It seems like the rivalry for the “Mega Event for Fans 2024 – PFL Champs vs. Bellator Champs is already heating up!
Following a one-year break from the cage, Kayla Harrison won at the 2023 PFL Championships via a unanimous decision win over Aspen Ladd (150-pound catchweight bout). Harrison’s record now stands at 15-1.
PFL founder Donn Davis announced this week that the PFL had officially acquired Bellator to create a Global MMA Powerhouse. On X, PFL Founder Donn Davis also stated “Our fighter roster equal to UFC – both 30% top 25 world ranked fighters”.
PFL’s historic Bellator acquisition was brought up as a topic of discussion in Harrison’s post-fight interview – she was quick to make a call-out without namesdopping to current Bellator Featherweight Champion Cris Cyborg.
“I heard there’s a girl in Bellator who thinks she’s a bad b****,” Harrison said in the cage after her fight. “Well, why don’t we find out?”
Cris Cyborg did respond on X expressing her distate at Kayla Harrison’s choice of words calling her ‘basic’.
In a later post-fight press scrum Harrison said, “I hope she fights me, but if she doesn’t, it’s her loss. It’s the fans’ loss, really, because I think it’s an amazing fight. I respect her… she’s one of the best to ever do it”.
Despite the call-out, Bellator Champ Cris Cyborg has already indicated that she expects to defend her Bellator title against Northern Ireland’s Leah McCourt in Belfast.
On the other hand, MMA fans alike may much rather see Cris Cyborg in a showdown against fellow Brazilian mixed martial artist Larissa Pacheco. At the 2023 PFL Championships Pacheco defeated Marina Mokhnatkina via Unanimous Decision for the PFL Women’s Featherweight World Championship. This win made Pacheco the first fighter in PFL history to win world championships in two weight classes.
Despite all call-outs, it is clear that future fight promotion for the new MMA Powerhouse will provide entertainment.
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