Cris Cyborg is officially the queen of PFL.
In a battle of two of the world’s best women’s featherweights, Cyborg (28-2) defeated Larissa Pacheco (23-5) by unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46). The bout was the co-main event of PFL: Battle of the Giants at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The bout was carnage-filled. Both women possessed power not often seen. Even though Cyborg was victorious, she sported nasty gashes above each eye that the Mohegan Sun Tribe Department of Athletic Regulation officials repeatedly checked between rounds.
The fight mostly took place on the feet. Both women paced themselves, siding with quality over quantity. Cyborg landed some big shots in Round 1, but Pacheco shook off the cobwebs and kept going.
Midway through Round 2, Pacheco pulled for a guillotine on Cyborg. It was tight, but from half guard. Cyborg escaped and the fight progressed forward.
Cuts over BOTH eyebrows heading into the 3rd round!
[ #PFLSuperFights | #BraceForImpact | BUY NOW | https://t.co/kWyJTEGRvW | https://t.co/2BtPH3wso4 ] pic.twitter.com/IWluB9UoGN
— PFL (@PFLMMA) October 19, 2024
For the final three rounds, Cyborg and Pacheco traded barbs. Both women absorbed brutal strikes, but largely maintained their poker faces – even if they were covered in blood.
Upon the official decision, Cyborg swept the scorecards and maintained her spot as one of the toughest women to ever competed inside a cage.
Cyborg’s win comes in her first competition since October 2023. She was outspoken against her inactivity heavily since the PFL-Bellator merger. The victory was her eighth in a row.
Pacheco has a 10-fight winning streak snapped. Prior to Saturday, she had not lost since a 2019 defeat to Kayla Harrison.
Up-to-the-minute PFL: Battle of the Giants results include:
- Cris Cyborg def. Larissa Pacheco via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46) – for women’s featherweight superfights title
- Johnny Eblen def. Fabian Edwards via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47) – for Bellator middleweight title
- Zafar Mohsen def. Husein Kadimagomaev via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Paul Hughes def. A.J. McKee via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Raufeon Stots def. Marcos Breno via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 3:01
- Makkasharip Zaynukov def. Dedrek Sanders via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)
- Ibragim Ibragimov def. Nacho Campos via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Taha Bendaoud def. Tariq Ismail via submission (triangle choke) – Round 2, 3:51
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL: Battle of the Giants.
