During the post-event press conference following UFC 307, Dana White was asked about the Professional Fighters League using Kayla Harrison’s fight on Saturday night at UFC 307 as an opportunity to hype Larissa Pacheco, the woman who handed the two-time Olympian her only professional loss as a mixed martial artist.
Harrison had defeated Pacheco twice before her loss in 2022, but the organization had hoped the former would re-sign for another fight with the latter and potentially Cris Cyborg. White didn’t hold back his harsh opinions on the world’s second-biggest mixed martial arts organization.
The UFC President said bluntly, “They’re drowning. They suck. They’re not good at what they do.”
Here is a look at the clip.
White and PFL President Donn Davis have been engaging in a war of words over the past year that has gotten increasingly more consistent. White uses the promotion’s name more than he used to, which could signify that the PFL is becoming a more formidable player in the mixed martial arts landscape.
I do not believe the PFL is a legitimate threat to the UFC yet. Still, the promotion’s ability to sign solid young fighters like Paul Hughes, Dakota Ditcheva, and other top prospects speaks to their legitimacy.
Quite honestly, it all began with the PFL being able to pry Francis Ngannou away from the UFC. That move was monumental in combat sports, and we’re still learning about its full impact.
As it is, UFC 307 was a significant financial success, according to the records that were shared following the event. The PPV drew more than 18,000 fans at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, and the gate exceeded $5 million.
Harrison won her fight and should be the next challenger in the women’s bantamweight championship. The win over Ketlen Vieira pushed Harrison to No. 2 in the UFC’s women’s bantamweight rankings.
That title changed hands on the card as Julianna Pena dethroned Raquel Pennington in a hard-fought co-main event fight.
We’ll see if the PFL has something cooked up for the next time Harrison fights. Here is a look at all of the results from the UFC 307 card.
UFC 307 Pay-Per-View card Results
- (c) Alex Pereira def. Khalil Rountree Jr. via TKO in Round 4 – Pereira retains the UFC light heavyweight championship.
- Julianna Peña def. (c) Raquel Pennington via split decision (29-28×2, 28-29) – Pena wins the UFC women’s bantamweight championship
- Mario Bautista def. Jose Aldo via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Roman Dolidze def. Kevin Holland via TKO at 5:00 of Round 1 (Holland was Injured in the first round and couldn’t continue)
- Kayla Harrison def. Ketlen Vieira via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
UFC 307 Preliminary Card Results
- Joaquin Buckley def. Stephen Thompson via KO at 2:17 of Round 3
- Iasmin Lucindo def. Marina Rodriguez via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Alexander Hernandez def. Austin Hubbard via split decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28)
- Cesar Almeida def. Ihor Potieria via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
UFC 307 Early Preliminary Card Results
- Ryan Spann def. Ovince Saint Preux via submission at 1:35 of Round 1 (Guillotine)
- Tecia Pennington defeats Carla Esparza via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Court McGee defeats Tim Means via submission at 3:19 of Round 1 (Rear-Naked Choke)
