Jesus Pinedo is seeking a definitive win when he faces Gabriel Braga on June 12 in Nashville. This upcoming bout at PFL 5 is crucial as a win would secure Pinedo a place in the 2025 PFL featherweight tournament finals.
Their history includes two previous meetings. The first took place in April 2023 in Las Vegas, where Braga, stepping in on short notice, won by split decision. Their rematch occurred eight months later for the 145-pound championship. In that fight, Pinedo claimed the $1 million prize with a knockout in the third round.
Officially, their record against each other is 1-1 heading into the third fight on Thursday, but the talented fighter from Peru strongly disagrees with this assessment.
Speaking through a translator, Pinedo firmly stated his perspective: “You’ve heard me say this before, I’ll say it again and I’ll continue to say it forever: I did not lose that first fight against Gabriel Braga.” He added, “Right now I believe that I’m 2-0 and June 12 I’m gonna go 3-0. I’m gonna go in there break him get the stoppage and continue on to the finals.”
While Pinedo respects the Brazilian, calling him “a very respectable opponent,” he predicts yet another emphatic finish. Achieving this would advance him to the $500,000 final, where he would face the winner of the Movlid Khaybulaev vs. Tae Kyun Kim contest.
Pinedo articulated his fight plan: “When we face off I’m coming to break him and I’m going to get my spot in the finals.” He acknowledged Braga’s strengths: “Gabriel’s game is his fight IQ, it’s undeniable. He’s a great fighter, no one’s denying that, but what I bring to the table in our fight, he can’t stop. I’m coming in there to break him… I don’t think he has the game plan to figure me out because I’m such a unique fighter. So on June 12, I’m gonna get that victory.”
He also discussed the foundation of his self-assurance. “I’m always confident, but the confidence never comes over beating opponents or getting wins over certain opponents,” he explained. “My confidence comes from every morning I’m waking up 4:30 in the morning, I’m going to run, I’m doing all the reps that I needed to do in order to be successful. So the confidence that I have, it’s all from training, it’s all from what I’m doing outside of the cage that’s what gives me my confidence.”
Pinedo has earned 15 of his 24 professional wins via knockout, yet he feels his grappling skills are frequently underestimated. His most recent submission victory dates back to 2018, during his tenure as Inka FC champion in his native Peru. He is proud to represent luta livre within the cage.
Regarding his ground game, Pinedo commented, “A lot of people don’t know that [I’m a luta livre black belt], they think we don’t train wrestling, but the reality is that day to day, what we’re doing the most is wrestling and grappling.” He sees this as a core strength: “That’s where the strength comes in for the academy that I train at. And if the fight goes there, then I have no reservations showing the world my grappling game and coming out on top of the submission victory if I have to.”
Looking beyond his immediate goals, Pinedo touched upon the PFL`s potential expansion into Latin America. The league signed a broadcast deal with FOX Sports Mexico in March, and CEO Peter Murray has mentioned the possibility of launching a PFL Latin America league as early as next year.
Pinedo noted that the mixed martial arts scene in Peru is “growing year over year.” While acknowledging it may not yet boast the same concentration of elite fighters in major promotions as countries like Brazil and Mexico, he stated that Peruvian fighters are “making some noise and they’re making a name for themselves and representing the country well.”
Although the PFL has not yet confirmed plans for a Latin America event in 2026, Pinedo expressed a strong desire to become the face of such an initiative and potentially headline a PFL show in Peru one day.
“That’s definitely a dream of mine,” Pinedo confirmed. “It’s something that’s always top of mind. I’m hoping to chase this championship final in the world tournament and then with two belts under the PFL banner I hope that that’s going to be enough to bring the PFL show here to Peru where I can fight. The future is a little ambiguous, we don’t know how things are going to roll out, but I’m going to keep doing my part and keep winning and becoming a champion. And I know that that’s the only going to help the case to get PFL to come to Peru.”
