PFL Founder: Larissa Pacheco Likely Next Opponent for Bellator Champ Cris 'Cyborg'

It appears that Larissa Pacheco, not Kayla Harrison, will be Cristiane Justino’s first opponent on the heels of Professional Fighters League’s acquisition of Bellator MMA.

Pacheco became the first two-division champion in PFL history when she defeated Marina Mokhnatkina in their featherweight final on Friday night in Washington, D.C. “Cyborg,” meanwhile, is coming off a first-round stoppage of Cat Zingano in a 145-pound title defense at Bellator 300.

Although Harrison has long been mentioned as an opponent for “Cyborg,” PFL founder Donn Davis believes it makes more sense for Pacheco to face Justino first. While Bellator will continue to run separately in 2024, it was announced that there will also be a champions vs. champions event featuring both promotions. That could be the ideal time to book Pacheco vs. Justino. In the meantime, Harrison vs. “Cyborg” isn’t off the table — it will just be planned for a later date.

“It’s champ vs. champ,” Davis told media following the PFL Championship event (video via MMAjunkie.com). “Larissa has earned that. But will Cris then fight Kayla in 2024? One hundred percent. That is going to happen. Cris will have two fights in 2024, Kayla will have two fights in 2024, and one of those will be Cris against Kayla. We think that Larissa has earned that.

“Once again, you have to do champ vs. champ. Cris is the champ of Bellator. Larissa is the champ here. We have to see that fight happen first. Coming out of that, you’ll see Cris Cyborg vs. Kayla Harrison as the next fight in 2024.”

After spending the majority of this past year on the sidelines, Harrison enjoyed a successful return at the PFL Championships, where she took a three-round verdict over Aspen Ladd in a 150-pound catchweight affair. Davis says that Harrison will remain active, even if Pacheco vs. “Cyborg” is booked as planned.

“We will develop a plan for her in the meantime,” Davis said. “Kayla has earned the right to fight the best, and we’ll make sure that she’s happy, and she has really, really good fights.”