Larissa Pacheco began life outside of the PFL in strong fashion on Saturday night.
The Brazilian is the first and only two-division champion in PFL history. Under that banner, she also became the only fighter to defeat Kayla Harrison, who now reigns as the UFC bantamweight queen.
Pacheco’s shock PFL release was announced last October, and it did not take long for her to call for a return to MMA’s leading promotion. She went 0-2 in the Octagon during a short UFC stint over a decade ago.
That did not immediately come to fruition, but it may be more likely after what Pacheco did in her Karate Combat debut.
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Larissa Pacheco stakes her claim for a UFC signing in first fight since her PFL release
After Pacheco was signed by Karate Combat, she explained why a UFC return has been delayed.
According to the Brazilian, the promotion viewed her venture to The Pit as a trial run to see if she could cut down to 135 pounds again.
Pacheco’s PFL titles came at lightweight and featherweight, two divisions that do not exist in the UFC for women.
Pacheco successfully made weight, and she followed up that key task by making a statement with her performance on fight night.
At Karate Combat 61 in Miami, Pacheco ran through Julia Stasiuk, a 14-4 kickboxer who won world championships in the UAE and Uzbekistan in 2025.
A brutal right hand seemingly left the Polish fighter wanting out, but the referee did not intervene until she had been viciously knocked down by a tomahawk elbow and pounded with a couple of follow-up shots.
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MMA fans want Larissa Pacheco back in the UFC
It did not take long for the clip of Pacheco’s brutal performance in the Karate Combat Pit to spread around the MMA community.
After seeing the knockout, many are now calling for Dana White to bring the Brazilian back to the UFC, where a potential reunion with longtime rival Harrison could be on the cards.
“That was hard to watch. Wish Pacheco was in the UFC.”
“Why is she not in the UFC?”
“This fight was at 135 (pounds) as well, so UFC what are you waiting for?”
“If Kayla beats (Amanda) Nunes, it’s the fight to make.”
“Kinda crazy she was at 155, now can make 135. Gotta see her in UFC.”
“She looks fit, way more cut than she was in PFL. Hey @danawhite and @ufc.”
Others, though, were less impressed and were more critical of the matchup Pacheco was given for her Karate Combat debut.
“Shameful matchmaking.”
“Why did they have her fight a lunch lady?”
“They could’ve at least made it fair and tied one of Pacheco’s arms behind her back.”
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