Motivated Amber Leibrock Confident She Can Get Her Hand Raised Over Larissa Pacheco

After signing with the Professional Fighters League, Amber Leibrock found the perfect place to be in her personal and professional life.

Leibrock (7-4, 1-0 PFL) scored an impressive first-round stoppage in her promotional debut when she crushed Martina Jindrova with a head kick-punches combination at 2023 PFL 2. Leibrock is now riding a four-bout winning streak, but she had to overcome some tough moments in her career. Her past struggles include going on a three-bout skid while competing under the Bellator MMA banner. While talking with Sherdog, Leibrock admitted that she wasn't training professionally, had personal issues, and battled mental health and insecurity problems. However, these experiences forced her to reevaluate her life and make significant changes. She worked on her attitude, relationships and sought help from a mental health coach and hypnotherapist. Now, she’s driven by her desire to prove herself and be a role model for those coming from similar backgrounds, showing them that success is possible.

“I didn't want to end on that kind of note, and I just fixed it all. I fixed my attitude. I fixed the way I was with my training partners, with my coaches. I fixed the way I dealt with relationships, the kind of things I let inside my personal life. I started working with a mental health coach, a hypnotherapist, his name is Richard Hart, and I really started to just dial in on what I wanted, and if I loved it and if I loved it, I was gonna give it everything I got. Yeah, Bellator was rough, but I think it was something I needed, and it's definitely put me in a position now where mentally I'm in it, physically I'm in it. I've never felt better and I've definitely, right now, it's me and me versus my opponent. I no longer work against myself. I work with myself, and I feel like if Bellator didn't happen, then I wouldn't be able to be where I'm at and be able to face an opponent like Larissa Pacheco and have a hundred percent confidence that I can go in there and get my hand raised by the end of it.”

Timestamps:

(00:00) Intro
(00:44) The technique she taught in her boxing class
(01:25) Preparing for Pacheco
(02:11) Debuting in the PFL with a first-round stoppage
(03:18) Finishing her opponents
(04:20) Being fully prepared for Jindrova
(05:17) Signing with the PFL
(07:05) Facing tough moments while competing in Bellator
(10:24) What would she do if she wins the $1 million prize
(11:24) Outro