Renan Ferreira and Larissa Pacheco made statements on their way to the PFL Championships.
Friday night at The Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, Ferreira faced Maurice Greene in the main event of PFL 8, and “Problema” proved to be just that for Greene finishing him with a rocket of a right hand and a coffin nail just 14 seconds before the end of the first round.
THE RIGHT HAND FROM RENAN FERREIRA #PFLPLAYOFFS pic.twitter.com/1NqRCEYgvc
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) August 19, 2023
The win moves Ferreira to 5-1, 2 No-Contests in the PFL Smartcage and secured his spot in the 2023 Championships which will take place later this year at a date and venue to be announced.
Ferreira was not the only one delivering devastating knockouts on Friday though as in the co-main event, 2022 women’s lightweight champion Larissa Pacheco obliterated Olena Kolesnyk with punches just 14 seconds into the first round, securing her spot in the women’s featherweight final later this year.
LARISSA PACHECO NEEDED LESS THAN 20 SECONDS TO SECURE A TITLE SHOT #PFLPLAYOFFS pic.twitter.com/kmk2sIooC4
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) August 19, 2023
Heading into the fight, Pacheco — who already owned two first-round wins over Kolesnyk —promised a victory in under one minute and she delivered just that, breaking her own record for fastest finish by a woman in the PFL. Pacheco now owns a 11-2 record in the PFL with eight first-round finishes, and should she win the featherweight final later this year, she will become the PFL’s first two-division champion.
In the first heavyweight bout of the evening, Denis Goltsov breezed through Jordan Heiderman, submitting him with a first-round arm-triangle choke to secure his spot in the 2023 heavyweight finals. Despite having qualified for the heavyweight playoffs on three previous occasions, this is Goltsov’s first trip to the finals. He will face Renan Ferreria in the Championships.
Denis Goltsov gets it done in round 1 for a chance at a title #PFLPLayoffs pic.twitter.com/eINuXaUkqF
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) August 19, 2023
In the first women’s featherweight semifinal of the night, Marina Mokhnatkina defeated Amber Leibrock via submission, locking up an armbar just 1:45 into the first round, the fastest submission victory for any woman in PFL history. Mokhnatkina is now 5-1 in the PFL Smartcage with her lone loss coming against Kayla Harrison last year. She will face Larissa Pacheco in the women’s featherweight finals at the PFL Championships.
Marina Mokhnatkina just claimed a title shot #PFLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/6wiQPYV1eO
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) August 19, 2023
In the first fight of the main card, Nathan Kelly used his superior striking to take home a unanimous decision win over Damion Nelson. The win was Kelly’s third under the PFL banner and may well set him up to enter the 2024 featherweight tournament.
Check out the full PFL 8 results below.
Renan Ferreira def. Maurice Greene via KO (punches) — 4:46, Round 1.
Larissa Pacheco def. Olena Kolesnyk via TKO (punches) — 0:14, Round 1.
Denis Goltsov def. Jordan Heiderman via submission (arm-triangle choke) — 4:16, Round 1.
Marina Mokhnatkina def. Amber Leibrock via submission (armbar) — 1:45, Round 1.
Nathan Kelly def. Damion Nelson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28).
Danilo Marques def. Satoshi Ishii via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
Maira Mazar def. Kaytlin Neil via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28).
