Jesus Pinedo vows to 'beat up' Gabriel Braga in 2025 PFL World Tournament 5 trilogy bout
Jesus Pinedo plans to leave no doubt who is the better man in his series with Gabriel Braga when they meet for a third and potentially final time Thursday at 2025 PFL World Tournament 5.
When the pair first met in April 2023, it was Braga (16-2) who left with a debatable split decision win. They rematched a few months later in November 2023, with Pinedo (24-6-1) scoring a decisive third-round TKO finish. Now the rubber match is here, and it serves as a featherweight tournament semifinal at Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn. (ESPN, ESPN+).
Pinedo said he knows Braga has evolved since their previous encounter more than 18 months ago. He has too, though, and when he already thinks he should be up 2-0 in head-to-head matchups, that's a good feeling.
"Of course I've improved, but I also realize that Gabriel has improved," Pinedo told MMA Junkie. "But it doesn't matter. I have a family to look after, my career to look after and it's not going to make a difference. I'm going to beat him up in the third fight.
"I'm not all about sending messages, I'm just about getting the job done on June 12. That's kind of my style."
Pinedo, 28, opened his 2025 tournament run in April with a first-round TKO of Adam Borics. On the same card, Braga, 27, finished Frederik Dupras with a first-round submission to advance in his quarterfinal.
The pair concluded the event with an in-cage faceoff to promote the trilogy, and it was there that Pinedo realized his opponent needs to try to use mind games, while he's perfectly comfortable.
"He was just saying the same things over and over (in the faceoff) and not really getting to anything," Pinedo said. "Either way, I respect him. I could make out kind of what he was saying, but it wasn't anything that was too vicious."
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