Jesus Pinedo is hoping for a statement victory when he faces Gabriel Braga in Nashville on June 12th and competes for spots in the 2025 PFL Featherweight Tournament Final.
Pinedo and Braga first met in April 2023. This was when Braga came in as a short-term alternative and won the split decision in Las Vegas. The rematch fell eight months later for the 145-pound championship, with Pinedo winning a $1 million award with three rounds of knockouts.
The official score is 1-1 to PFL 5 on Thursday, but Peruvian talent is dissenting it.
“I’ve heard you say this before. I’ll say it again. I’ll keep saying it forever. I never lost my first fight with Gabriel Braga.” “Now I think I’m 2-0 and I’m going to go 3-0 on June 12th. I’ll go there.
Pinedo calls the Brazilians “very respectable opponents,” but he predicts another emphasis finish to advance the final $500,000 clash with the winner from Movlid Khaybulaev vs. Tae Kyun Kim.
“When we face off, I’m going to come and break him and get my spot in the final,” Pinedo said. “Gabriel’s game is his fight IQ. That can’t be denied. He’s a great fighter and no one has denied it, but I can’t stop him from bringing it to the table in a fight. I can’t come there to break him. I’ve won.
“I’m always confident, but I’m not confident in beating my opponent or beating a certain opponent,” he continued. “My confidence wakes up every morning at 4:30am. I do all the reps I need to succeed. So, the confidence I have, it’s all from training, it’s all from what I’m doing.
Pinedo scored 15 of 24 professional wins in knockouts, but he feels his ground game is often overlooked. His recent victory of submission took place in his time as the Inca FC champion in his home country of Peru in 2018, and is proud to represent Ruta’s livre in the cage.
“A lot of people don’t know that (I’m Ruta’s wet black stripes), and they think we don’t train wrestling, but the reality is, every day, what we do most is wrestling and grappling,” Pinedo said. “That’s where the strength of the academy I train comes in. And if the fight goes there, I have no reservations to show the world my grappling game and show up on the victory of submissions if necessary.”
PFL signed a broadcast agreement with Fox Sports Mexico and Fox Sports Mexico this March, with the company CEO Peter Murray saying it could launch the PFL Latin America League “early next year.”
Pinedo said that while Peru’s MMA scene is not a country filled with elite fighters competing in world-class promotions, he likes other Latin American countries, such as Brazil and Mexico, Peruvian fighters “make noises and name themselves.”
PFL has yet to announce plans for a Latin American show in 2026, but Pinedo wants to be the face of the company.
“It’s definitely my dream,” Pinedo said. “It’s always the best. I want to chase this championship final in the world tournament. And I hope that with two belts under the PFL banner, the PFL show is enough to be here in Peru where I can fight. The future is a bit vague. Come to Peru.”