Thad Jean maintains his undefeated record after a pivotal victory at PFL 5.
In the main event held Thursday night in Nashville, TN, Jean faced off against former Bellator welterweight champion Jason Jackson. After a closely contested bout, Jean was awarded a split decision win.
The main event proved to be a back-and-forth affair. Jean managed to score a knockdown in the opening round and seemed to control significant portions of the fight. Jackson, showing his experience, battled throughout, mixing striking with takedown and submission attempts. However, two of the three judges scored the fight in favor of Jean, with scorecards reading 29-28 for Jackson, and 29-28 and 30-27 for Jean. This crucial win secures Jean`s place in the PFL welterweight tournament finals scheduled for later this year.
The co-main event featured Jesus Pinedo delivering another spectacular knockout, finishing Gabriel Braga in their featherweight semifinal rematch. This marked the third meeting between the two fighters, following their clash in the 2023 PFL featherweight championship final, which Pinedo won by a third-round knockout. This time, Pinedo ended the fight much quicker, stopping Braga in just 76 seconds.
Earlier on the preliminary card, Movlid Khaybulaev secured a unanimous decision victory over Tae Kyun Kim, also punching his ticket to the 2025 featherweight finals. With this result, Pinedo and Khaybulaev, both former PFL champions, are now set to face each other in the tournament final.
Also on the main card, Logan Storley delivered a dominant performance against Masayuki Kikuiri, earning his spot in the welterweight tournament finals.
A former Bellator interim champion, Storley now has the opportunity to add another major title to his fighting career.
Full PFL 5 Results:
Thad Jean def. Jason Jackson via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
Jesus Pinedo def. Gabriel Braga via TKO (punches) — 1:16, R1
Logan Storley def. Masayuki Kikuiri via unanimous decision
Movlid Khaybulaev def. Tae Kyun Kim via unanimous decision
Adam Borics def. Jeremy Kennedy via majority decision
Magomed Umalatov def. Anthony Ivy via KO (left hook) — 2:28, R1
Sarek Shields def. Joseph Luciano via unanimous decision
Kendly St. Louis def. Mukhamed Berkhamov via submission (rear-naked choke) — 3:21, R3
Alexei Pergande def. Mike Bardsley via unanimous decision
Jason Danner def. Nathan Gilmore via unanimous decision
Marcus Blakely