Preview: PFL 2 ‘Pacheco vs. Budd’

The Professional Fighters League’s second event of 2023 will help to officially usher in a new weight class to its season format this Friday inside The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas.

While the women’s featherweight division is a new addition, Larissa Pacheco will be a familiar favorite in the field. Fresh off her massive upset of Kayla Harrison in the 2022 women’s lightweight final, Pacheco returns to 145 pounds for a showdown against former Bellator MMA champion Julia Budd in the PFL 2 main event. Meanwhile, the race at heavyweight appears to be wide open following the exit of defending champion Ante Delija from the PFL 2 card. One former $1 million winner who is back is 2021 heavyweight winner Bruno Cappelozza, who will square off against Mattheus Scheffel in the co-headliner—a rematch of an entertaining matchup a season ago. PFL 2 airs on ESPN and ESPN+ at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, while prelims stream to ESPN+ beginning at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT.

Women’s Featherweights

Larissa Pacheco (19-4, 8-2 PFL) vs. Julia Budd (16-5, 1-2 PFL)

ODDS: Pacheco (-750), Budd (+550)

Pacheco pulled off the upset of 2022 when she defeated Kayla Harrison at the PFL World Championships. After losing eight rounds to the two-time Olympic gold medalist in two previous bouts, Pacheco showed she was more than just a knockout artist, as she held her own with Harrison in the clinch and on the mat. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the Brazilian’s performance was her ability to attack with submissions and strikes from her back after being taken down by Harrison. At 28, Pacheco is just entering the prime of her career, but it will be interesting to see if the cut back down to 145 pounds is an issue after she built her body up to compete at lightweight. Budd, meanwhile, seems to be far removed from her peak as a Top 10 pound-for-pound talent, but there is a case to be made that the former Bellator MMA champ deserved the nod against Aspen Ladd in November. Still, Budd’s current favored style—grinding clinch work, takedowns, positional control—does not lend itself to emphatic victories. With that said, Budd would still be a significant feather in the cap of Pacheco, especially as she begins her pursuit of another $1 million prize in a different weight class.

Her performance against Harrison aside, Pacheco’s strength is her powerful striking, which produced numerous knockouts at 155 pounds. The UFC veteran likes to force exchanges in the pocket, and her right hand and left hook both possess fight-ending power. Budd is a capable muay thai specialist, but her striking has been tentative at best in recent years. Against an aggressive opponent like Pacheco, Budd would much prefer to slow down the pace by tying up her opponent in the clinch and working for takedowns. However, as she showed against Harrison, Pacheco is no easy target in these areas, and it is unlikely a diminished version of Budd will be able to expose any weaknesses. Budd is still fairly durable, but Pacheco will definitely test her chin in exchanges. If the Brazilian cannot put Budd away on the feet, she will at least win a clear-cut decision.

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Pacheco vs. Budd
Cappelozza vs. Scheffel
Goltsov vs. De Castro
Kuniev vs. Ferreira
Ladd vs. Kolesnyk
The Prelims