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Last fighter to beat Kayla Harrison begs the UFC to sign her: ‘I don’t know what else I need to do’
Photo by Amy Kaplan/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Photo by Amy Kaplan/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Larissa Pacheco has issued a complaint about the lack of opportunities she has been offered since being snubbed by the UFC.

The former PFL lightweight champion left the promotion last October, resulting in calls from the fans for the UFC to sign Pacheco.

Despite calls from fans, though, the UFC rejected the Brazilian star and she revealed an email she was sent from matchmaker Mick Maynard, telling her they are not interested in her.

Those calls intensified, though, when Pacheco scored a tomahawk elbow KO in Karate Combat, once again showing that she is one of the best female fighters on the planet.

Which other promotion would you sign with?🤔

The MMA landscape is arguably in the best position its ever been in with there being several big options outside of the UFC.

The landscape of MMA is arguably in the best position ever
The landscape of MMA is arguably in the best position ever. Credit: Alex Menendez/Getty Images/MisfitsBoxing/Sarah Stier

Pacheco complains about the lack of offers after being initially rejected by the UFC

UFC fans are familiar with Pacheco because of her tenure in the PFL, and during her time in the promotion, she beat Kayla Harrison in 2022 to become the lightweight champion. And it is because of her win over the current UFC women’s bantamweight champion why fans wanted the promotion to sign her, to potentially continue her rivalry with Harrison.

Despite that, the promotion continues to snub the 32-year-old and because of the UFC rejecting her, Pacheco has claimed that she hasn’t received many other offers from other promotions. “I don’t know what else I need to do to have an opportunity, I’m not asking for a title fight,” Pacheco told MMAFighting.

“I’m not asking to get into the UFC and fight Amanda (Nunes) or Kayla. I’m not asking for that. I’m asking for an opportunity to show what I can still do in the sport, you know? To show everything I’ve still got. To pursue the best fight, the best knockout, the best submission and deliver a kind of war I’ve always delivered.

“The market has kind of closed its doors on me, you know? I know I’m a high-level athlete and that I have what it takes to compete in the UFC… It’s kind of frustrating, you know? It’s sad, it actually makes me really sad,” she continued.

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It seems as though over the past few years, though, the UFC has changed the way they run their promotion. Earlier this week, the UFC cut undefeated 16-0 fighter, Farid Basharat, from their roster, which resulted in uproar from the fans. That came just a few weeks after the UFC released Michael Page despite his four-fight win streak in the promotion.

Despite that, it is clear that Pacheco could be a much needed addition to the women’s bantamweight division, if she was able to make weight, as 19 of her 23 professional wins have come by way of a finish. In her last fight, she made 135lbs for the first time since 2014.

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