Larissa Pacheco vs Olena Kolesnyk Betting Analysis and Prediction
To add to the stacked MMA schedule this weekend, the reigning PFL women’s featherweight champion Larissa Pacheco is set to take on Olena Kolesnyk in the semifinals in New York.
The winner of this bout will secure their spot in the finals later this year. And also fight for the $1 million grand prize.
Read more for the Larissa Pacheco vs Olena Kolesnyk betting analysis and prediction ahead of making your MMA picks this week.
Larissa Pacheco vs. Olena Kolesnyk
Location of the fight: The Theater at Madison Square Garden, New York, NY.
Date and Time: Friday, August 18. 9:00 PM ET
How to Watch: ESPN+
Pacheco is coming off an impressive 45-second TKO win over Amber Leibrock, another semifinalist.
Kolesnyk won a unanimous decision over Yoko Higashi in her last bout to end the 2023 regular season with a 2-0 record.
Pacheco is a 28-year-old Brazilian mixed martial artist. With a professional record of 21-4 with 10 KOs and eight submissions under her belt. She has dominated the PFL featherweight division since signing with the company in 2019. Accumulating a PFL record of 10-2, with her only two losses coming from Kayla Harrison.
Pacheco defeated the No. 1 seed Sarah Kaufman in the 2019 playoffs and was the runner-up that season as well. She finally got over the hump and defeated Kayla Harrison in last year’s final, winning the $1 million check.
She is much more dangerous than any woman on the roster. With a max punch speed clocked in at over 25 MPH, which is ranked in the top 10 of all male fighters as well.
Kolesnyk is a very skilled combat sports athlete from Ukraine with a professional MMA record of 9-5 with four TKOs and one submission under her belt.
She is a former Ukrainian Karate and Thai boxing champion before stepping into the MMA world. Kolesnyk can hold her own physically, with Pacheco standing at 5’9” and having a 68” reach.
No injuries have been reported to the PFL.
The Larissa Pacheco vs Olena Kolesnyk betting analysis doesn’t quite capture all the aspects of this fight. One important thing to note is that Pacheco has already knocked Kolesnyk out early in the first round twice in the last two years.
According to MMA odds, Pacheco is coming in as the massive -1200 betting favorite over the +800 Kolesnyk. This bout is heavily favored to be over pretty quickly, most likely in round 1. Pacheco is actually -170 to win inside round 1. The over 1.5 round total is at +240.
On the technical side of this matchup, it seems like this fight won’t be super technical for either woman. They both like to get busy from the opening bell, and this fight has a chance to be over very quickly.
The advantage goes to Pacheco in that style of fight every time because of her toughness, hand speed, and power.
Kolesnyk was really putting pressure on Pacheco in their last meeting but was getting beat to the punch after throwing a lot of long, winging punches. If Kolesnyk wants a chance to land more in the pocket, she needs to throw more straight punches.
After breaking down the Larissa Pacheco vs Olena Kolesnyk betting analysis and seeing the very one-sided betting odds, making MMA picks for a fight like this is very difficult.
You should look at this like a men’s heavyweight bout because of the power and danger of both of these women inside the cage.
- But the official prediction is that Pacheco gets the job done inside round 1.
She even said this week to the media that she would be surprised if it lasted more than a minute.
The only way that Kolesnyk can win is if this fight goes past one or two rounds and Kolesnyk is in incredible shape. This might be the time when Pacheco cut corners in training camp, knowing she can get the job done fairly easily.
Take Pacheco in round 1 at -170 for the smartest bet. If you have belief in Kolesnyk, maybe she lasts 1.5 rounds, and that over hits at +240.
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