Matches to Make After PFL 8

The two heaviest weight classes for men and women were featured at PFL 8 on Friday inside The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York, with the finals now set for men’s heavyweight and women’s featherweight. In the main event, deadly Brazilian striker Renan Ferreira faced Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Maurice Greene. Ferreira had an impressive eight knockouts in 10 victories, most achieved in highlight-reel fashion. He had lost to eventual heavyweight champion Ante Delija in the 2022 tournament but had come back strong this year, needing just 50 seconds to knock out last year’s finalist Matheus Scheffel.

Originally, Greene was not set to be part of the Professional Fighters League postseason. However, after the No. 3 seed Marcelo Nunes withdrew due to injury, he made it in as the No. 5 seed. Amusingly, Greene recorded a second-round standing knockout of Nunes earlier this season before dropping a decision to the aforementioned 2022 champion Delija. Ferreira dominated the first round with superior boxing, beating Greene to the punch, though the American scored some effective oblique kicks, which he likely learned during his time sparring with Jon Jones, who was in his corner. However, it was all for naught. Just before the first round ended, Greene walked into a scorching right cross that dropped him like a sack of potatoes.

In the co-main, 2022 PFL women's lightweight champion Larissa Pacheco sought to add a 2023 featherweight tournament title to her collection when she fought Olena Kolesnyk for a third time. Pacheco had knocked out Kolesnyk at 4:48 of Round 1 in 2021, then improved that mark by punching her out in 2:09 in 2022. Little was expected to change the third time around, with Pacheco being an astronomical -2400 favorite on some books. Indeed, Kolesnyk immediately covered up and slunk to her knees after the first right hand that Pacheco landed, clearly not wanting any part of the fight. It was all over in just 14 seconds.

In the other heavyweight semifinal, top seed Denis Goltsov made quick work of raw Jordan Heiderman. The well-rounded Goltsov, who had knocked out opponents earlier during the PFL season, leaned on his grappling this time. He easily scored a trip in the clinch, advanced position, inflicted heavy ground-and-pound and then finished with an arm-triangle choke just over four minutes into the opening frame.

In the last semifinal, another Russian, Marina Mokhnatkina, also won her fight easily with grappling over an American foe. The 6-foot Amber Leibrock had scored a frequently replayed head kick knockout this season, but her grappling was no match for former sambo champion Mokhnatkina, who easily got her down, advanced to mount and then worked on an armbar that elicited the tap at just 1:45 of the first round.

With the championships set for men’s heavyweight and women’s featherweight, featuring a Brazilian versus a Russian, let us analyze both fights in more detail:

Renan Ferreira vs. Denis Goltsov

Early in the fight, Ferreira will have faster and more accurate boxing, though not by much, as Goltsov is no slouch in this department, recording a blistering 18-second knockout of Yorgan De Castro earlier this season. In fact, Goltsov’s overall boxing technique might be slightly cleaner and he has the superior jab. Still, in the first round, Ferreira is very dangerous and has a chance, though not a big one, of knocking Goltsov out. After the opening frame, however, he becomes significantly less potent. His striking is far less dynamic and he is more susceptible to being taken down. While both decisions were later overturned due to drug violations, this is how Ferreira initially lost verdicts to Klidson Abreu in 2022 and Rizvan Kuniev earlier this year. Goltsov, being a good grappler and smart fighter, will look to tread water in the opening stanza before likely taking over in the next four rounds. It is no guarantee, as Goltsov’s cardio has failed him in five-rounders before, but I would significantly favor him for these reasons, either attaining a late finish or a clear decision.

Larissa Pacheco vs. Marina Mokhnatkina

Mokhnatkina is a skilled grappler whose striking and standup defense have improved over the years. Still, she is smaller and less potent of a wrestler than Kayla Harrison, who easily won a unanimous decision over the Russian fighter in 2022 but lost a close five-round decision to Pacheco in the 2022 PFL Championships. Furthermore, Pacheco is a solid grappler in her own right, with almost as many submission wins (eight) as knockouts (11) on her ledger. She will be difficult to take down and even harder to keep there, let alone submit. While Mokhnatkina may be a better striker these days, she is still too slow, telegraphed and untechnical to offer Pacheco much of a challenge. Even if Mokhnatkina manages to take Pacheco down and keep her there for a round, it is hard to imagine her doing so for all five rounds. Moreover, from previous five-round fights, Pacheco will likely be the one with a cardio advantage. Pacheco will be a huge favorite and rightly so, as she should be able to keep the fight standing, where she will dominate and very likely attain a knockout, likely in the first round.