Pinedo Needed Just Seventy-Six Seconds to Settle His
Jesus Pinedo stopped Gabriel Braga at 1:16 of the first round in their PFL World Tournament semifinal on June 12, 2025. The featherweight contest in Nashville gave Pinedo a second consecutive finish over his rival and a place in the final.
The first exchanges quickly became decisive
Braga initially held the center while Pinedo circled outside. Both attacked the body, and Braga landed a hook as the fighters began testing each other’s range.
Pinedo answered with a right hook as Braga advanced. Another damaging right hand hurt the Brazilian, and the follow-up attack sent him down before ground punches completed the stoppage.
The rivalry had already produced a championship reversal
Braga won their first meeting by split decision during the 2023 PFL season. Pinedo recovered from that setback, reached the playoffs and eventually met him again in the championship final.
Pinedo won that second encounter by third-round stoppage. Their 2025 semifinal therefore served as the deciding meeting in a series tied at one victory apiece.
A former champion returned to another final
Pinedo had defeated Adam Borics in the opening round of the 2025 tournament before facing Braga at Nashville Municipal Auditorium. His quick semifinal finish earned a final pairing with Movlid Khaybulaev.
Khaybulaev had already advanced by defeating Taekyun Kim over three rounds. The resulting final brought together the 2023 and 2021 PFL featherweight champions, with Pinedo arriving through another emphatic finish in one of the promotion’s established divisional rivalries.
Sources
- PFL: opening exchanges, trilogy history and Borics victory
- PFL: June 12 Nashville event, official finish time and final pairing
- MMA Fighting: third-round 2023 finish and 2025 semifinal
