Tonight at PFL 3, we saw the women’s lightweight division kick off their season. All eyes were on the two-time defending champion and two-time Olympic Gold Medalist Kayla Harrison (8-0).
Harrison took on Mariana Morais (16-10) in the co-main event of the evening. Another matchup I was really looking forward to was the matchup between the 2019 runner-up Larissa Pacheco (14-4) and Julija Pajic (2-1).
Pacheco has only lost to Kayla Harrison and former UFC champions in her career. She’s extremely dangerous and I think she’s the one lightweight in this tournament that can hang with Kayla Harrison.
She proved that tonight at PFL 3. It was clear that Pajic had no business being in there with Pacheco. Pacheco dropped Pajic just seconds into the fight with a beautiful left hook. From there, Pacheco was methodical in beating Pajic up on the ground.
Finally, just about a minute into the round, the referee called a stop to the action. A dominant six-point finish for Larissa Pacheco at PFL 3. As mentioned, many people think she can be a threat to Kayla Harrison and she showed why tonight.
Harrison continues PFL dominance
As mentioned, the co-main event of the evening featured the two-time PFL lightweight champion Kayla Harrison. In eight professional fights, nobody has been able to stop Kayla Harrison. Harrison is hoping to pick up her third PFL championship in 2021.
Standing in her way was Mariana Morais who has been in there with UFC caliber talent. While Harrison was the massive favorite at PFL 3, Morais was expected to provide a little bit of a challenge.
However, like all of the opponents before her, Morais had no answer for Harrison. Harrison immediately pressured Morais and was able to get a body lock. Once she got the body lock, she was able to take Morais down and she immediately got the mount.
After Harrison got the mount, it was over in seconds. The two-time PFL champion makes her 2021 season debut in incredibly impressive fashion with a first round TKO.