Genah Fabian vs Larissa Pacheco Preview
The leading wahine of City Kickboxing Genah Fabian fights Larissa Pacheco in the Professional Fighters League on Saturday (NZT) and despite an impressive win in her last fight, Fabian sits 0-1 with negative points in the PFL season. Fabian missed weight for her fight against Julia Budd back in May and this resulted in the loss/negative points but Fabian’s performance suggests that she is once again aiming for a deep run into PFL playoffs.
Fabian's opponent Pacheco is coming off a TKO win from the same card in May which can be stretched out to three consecutive wins via KO/TKO since the start of 2021. Kayla Harrison dominates PFL's wahine division and has won the last two seasons, defeating Pacheco in the 2019 final and Fabian in the 2021 semi-finals. This provides context to where Fabian and Pacheco sit in the PFL; top-tier but not quite on Harrison's level.
Working in favour of Fabian is her return to Aotearoa. While everyone was complaining about Aotearoa, Fabian was quietly stuck in USA and set up base with a few Mixed Martial Arts camps which kept her closer to the PFL mixer. City Kickboxing has connections around the world, plus there is an easy link to PFL kaumatua Ray Sefo which gave Fabian ample opportunities to keep grinding at a high level.
Fabian elevated her mana in the process and her more mahi, less whinging approach was pure Aotearoa excellence. Fabian did miss weight for her last bout while training in USA though and Fabian's return to Auckland not only saw Fabian return to a busy CKB gym, Fabian was also closer to CKB's team of nutritionists, trainers and planning.
This will ensure that Fabian makes weight. Being around other fighters preparing for title fights and the general environment of a world-class team being reunited should boost Fabian's mahi even further. Fabian follows the CKB recipe of exceptional striking and capable grappling, while Pacheco is a powerful striker who is unlikely to present a consistent takedown threat.
Fabian did manage a takedown against Budd and kept Budd's takedown attempts to 1/5. Fabian is taller with longer reach than Pacheco and this could result in Fabian controlling distance, picking her shorts without getting too close to Pacheco's power. Fabian has the CKB quiver of strikes and her range of kicks could be crucial in dictating distance, also taking away some of Pacheco's power.
This is Fabian's third PFL season. While Fabian and Pacheco share losses to Harrison, they are yet to fight each other. Pacheco currently sits at the top of the PFL season ladder and Fabian is stuck at the bottom as the only fighter with negative points. Fabian sits in the group of PFL fighters chasing Harrison and this fight serves as a fantastic opportunity for Fabian to get above zero points, as well as showcasing her championship credentials.
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