Preview: PFL 9, 2022 Playoffs

Lightweights

Larissa Pacheco (17-4, 6-2 PFL) vs. Helena Kolesnyk (7-4, 1 NC, 2-2 PFL)

ODDS: Pacheco (-700); Kolesnyk (+450)

Pacheco’s history with Kayla Harrison is well-documented, and all signs seem to be pointing toward a third meeting between the Brazilian and the two-time Olympic gold medalist. First, Pacheco must get past Kolesnyk in a rematch of a 2021 regular season bout. In that matchup, the lightweights brawled willingly, and it was actually Kolesnyk who had Pacheco on the defensive in the early going with an aggressive approach. However, the Ukrainian doesn’t have the type of power in her hands to truly give Pacheco pause and her willingness to trade ultimately allowed the UFC veteran to score the knockout with a massive two-punch combination. Making it even more impressive is that fact that Pacheco was moving backward while landing the decisive blows.

That performance has been typical of Pacheco’s PFL tenure. Outside of two lopsided decision losses to Harrison in 2019, Pacheco has been a buzzsaw, earning five of her six triumphs by KO or TKO inside of a round. It’s important to note that Pacheco was just a raw 20 year old when she suffered losses to Jessica Andrade and Germaine de Randamie in the UFC, and she is still just 27 now — what should be the peak of her physical prime. The Joao Bastos Team representative is still a heavy-handed power puncher with solid takedowns and a decent array of submissions, but she appears to be maximizing her talents at just the right time.

Kolesnyk, meanwhile, entered the 2022 season on a four-bout skid, but she has been durable and tenacious in capturing decision triumphs over Abigail Montes and Vanessa Melo. The latter was especially encouraging, as Kolesnyk eschewed her brawling approach in favor of a more technical game plan. With Melo plodding forward, “Cannon” was able to circle out of danger while consistently landing her jab and low kicks. Kolesnyk lacks the firepower to go toe-to-toe with Pacheco, so she must resist the temptation to engage in a slugfest in hopes of dragging the fight into the later rounds. That could frustrate Pacheco, who has grown accustomed to the quick finish of late. Still, this seems like wishful thinking to expect Kolesnyk to keep an aggressive, talented opponent at bay for 15 minutes. Expect Pacheco to keep the momentum rolling with another finish, though it may happen outside of the opening stanza this time.

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Harrison vs. Jindrova
Wade vs. Loughnane
Pacheco vs. Kolesnyk
Kudo vs. Jenkins
Main Card
Qualifiers
Prelims