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USA Today
an hour ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Thad Jean unthreatened by Logan Storley's wrestling: 'He's not a danger'
Thad Jean likes his chances for Friday's PFL welterweight final Some say Thad Jean faces the toughest test in the biggest fight of his career this Friday, but he's not sold on that idea. Jean (10-0), a rising star, returns in the main event of 2025 PFL World Tournament 8: Finals against former Bellator interim champion and long-time contender Logan Storley (18-3). The event takes place at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J.. The two fighters compete for the 2025 PFL welterweight tournament title and a $500,000 prize. "The Silverback" thinks he already had his toughest fight in the tournament, when he fought former Bellator champion Jason Jackson in June. Jean sees Storley as one-dimensional, thus an easier opponent. "Going into this fight against Logan Storley, I know exactly what to expect," Jean told MMA Junkie. "I know exactly what he wants to do. The thing about it is that watching his last fight against Kikuiri, he's not as cardio dominant as he thinks he is. You could see it in the second round after what he did in the first round. He was gassed out and he couldn't do it. "First of all, you have to first take me down and keep me on the ground, and that's going to be a challenge in itself, and because I know what he's going to do. I'm going to be able to stand my ground and I know exactly where I need to be, and I know exactly what I need to do. I'm a good wrestler, like I'm telling you. I started off with wrestling and jiu-jitsu, and then I fell in love with knocking people out. It's quick and it's easy. I rather strike, but if I have to grapple, I have to do what I have to do. I will say Logan Storley is definitely the easier opponent (than Jackson) because it's the one dimension that I will have to deal with. I'm not worried about the striking. I'm not worried about the kicking. I'm not worried about the mixing it up. No, it's only going to be throw a punch and let's try to take you down or let's just try to take you down. It's going to be desperate shots or just shots from where I can capitalize and see everything." Storley is a four-time NCAA All-American wrestler and used those skills to beat notable opposition such as Michael Page, Joaquin Buckley, Neiman Gracie and others. Jean thinks that even if Storley can get him to the ground, he won't be in any danger. He doesn't think Storley has what it takes to control him for 25 minutes. "I'm going to keep my range, keep my distance, and if I go into the grappling, it's just to tire you out because I know how to stay up and how to get back up." Jean explained. "I'm not in danger and if Logan were to take me down, he's not a danger from the top. He's not a crazy threat if he takes you down." Jean expects to make a big statement and win the 2025 PFL welterweight title. He doesn't see the fight going into the fourth or firth rounds. "The first two rounds, we're not going to the championship rounds," Jean said. "If we do, then we have to, but I'm going to day first round I take Logan Storley out."
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
MMA Junkie's Submission of the Month for July: Costello van Steenis stuns Johnny Eblen
With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best submissions from July 2025: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie's Submission of the Month award for July. At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting for your choice. Nominee: Movsar Ibragimov def. Gerardo Fanny at PFL Europe 2 Movsar Ibragimov kept his undefeated career record alive when he choked Gerardo Fanny with a rare technique in their PFL bantamweight showdown. Ibragimov (7-0) took advantage of Fanny failing to let go from bottom position and clamped on a Von Flue choke that, after a brief struggle, led to the tap. Nominee: Valter Walker def. Kennedy Nzechukwu at UFC on ESPN 70 Valter Walker made history when he finished Kennedy Nzechukwu with his third consecutive heel hook finish. Walker's (14-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) now trademark move landed early again, because he managed to make Nzechukwu (14-6 MMA, 8-6 UFC) tap just 54 seconds into Round 1 of the heavyweight bout. Nominee: Brunno Ferreira def. Jackson McVey at UFC 318 For all the UFC middleweights who thought they just had to worry about Brunno Ferreira in the standup game, the Brazilian may have made their prep work a little more difficult after taking out Jackson McVey. Ferreira (14-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) submitted short-notice replacement UFC newcomer McVey (6-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) with a nasty armbar at the 3:35 mark of the first round, showing diversity to his finishing attacks. Nominee: Jimmy Crute def. Marcin Prachnio at UFC 318 Jimmy Crute is back in the win column for the first time since 2020 – and he reentered in style against Marcin Prachnko. Crute (13-4-2 MMA, 5-4-2 UFC) submitted Marcin Prachnio (17-9 MMA, 4-7 UFC) with an armbar at the 4:32 mark of Round 1 in the light heavyweight bout. He had to struggle to get it, but eventually Prachnio could not fend off the technique and had to give up. The winner: Costello van Steenis def. Johnny Eblen at PFL Africa If he does nothing else, Costello van Steenis will always be remembered for his insane comeback against Johnny Eblen to claim the PFL middleweight title. Not only did he become PFL middleweight champion, van Steenis (17-3) did so in improbable fashion when he submitted Eblen (16-1) with nine seconds left in their five-round bout. The stoppage came at 4:51 of Round 5. Eblen had utilized his strong wrestling base and relentless pressure to largely dominate van Steenis the entire fight prior to his demise. Entering Round 5, Eblen was up 39-37 on two judges' scorecards with a third having the fight tied 38-38. Eblen got the fight down to the ground midway through Round 5 and took van Steenis' back. With approximately 45 seconds left on the clock, Eblen made a fatal mistake and fell off the top. Van Steenis slickly flipped the script, got Eblen's back, locked in a rear-naked choke, and put Eblen to sleep. Cast Your Vote! This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: MMA Junkie's Submission of the Month, July 2025: Costello van Steenis
USA Today
13 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
MMA Junkie's Submission of the Month for July: Costello van Steenis stuns Johnny Eblen
With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best submissions from July 2025: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie's Submission of the Month award for July. At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting for your choice. Nominee: Movsar Ibragimov def. Gerardo Fanny at PFL Europe 2 Movsar Ibragimov kept his undefeated career record alive when he choked Gerardo Fanny with a rare technique in their PFL bantamweight showdown. Ibragimov (7-0) took advantage of Fanny failing to let go from bottom position and clamped on a Von Flue choke that, after a brief struggle, led to the tap. Nominee: Valter Walker def. Kennedy Nzechukwu at UFC on ESPN 70 Valter Walker made history when he finished Kennedy Nzechukwu with his third consecutive heel hook finish. Walker's (14-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) now trademark move landed early again, because he managed to make Nzechukwu (14-6 MMA, 8-6 UFC) tap just 54 seconds into Round 1 of the heavyweight bout. Nominee: Brunno Ferreira def. Jackson McVey at UFC 318 For all the UFC middleweights who thought they just had to worry about Brunno Ferreira in the standup game, the Brazilian may have made their prep work a little more difficult after taking out Jackson McVey. Ferreira (14-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) submitted short-notice replacement UFC newcomer McVey (6-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) with a nasty armbar at the 3:35 mark of the first round, showing diversity to his finishing attacks. Nominee: Jimmy Crute def. Marcin Prachnio at UFC 318 Jimmy Crute is back in the win column for the first time since 2020 – and he reentered in style against Marcin Prachnko. Crute (13-4-2 MMA, 5-4-2 UFC) submitted Marcin Prachnio (17-9 MMA, 4-7 UFC) with an armbar at the 4:32 mark of Round 1 in the light heavyweight bout. He had to struggle to get it, but eventually Prachnio could not fend off the technique and had to give up. The winner: Costello van Steenis def. Johnny Eblen at PFL Africa If he does nothing else, Costello van Steenis will always be remembered for his insane comeback against Johnny Eblen to claim the PFL middleweight title. Not only did he become PFL middleweight champion, van Steenis (17-3) did so in improbable fashion when he submitted Eblen (16-1) with nine seconds left in their five-round bout. The stoppage came at 4:51 of Round 5. Eblen had utilized his strong wrestling base and relentless pressure to largely dominate van Steenis the entire fight prior to his demise. Entering Round 5, Eblen was up 39-37 on two judges' scorecards with a third having the fight tied 38-38. Eblen got the fight down to the ground midway through Round 5 and took van Steenis' back. With approximately 45 seconds left on the clock, Eblen made a fatal mistake and fell off the top. Van Steenis slickly flipped the script, got Eblen's back, locked in a rear-naked choke, and put Eblen to sleep. Cast Your Vote!
USA Today
14 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
PFL's Logan Storley responds to critics of fighting style: 'I'm not going to change'
Logan Storley is sticking with what got him to the dance. Logan Storley's success in MMA has been accompanied by some criticism. Despite being a former Bellator interim titleholder and in championship contention for many years, Storley (18-3) has received some criticism from the fan base for his fighting style. Being a four-time NCAA All-American wrestler, Storley has used his strong grappling to control and dominate his opposition, which some fans don't find too appealing. Storley is aware of the critics, but pays them no mind, especially ahead of his PFL welterweight tournament final bout against Thad Jean in the main event of 2025 PFL World Tournament 8: Finals. The event takes place Friday at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J.. "I'm 18-3. I won an interim belt against MVP (Michael Page). I beat (Joaquin) Buckley. I beat all these guys," Storley told MMA Junkie. "My three losses at the time I think, (Yarovslav) Amasov was 22-0, then 25-0 (in the rematch), and I think (Shamil) Musaev was 20-0. So it's like 60-0 were my three loses. I've been out there and done this against the best guys in the world. I'm not going to change who I am. A boxer who's been boxing since he was 5 years old at the highest level is not all of a sudden going to start wrestling. He's not going to get away from his game plan. So for me, I just have to be true to myself. I'm going to set a pace and if guys don't like it, they have to get out of those positions." Storley has only lost three times in MMA: Twice to then undefeated Bellator champion Yaroslav Amosov in 2020 and 2023, and once against undefeated PFL champion Shamil Musaev in 2024. His 18 wins include several notable names including Michael Page, Joaquin Buckley, Neiman Gracie, and others. Storley doesn't plan to change his essence or underutilize his skill set just because of fan opinion ahead of his PFL title fight. As he pointed out, it's his legacy and career and no one else's. "You're fighting for a title. By any means necessary, you have to go out there and get your hand raised," Storley said. "In big fights, you go back to what you're best at. This will be my 22nd fight, we can fight anywhere, but I'm going to go and win my positions where I'm the best at. That's to be true to myself." The 32-year-old Kill Cliff product is confident his wrestling will shine Friday, just as it has throughout the 2025 PFL welterweight tournament. Storley doesn't think Jean (10-0) will be able to deal with it over the course of 25 minutes. "No, I don't think he will," Storley explained. "Can he get up? Yeah, sure. But can he keep that pace for 25 minutes? Can he keep up with the scrambles? Can he keep up for the whole time? I don't think anybody can do that, so that's what my plan is, to go out there and set a high pace."
Forbes
16 hours ago
- Sport
- Forbes
PFL World Tournament 8 Fight Card: Welterweight & Featherweight Finals
ORLANDO, FL - APRIL 03: Thad Jean celebrates after defeating Mukhamed Berkhamov during the first ... More round of the PFL 2025 World Tournament at Universal Studios on April 3, 2025 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by) The 2025 edition of the PFL World Tournament is wrapping up. During August, the fight promotion plans to stage three events, with each fight card headlined by the tournament finals of two weight divisions. This week, on Friday, August 1, the Professional Fighters League visits Atlantic City, New Jersey, for an event that will crown the tournament winners in the welterweight and featherweight weight classes. The PFL World Tournament 8 fight card takes place at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The fight card streams on ESPN+ at 6:00 p.m. ET. PFL World Tournament 8 Fight Card Thad Jean vs. Logan Storley – welterweight tournament championship Jesus Pinedo vs. Movlid Khaybulaev – featherweight tournament championship Asael Adjoudj vs. Yves Landu Jordan Newman vs. Eslam Abdulbaset Jakub Kaszuba vs. Sergio Cossio Husein Kadimagomaev vs. Kyle Driscoll Nathan Kelly vs. Frederik Dupras Sarek Shields vs. Nick Meck Damion Nelson vs. Isaiah Diggs Matt Turnbull vs. Tom Pagliarulo Thad Jean vs. Logan Storley - PFL 2025 Welterweight Tournament Final Thad Jean (10-0) began his PFL career in 2023, fighting on the Challenger Series. He joined the 2025 PFL tournament with a 8-0 record. In the first round of this year's tournament, Jean scored a first-round knockout win over Mukhamed Berkhamov. He followed that with a June split decision victory over former Bellator welterweight champion Jason Jackson. Logan Storley (18-3) is the more seasoned and recognizable fighter in this matchup. A longtime member of the Bellator roster, he was with that organization from 2017 through 2023, Storley won the interim Bellator welterweight title in 2022 with a decision over Michael 'Venom' Page. Before turning to MMA, Storley was a four-time All-American wrestler with Minnesota. Storley earned his spot in the 2025 PFL World Tournament finals with decision wins over Joseph Luciano and Masayuki Kikuiri. Jesus Pinedo vs. Movlid Khaybulaev - PFL 2025 Featherweight Tournament Final NASHVILLE, TN - JUNE 12: Jesus Pinedo looks on before fighting Gabriel Braga during the semifinals ... More of the PFL 2025 World Tournament at Nashville Municipal Auditorium on June 12, 2025 in Nashville, Florida. (Photo by) Jesus Pinedo (25-6-1) is in search of his second PFL World Tournament win. The 29-year-old conquered the 2023 tournament. Pinedo did not compete in 2024, missing one bout because of injury and another due to a bad weight miss. Pinedo returned for the 2025 PFL featherweight tournament winning his first two fights by first-round knockout. In April he knocked out former Bellator title challenger Adam Borics, then in June he stopped Gabriel Braga in a trilogy fight. Braga won the first of those bouts in 2023 via split decision. Pinedo took the second contest with a knockout in 2023 World Tournament final. NASHVILLE, TN - JUNE 12: Movlid Khaybulaev celebrates after defeating Tae Kyun Kim during the ... More semifinals of the PFL 2025 World Tournament at Nashville Municipal Auditorium on June 12, 2025 in Nashville, Florida. (Photo by) Movlid Khaybulaev (23-0-1) is also a returning PFL tournament winner. Khaybulaev won the 2021 edition of the featherweight tourney. He then competed for the promotion twice in 2023 before sitting idle until this year's event. Khaybulaev has decision wins over Jeremy Kennedy and Kim Tae-kyun in this year's competition. The bantamweight, lightweight and women's flyweight PFL World Tournament Finals are on August 15 in Charlotte, North Carolina, while the middleweights, light heavyweights, and heavyweights compete on August 21 in Hollywood, Florida. Stay tuned for more on the PFL World Tournament fight card, including live results, reactions, highlights and more on fight night from the Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
