In a shocking turn of events, Larissa Pacheco defeated Kayla Harrison for the PFL lightweight title. Pacheco handed Harrison her first career loss and took the title from the two-time champion. With her win in the PFL Championship main event, Pacheco also secured the million-dollar prize money.
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Harrison had established herself as a dominant force in women’s MMA. This shocking defeat surprised many pros and fans who shared their reactions on social media.
Pros react to Kayla Harrison losing in PFL main event
Kayla Harrison missed out on a third title defense and a million-dollar check with her loss. Prior to her fight, she had expressed her interest in fighting Amanda Nunes and Cris Cyborg.
via Getty
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – AUGUST 11: Kayla Harrison of United States celebrates his gold medal after the final women’s -78kgs at Carioca Arena 2 during Day 6 of the 2016 Rio Olympics on August 11, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Xavier Laine/Getty Images)
However, this loss will halt those talks for a while. After Harrison’s surprising defeat, Cyborg sent an insightful and encouraging message to the former champion.
Tonight will only make Judo Kayla a better fighter. One thing I learned after going 14 years undefeated is that sometimes you need to lose to become your best.
Kayla will be back and she will grow from this experience. Congrats @pachecolarissa_ you are a real World Champion ❤️
— CrisCyborg.Com (@criscyborg) November 26, 2022
One fan was glad that the judges gave the nod to Pacheco.
Thank god they got it right. I don't see how you could give Harrison three rounds. What a fucking upset for Larissa Pacheco, unreal
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) November 26, 2022
Former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman gave props to Pacheco for her wrestling defense. Similarly, UFC fighter Casey O’Neill also gave props to Pacheco’s wrestling defense and relentless pressure.
Panchecos wrestling defense was impressive.
— Chris Weidman (@chrisweidman) November 26, 2022
Larissa clearly worked hard ! wrestling defense was very very impressive, didn’t give Kayla any time to rest. Now she’s the Queen. What a fight 🤯 #PFLWorldChampionships
— Casey Oneill (@kingcaseymma) November 26, 2022
Budding UFC lightweight Terrance McKinney said how Pacheco deserved her victory.
What a crazy fight that was a war she earned that check congrats Pacheco
— Terrance ‘T Wrecks’ McKinney (@twrecks155) November 26, 2022
Another MMA fan pointed out how Harrison focusing on Nunes and Cyborg may have cost her the undefeated streak.
All that shit talk on Cyborg and Amanda caught up to her
— Heavyweight Thanos (@MMAThanos) November 26, 2022
One MMA Twitter member pointed out this is only the latest MMA upset of 2022.
2022 in MMA has been fucking nuts
— Alex Behunin (@AlexBehunin) November 26, 2022
UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling gave his two cents on the fight. He congratulated both fighters for their performance.
Wow! Well earned! Great fight! #PFLWorldChampionship
— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) November 26, 2022
For Chael Sonnen, it was clear as day who won the fight. He expressed frustration with the decision about what he saw.
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What do you suppose the reasoning for pretending this is a hard decision is? There is nothing even slightly hard about who won this fight.
— Chael Sonnen (@ChaelSonnen) November 26, 2022
Harrison’s loss is the latest in a long list of upsets this year in MMA. This might keep her away from Cris Cyborg and Amanda Nunes’ type of conversations now.
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Read More– VIDEO: Ronda Rousey and Kayla Harrison Sparring From the Vault
What are your thoughts on Harrison losing? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
