BREAKING | PFL unveils women’s lightweight roster, featuring Kayla Harrison, Sarah Kaufman and others

The Professional Fighters League (PFL) has officially announced the roster for its women’s lightweight division.

The league announced this news on its official website early on Friday afternoon.

As we already knew, the division will include former Olympic judoka and established PFL star Kayla Harrison. Harrison will be joined on the PFL roster by former Strikeforce and UFC star Sarah Kaufman, and six other top fighters from around the world.

Women’s Lightweight Division:

Kayla Harrison (USA):  Harrison became the first U.S. athlete to take home judo gold at the Olympic Games when she conquered London in 2012.   She made history a second time, defending her Olympic title at the Rio Games in 2016.   Harrison made her MMA debut with the PFL in 2018, going 3-0 with two knockouts and a submission. 

Sarah Kaufman (Canada): Kaufman is the most experienced fighter in the women’s lightweight division with 20 victories and 25 career fights, half by knockout.  Over the course of her career Kaufman has held the Invicta FC Bantamweight title and was the first Strikeforce women’s Bantamweight champion. 

 Genah Fabian (New Zealand): Fabian, nicknamed “Fabioso,” won the women’s Muaythai Council 2018 World Title. A natural athlete, Fabian competed in track and field and rowing before training in Muay Thai and starting her MMA pro career.  Fabian is a dangerous striker, looking to build on her 1-0 MMA record. 

Bobbi Jo Dalziel (Canada): Standing at six feet, the tallest competitor in the women’s lightweight division, Dalziel enters this season undefeated with a 4-0 record.    Three of those victories were by knockout, including one via a brutal head kick.  She served active military duty for seven years. 

Svetlana Khautova (Russia):  Khautova made her MMA debut in 2016, winning by second-round knockout.  She is a relative newcomer, which is hard for opponents to scout and prepare.  She has a grappling heavy approach and she’ll be looking to take down all PFL challengers. 

Roberta Samad (Brazil): Hailing from Brazil, Samad has a 4-1 career MMA record, three wins by knockout and another by submission, earning the nickname, “Crush.”  Samad stepped away from fighting following her only career loss, becoming a mother and relocating to the US, and is eager to return with the PFL. 

Larissa Pacheco (Brazil): Born and raised in Marituba, Brazil, Pacheco first found her love of martial arts when she began Muay Thai at the age of 15. At age 19, Pacheco became the youngest UFC pro fighter in 2014. After suffering a broken arm in a fight, Pacheco made her return to the cage in 2018, a second-round win by guillotine choke. Pacheco has amassed 11 career MMA wins, seven by submission.

Morgan Frier (USA): Nicknamed “Mad Dog,” Frier has won her last four fights all by first-round stoppage in less than a minute, which bodes well under the PFL’s proprietary scoring system. Frier is a U.S. Army veteran hailing from California. 

These women will compete over the course of the upcoming PFL season. The winner will be crowned the PFL lightweight champion and be handed a $1M check.

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 3/8/2019.