Jesus Pinedo questions Movlid Khaybulaev's cardio ahead of PFL final, predicts stoppage
Jesus Pinedo finds himself in another PFL tournament final, and just like the one before, he sees himself getting the job done without the judges' help.
Pinedo (25-6-1), the 2023 PFL featherweight champion, punched his ticket to this year's final by stopping Gabriel Braga in vicious fashion last week in their co-main event, semifinal bout at 2025 PFL World Tournament 5. This sets him up to fight against fellow PFL standout and champion Movlid Khaybulaev later this year for the $500,000 prize and the 2025 title. Pinedo saw this coming from the moment the tournament got started.
"Of course, when I started the tournament, I knew that the final was going to be against him," Pinedo told Hablemos MMA in Spanish. "You never know what can happen, obviously, but I was almost certain it would happen, and I imagine he did too.
"Every time that we crossed paths, with respect, we would always say hi and shake hands and there's always that energy, that look in the eyes between us. That was since the first day of the tournament. We knew this was going to happen. I think this is a final that should've gone down in 2023, I expected us to fight that year, but it's now happening in 2025."
Pinedo and Khaybulaev could've met in PFL's 2023 tournament, which Pinedo won, but Khaybulaev had to withdraw from the tournament due to injury. Khaybulaev has been on Pinedo's radar for many years, and has him well analyzed at this point in time.
The Peruvian star sees Khaybulaev, as a strong, well-rounded fighter. However, he does question his gas tank and believes he'll be able to finish the Dagestani fighter due to that specific reason.
"I think his style works well for me," Pinedo explained. "I'm used to wrestling in my academy with my coach Ivan, our foundation is basically wrestling. I'm ready, and I have the cardio to wrestle. I think his weakness is his form, he starts falling behind. I've seen in his last few fights that he starts losing steam, he starts slowing down as the fight goes on. It's going to be a tough fight for him. I'm going to come out like I always do, pressuring. If I connect early and put him away, great, but if not, I think i can still get him out of there in the third or fourth round with good pressure."
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