Larissa Pacheco says the UFC has declined to sign her, even after she made bantamweight and scored a knockout win at Karate Combat in Miami as part of a push to return to the promotion.
The former two-division PFL season winner became a free agent in 2025 following a five-round featherweight bout with Cris Cyborg in October 2024 that ended her 10-fight winning streak. She and her manager then began actively campaigning for a UFC deal at 135 pounds.
“Sam got in touch with Mick, sent him an email, pitched everything he could,” Pacheco said. “But the response was, ‘I’m not interested but thank you.’ And that was it.”
Pacheco, who previously fought in the UFC starting at age 19, believes her body of work since leaving the promotion should be enough. “I’ve already campaigned to get in, I’ve already shown my value. Since I left, which was 11 years ago, I’ve shown my evolution as an athlete. I beat their champion. I knocked out Irene [Aldana] and submitted Karol Rosa, who are girls ranked in their division. I don’t know what else I have to do for them to sign me. That answer was very clear to me.”
Her manager Sam Lee echoed that stance. “Larissa’s exclusion doesn’t make sense to anyone,” Lee said, adding, “Her work ethic and record speak for themselves — she holds a win over the current UFC champion, has knocked out Irene and submitted Karol, and has never turned down a fight or handpicked an opponent.”
Pacheco is currently living in Sao Paulo and training with Demian Maia and Lucas Martins while her team continues to seek a UFC contract.
