UFC Matchmaker Passes on Signing Only Fighter to Defeat UFC Champion Kayla Harrison

Should the UFC reconsider signing this veteran to bolster the women's bantamweight division?

Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

UFC matchmaker Mick Maynard is unexpectedly dominating MMA headlines this week for all the wrong reasons.

Following last weekend’s UFC Perth event that saw Carlos Prates batter former welterweight titleholder Jack Della Maddalena en route to a third-round TKO, a torrid stretch of the UFC’s 2026 schedule continues this weekend when UFC 328 takes place at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ.

The world’s leading MMA promotion returns home to Las Vegas the following weekend for a UFC Fight Night headlined by Arnold Allen and Melquizael Costa, which precedes the first Saturday without a UFC event since February 14.

UFC Matchmaker Mick Maynard Passes on Signing Larissa Pacheco

Unrelated to the buildup for this weekend’s title bouts featuring Khamzat Chimaev vs. Sean Strickland and Joshua Van vs. Tatsuro Taira, two-time UFC veteran and 2022 PFL tournament winner Larissa Pacheco has made headlines by sharing her recent correspondence with UFC matchmaker Maynard.

The 31-year-old has been actively campaigning for a return to the UFC since being released from her PFL contract, but during a recent interview with Ag Fight she revealed a dismissive email from Maynard after reaching out about the possibility of fighting in the women's bantamweight division.

Larissa Pacheco shared her recent email correspondence with Mick Maynard. | (Ag Fight)

“I am not interested but thank you” (h/t @Pelunaton)

Larissa Pacheco Upset Kayla Harrison During 10-Fight PFL Win Streak

Following a 10-0 start to her professional MMA career that included a knockout of future UFC title challenger Irene Aldana in a Jungle Fight title bout, Pacheco joined the UFC in 2014 but exited the promotion after being stopped by Jessica Andrade and Germaine de Randamie.

Larissa Pacheco (red) fights Germaine de Randamie (blue) in the womens bantamweight bout during UFC 185 at American Airlines Center. | Tim Heitman-Imagn Images

Pacheco returned to Brazil and defeated current UFC fighter Karol Rosa to claim the WOCS featherweight belt before earning an invitation to The Ultimate Fighter 28, where she was stopped by Macy Chiasson in her first fight on the show. Joining the PFL the following year, the Brazilian dropped
her debut to current UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Kayla Harrison.

The 31-year-old rebounded with back-to-back wins but also fell to Harrison in the finals of the 2019 PFL women’s lightweight tournament. Returning to action in 2021, Pacheco knocked out five-straight opponents before scoring a massive upset against Harrison in the 2022 PFL tournament finals, which stands as the only loss of Harrison’s MMA career.

Larissa Pacheco defeated Kayla Harrison in their third meeting in 2022. | (PFL)

Pacheco went on to also win the 2023 PFL women’s featherweight tournament and bring her winning run to ten fights before dropping a decision to former UFC and Bellator titleholder Cris Cyborg in a “PFL Super Fights” title bout.

The former PFL star returned to action for the first time since that loss to Cyborg at last weekend’s Karate Combat 61, where she stopped Julia Stasiuk in a fight that many combat sports fans have criticized as being a significant mismatch.