Cyborg: Harrison ‘Knows She Ran Away’

“If she’s in a running competition, she’s gonna win.”

Cris “Cyborg” Justino vs. Kayla Harrison was never meant to be.

The former two-time PFL lightweight champion Harrison parted ways with her longtime MMA home earlier this year. In her typical dominant fashion, Harrison showed no effects of the new weight cut to 135 pounds when she made her UFC debut against the former champion Holly Holm at UFC 300 in April. Harrison won the bout via a second-round rear-naked choke (watch highlights).

Before Harrison’s departure, the timing appeared to align better than ever for the matchup between her and Bellator featherweight queenpin Cyborg. The promotion had discussed and teased the possibility of it with nothing coming to fruition, whether for a Cyborg clash or a fourth Larissa Pacheco showdown, which Cyborg believes Harrison wanted no part of.

“She likes to run,” Cyborg told MMA Mania. “For sure, if she’s in a running competition, she’s gonna win. Let’s see, I don’t know what’s gonna happen next for her.

“She knows she ran away. From Pacheco and from me. Her last loss was to Pacheco, she said, ‘I don’t want this again.’ Let’s see what’s gonna happen.”

Cyborg, 38, has yet to debut in her new promotion since it acquired Bellator in late 2023. Fights have continued to take place under the Bellator banner with title fights following suit. In the case of Cyborg, she’s been slated to take on the most recent PFL featherweight champion Pacheco since the year started.

Not yet officially announced by the PFL, Cyborg is now more confident than ever that she’ll be getting back in the cage after recently signing a bout agreement.

“I just signed my new bout agreement for my next fight,” Cyborg said. “It’s gonna be Larissa Pacheco in September. I’m very excited, people very excited, too. We’re both Brazilians, she’s the champion in PFL, and they say September. I say thank you, Mike Kogan. Thank you, kingdom of Saudi Arabia for making this fight happen. I’m very excited.”

Bellator 300 marked Cyborg’s last MMA appearance when she finished Cat Zingano with strikes in round one this past October (watch highlights). The legend has since extended her boxing record to 3-0 when she defeated Kelsey Wickstrum via first-round knockout in January. Cyborg seeks win No. 4 as a boxer against Aria Wild at Crypto Fight Week in London, England this weekend (Sat., June 15, 2024).

“I was supposed to fight in Green Bay, the fight got canceled,” Cyborg said. “So, this event, they got in contact with my team. I had 18 days short notice, but I had already been training, already ready. So, this worked perfect.

“I’ve never fought in London, I’ve never come to London. So, it was a great opportunity.”

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