, I think it was November 13, that was before my PFL debut in New York. I was just working, I work part-time security at one of the nightclubs out here, the Omnia nightclub,” Ali Walsh recalled, speaking to Cageside Press and other media outlets during Wednesday’s PFL 2 media day. “There was a table in front of us, and I always usually watch who’s at the table, so I know who’s going in, who’s going out, who doesn’t belong there, who does.”

Ali Walsh continued, saying that “I saw this girl, she came there, she was sober, acting normal, and within five to ten minutes, she was black out drunk. And that’s pretty unrealistic.” What looked very suspicious to the martial artist was a man trying to walk the intoxicated clubgoer out the door. “It didn’t look right. It didn’t feel right. I didn’t see this guy at the table with the girls. So it just looked very fishy. So I stopped them, I brought in another security guard, and I had them separated.”

As luck would have it, the woman’s friend had been in search of her. “I asked her friend, ‘do you know this guy?’ She said ‘no I’ve never met him.’ So I’m like okay, there’s red flag number one.”

Walsh then asked the suspect if he knew the girl in question, who replied that “I know her like a sister, I’ve known her growing up.” So on and so forth. That’s when Walsh knew he was being lied to. “We basically just kicked the guy out, we kicked him out for trespassing. I actually didn’t know until the day I got the certificate that he actually had the girl’s phone. So who knows what could have happened. I definitely assumed he spiked her drink or something like that, because nobody acts like that five minutes after drinking.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CovhDM2v0vt/

It’s the sort of quick thinking that can save lives. Now, Ali Walsh returns to his other job, which in this case might actually be the safer scenario. Regardless, fighting is clearly in the blood for the grandson of the greatest boxer of all time, but Ali Walsh believes he inherited more than just talent.

“I think what was inherited was the will to learn. I don’t think it’s just fight IQ, I think it was the will to get better,” he suggested. “After practice, I do homework. There’s fighters that I watch, where I take notes. I try to take their habits, tactics, things that they look at, and then I try to mould it into my own.”

“You can’t watch Max Holloway and 100% replicate his fighting, but you can take certain habits and tactics that he does, and apply it to yourself and mix it your own way. That’s the beauty of mixed martial arts — it’s mixed martial arts, so it’s an art.” Walsh sees it like mixing in elements of Picasso’s style, rather than trying to replicate the artist. “That’s the beauty of mixed martial arts, you can do stuff like that. And I try to take advantage of it.”

Watch the full PFL 2 media day appearance by Biaggio Ali Walash above.

The post PFL 2: Biaggio Ali Walsh’s Quick Thinking Helped Save Woman from Potential Predator 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.

De Castro (9-3) has three straight wins, and has been training alongside Jon Jones of late, which has brought him to the heavyweight tournament with a potential million dollar payday waiting at the end.

Speaking to Cageside Press in a recent exclusive interview, “The Mad Titan” — and yes, he’s a big fan of Thanos, right down to having collectibles of the Marvel villain — addressed what has changed that has led to his newfound success.

“I think the mindset. I changed my mindset, the approach to the fight,” De Castro explained. “I know now, every time I step into the cage may be the last time, so I want to make sure I have fun, and it’s either do or die. My UFC career, I was too concerned with not losing, I was thinking it was a job, or I got comfortable. I ended up fighting to not lose, and I lost two fights by decision.”

“The last one, it is what it is, I got knocked out but I showed up to fight. But the two decision losses, I could do more. Those two decisions, they’re still haunting me. Now I don’t want to lose by decision any more. If I have to get knocked out, I will get it. Now my style changed, I’m going forward, and I’m fighting to win.”

During his UFC run, De Castro still had a day job. That changed about a year ago, and has been another factor in turning things around, De Castro believes.

“That’s another thing that I changed too. There was so much plan B. When I was [in the] UFC, I was still working in the school system, I still was doing different things,” he said. “It was, ‘if this doesn’t go right, I have always this thing.’ Now I don’t have it anymore. Now it’s like, I have to be successful at this. This is my life, if I don’t be successful, I don’t eat. Now, all I do is fight.”

His most recent fight saw Yorgan De Castro pick up a win over former UFC heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos — but it came with an asterisk: Dos Santos had injured himself in the fight. For a long time, De Castro himself considered that he really hadn’t won the JDS fight, but his thinking has since changed.

“At the end of the day, when two men sign a contract, we sign a contract that the one who walks out healthy is the winner. I did my job, I make weight, I show up, and I fight. I didn’t fight to not just lose, I fight to win. I was landing every punch and every kick, and he’s the one who got injured,” De Castro noted. “I don’t know where he got injured, that’s his problem, but he got injured punching me. So that’s a win. I was the healthy man, I was the one who walked out with my hand raised. And that’s a win.”

De Castro had been looking for another win against another champ in the main event of PFL 2, though that has since changed (more on that shortly). That’s the sort of fight he wants, coming into a new promotion — to fight that best. Though he would have said yes regardless.

“Man I tell people all the time, I don’t really say no to fights. I said yes to this fight within two seconds,” the heavyweight recalled. “My manager called me, said ‘we’ve got an opponent, April 7, Ante Delija.'” De Castro’s response was “who’s that?” When he was told it was the defending PFL champ, De Castro immediately agreed. “If you wanna go from one promotion to the other promotion, you should fight the best guy. Front door, fight the best guy, and I want to show that I’m not just here to be one more guy, I’m here to say. Love the fight, I love the match-up and I can’t wait to put on a show April 7.”

Unfortunately, shortly after Yorgan De Castro spoke with Cageside Press, Delija withdrew from the fight. De Castro is now paired up with Denis Goltsov instead.

The 35-yera old is training with the right people regardless — specifically Jon Jones. De Castro helped Jones prepare for the Ciryl Gane fight at UFC 285, and had high praise for the man many consider the GOAT.

“The man is, when it comes to MMA, he is the GOAT of MMA. His fight IQ is different. He works hard even with his Fight IQ,” De Castro stated. “Super strong, very smart. He’s very smart, and he has a lot to offer to this game. I just feel blessed to share the mat with him.”

Jones will be with De Castro in Vegas for PFL 2, with Yorgan heading Albuquerque afterwards to help “Bones” prepare for his next fight, which he let slip is in July. Not exactly a state secret, but that would likely be Jones vs. Stipe.

Watch our full interview with Yorgan De Castro above. “The Mad Titan” makes his promotional debut against Denis Goltsov at PFL 2 on April 7, 2023 in Las Vegas, NV.

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