The Professional Fighters League is back with more announcements regarding their upcoming second season. Previously, they announced the defending champions and finalists from season one that will return for season two. Their most recent announcements are the seven other fighters who will be joining Kayla Harrison in the women’s lightweight division. Among the notable fighters are Sarah Kaufman, former champion in Invicta FC and Strikefoce, as well as former UFC fighter Larissa Pacheco.
PFL Women’s Lightweight Divsion
Sarah Kaufman
Sarah Kaufman is a well known name in women’s MMA. She is known for being the first ever Strikeforce women’s bantamweight champion. Kaufman defended the belt once before losing it to Marloes Coenen. Kaufman struggled in the UFC, going 1-2-1 in the promotion before moving on to Invicta. Since the change, Sarah Kaufman has been performing better than ever. She is 3-0 since then, and won the Invicta bantamweight title in her most recent fight.
The size change will likely be the biggest issue for Sarah Kaufman in her move to the lightweight division. Her record in professional fights is an impressive 20-4-1. But, all of those fights have come in the bantamweight division. It will be worth keeping an eye on how Sarah Kaufman handles women with a significant size advantage over her.
Larissa Pacheco
Other than Kayla Harrison and maybe Sarah Kaufman, Larissa Pacheco is perhaps the most intriguing name in this division. Her career record is 11-2, with seven wins coming via submission and the other four via knockout. Pacheco’s only two professional losses came in the UFC, to strawweight title challenger Jessica Andrade and former featherweight champion Germaine de Randamie. After a three year hiatus, Pacheco returned and won her return fight. That was enough to land her a spot in The Ultimate Fighter 28. There, she would suffer another letdown. She was knocked out by Macy Chiasson in the first round. After underperforming under the bright lights, Pacheco will be looking to bounce back with a shot at one million dollars on the line.
Other Fighters
Kayla Harrison, Sarah Kaufman, and Larissa Pacheco will be joined by five other fighters in the division. Two of the remaining fighters have muay thai backgrounds- Genah Fabian and Svetlana Khautova. Joining them are kickboxer Bobbi-Jo Dalziel and former Bellator MMA fighter Roberta Samad. Topping off the list is Morgan Frier, a prospect who is 4-1 in Gladiator Challenge, a California promotion.