Kayla Harrison Headlines PFL 6 On Friday

Written By Gage Miskimen on June 29, 2022

The Professional Fighters League is back for its second week in a row.

This time around, the PFL features a couple of pairs of women’s lightweights on its main card including the face of the promotion: Kayla Harrison.

Harrison (13-0 MMA, 13-0 PFL) is looking to keep her unbeaten streak alive against Kaitlin Young (12-12 MMA, 1-2 PFL) in Friday’s main event on ESPN Plus.

Also on the main card, Larissa Pacheco (16-4 MMA, 5-2 PFL) takes on Genah Fabian (5-2 MMA, 4-2 PFL).

Harrison vs Young

Harrison is back again and is in the midst of pursuing her third PFL Lightweight Championship and $1 million check.

Originally, Harrison was supposed to face MMA veteran Julia Budd (16-4 MMA, 1-1 PFL). Budd recently joined the PFL roster after stints with Strikeforce, Invicta, and Bellator. Due to injury, Budd had to back out of the bout.

So now, Harrison will face Young, whose most recent loss came from Budd back in October. Harrison is coming off a decision win against Marina Mokhnatkina in May and is looking to secure her spot once again in the PFL playoffs.

Many were looking forward to the Budd matchup as she may have proven to be Harrison’s toughest test yet in a league where Harrison has typically mowed over her opponents. She has five finishes in her last six bouts over Taylor Guardado, Cindy Dandois, Mariana Morais, Courtney King, and Fabian.

The two-time Olympic gold medalist is of course a judo expert who is strong on her feet and on the ground. Harrison has recorded five knockouts and five submissions in her MMA career, which only began back in June 2018.

The odds are heavily in her favor this week. All of the sportsbooks have Harrison as at least a -1200 favorite with some sportsbooks saying -10000. Young is currently on a two-fight losing streak and a loss to Harrison would put her record at 12-13. She previously fought for Invicta and Rizin.

Young has notable wins over Dandois, Meisha Tate, Latoya Walker, and Reina Miura.

Kayla Harrison

 

Kaitlin Young

31

Age36

5'8''

Height5'9''

155 lbs

Weight155 lbs

66 inches inches

Reach69 inches

Marina Mokhnatkina: W (Dec.)

Last 5Julia Budd: L (Dec.)

Taylor Guardado: W (Sub)

Mariana Morais: L (Dec.)

Genah Fabian: W (TKO)

Cindy Dandois: W (Dec.)

Cindy Dandois: W (Sub

Latoya Walker: W (Dec.)

Mariana Morais: W (TKO)

Pam Sorenson: L (Dec.)

Pacheco vs Fabian

Many MMA fans will probably be more excited to watch a much more intriguing matchup in Pacheco vs Fabian. The two women are great strikers and are more evenly matched than Harrison and Young.

Pacheco has proven to be an impressive force to be reckoned with since joining the PFL in 2019. Four of her five wins have been first-round finishes, including her three most recent bouts. Her only two losses in the PFL have come from Harrison decisions.

Fabian is an accomplished kickboxer with a 7-2 record so she is entirely comfortable with swinging on the feet with Pacheco. Her most recent bout was a win over Budd in May. Prior to that, she lost by TKO to Harrison.

Pacheco is the favorite in most sportsbooks and she has the ability to finish this fight early if she catches Fabian with her brutal power, but don’t be surprised if this fight goes long. Both women are looking to make a statement and get another shot at Harrison in the future.

Genah Fabian

 

Larissa Pacheco

31

Age27

6'0'

Height5'6''

155 lbs

Weight155 lbs

74 inches inches

Reach69 inches

Julia Budd: W (Dec.)

Last 5Zamzagul Fayzallanova: W (TKO)

Kayla Harrison: L (TKO)

Olena Kolesnyk: W (KO)

Julija Pajic: W (TKO)

Julija Pajic: W (TKO)

Laura Sanchez: W (Dec.)

Kayla Harrison: L (Dec.)

Moriel Charneski (TKO: W)

Sarah Kaufmann: W (Dec.)
Photo by Gregory Payan/Associated Press
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Gage Miskimen

Gage Miskimen is a journalist from Marion, Iowa, currently working at the Cedar Rapids Gazette. He graduated from the University of Iowa in 2019 and was editor of the award-winning Daily Iowan. He also previously worked for the Des Moines Register. Gage is a lifelong fan of combat sports and martial arts.

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