MMA News Roundup: Fighter accuses UFC of having "discount Conor McGregors," Kayla Harrison suffers first loss at star-studded PFL affair, Joe Rogan not a fan of Dana White's new league
Welcome to today's edition of Sportskeeda's daily MMA News Roundup, where we present the biggest UFC updates and other stories from the world of mixed martial arts.
In today's issue, we talk about a former UFC fighter accusing the promotion of focusing too much on entertainment, Joe Rogan giving his opinion on Dana White's new Power Slap League, and more.
#3. Aspen Ladd criticizes UFC's promotion-heavy approach
After being cut from the UFC due to repeated weight misses, Aspen Ladd found a home in the PFL. Fresh off her win over fellow ex-UFC fighter Julia Budd on her promotional debut, Ladd criticized fighters for seeking attention and acting in a way that's not genuine:
"There’s a lot of discount Conor [McGregors] these days and they’re doing it just because they want the attention, but it’s so insincere... It would be amazing if we were just basically judged on the merits of what we do... But we’re not, it’s an entertainment sport." [H/t: MMA Fighting]
Ladd heaped praise on the PFL for keeping it focused on merit and not making it necessary for fighters to build a name on the basis of their self-promotional skills. She also took a shot at Amanda Nunes and said that the women's featherweight division in the UFC solely exists to make sure 'The Lioness' has two belts.
#2. Kayla Harrison loses to Larissa Pacheco
Larissa Pacheco avenged her previous two losses by clinching an upset decision win over Kayla Harrison at the 2022 PFL World Championship. The event was attended by the who's who of the MMA world, including Khamzat Chimaev, Georges St-Pierre, Henry Cejudo, and Aljamain Sterling.
In a clinical performance, Pacheco handed Harrison the first loss of her MMA career and secured a score of 48-47 across the board.
Starting the night as a massive underdog, Pacheco showed no fear in going to the ground with the two-time Olympic gold medalist judoka. The result of this fight will almost certainly push the PFL to set up a quadrilogy, even though Harrison has said she doesn't want to compete in the tournament format again.
After Harrison's loss, Cris Cyborg took a jab at PFL head Donn Davis, who wanted to set the two up for a $3 million superfight.
twitter.com/donndavispfl/s…
I think @DonnDavisPFL owes @pachecolarissa_ a back room bonus she just saved the @PFLMMA 3 million dollars. 😅 twitter.com/donndavispfl/s…
Despite Harrison making some less than respectful comments about Cyborg in a recent appearance on The MMA Hour, Cyborg had words of advice for her.
Tonight will only make Judo Kayla a better fighter. One thing I learned after going 14 years undefeated is that sometimes you need to lose to become your best.
Kayla will be back and she will grow from this experience. Congrats @pachecolarissa_ you are a real World Champion ❤️
#1. Dana White's Power Slap League not Joe Rogan's "cup of tea"
Dana White's new combat sports venture Power Slap League will debut on TBS in early 2023 and the UFC president feels it could be a major draw. However, Joe Rogan is not sold on the idea.
Speaking with Sean O'Malley on his JRE podcast, Rogan said that he will be watching the league. However, he has his misgivings about the product and would much rather watch a UFC fight instead:
"I love Dana [White] and I would be a hypocrite if I said I wouldn't watch this, because I will watch it - but this is not my cup of tea. What I like is problem solving. I like puzzles. What I like is [Sean O'Malley] versus [Petr] Yan. This f***ing Russian assassin is rushing the gates and you're kicking and moving away and jab at him. That's what I like. I love technique." [H/t: MMA Junkie]
In a press conference earlier this month, White predicted the league to do well on television as well as social media. The NSAC chairman expressed some concerns about the league in a committee meeting couple of weeks ago that were addressed by Hunter Campbell.