Olena Kolesnyk desparate to finish Yoko Higashi at 2023 PFL 5 to secure playoff spot: 'I need to kill her'

Olena Kolesnyk knows a lackluster performance won’t suffice when she steps in the cage against Yoko Higashi at 2023 PFL 5

With two points in the women’s featherweight regular season standings, Kolesnyk (8-5) currently finds herself on the outside looking in on the playoff picture. Depending on how the other fighters in the division play out, she’s almost guaranteed to need a finish when she meets Higashi (8-3) on June 16 at Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta. The card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.

The significance of the moments, and the manner in which she wins, is not lost on Kolesnyk.

“The main goal for right now is the next fight is to get to semifinal,” Kolesnyk told MMA Junkie Radio. To get to semifinal, I need to not just win against the girl – I need to kill her. To kill her as soon as possible, first or second round, to get more points. Of course anything can happen and even the girls who get points, you never know what could happen.

“It’s a girl world. They can be pregnant, they can not make weight, not be in a good mood. These girls got their points bigger than I am now, but who knows what happens in Atlanta, Georgia? From my side, I’ll do my best.”

Kolesnyk managed to make the playoffs in PFL’s 2022 season, but was quickly bounced when she suffered a first-round TKO loss to eventually champion Larissa Pacheco. She’s been keen to right that wrong ever since, but knows she won’t have any chance of facing Pacheco if she doesn’t take care of business in the regular season.

“All I dream about when I wake up and I go to sleep is to make to the semifinal of the PFL,” Kolesnyk said.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for 2023 PFL 5.