Tag: Gabriel Braga

PFL’s Gabriel Braga reflects on first win since father’s death: ‘In leaving us, he left me very ready’

2024 PFL 3 was an emotional night for Gabriel Braga, who fought victoriously for the first time since his father’s death.

CHICAGO – With a heavy heart, [autotag]Gabriel Braga[/autotag] entered the cage for the first time since his father’s death.

At 2024 PFL 3, Braga (13-1) began his featherweight season with a bout against Justin Gonzales. With one second left on the clock in Round 1, Braga prompted the referee to stop the fight after landing a series of hard punches that sent Gonzales (14-4) to the ground.

Braga dropped to his knees in the center of the cage, letting the emotions of the entire moment take over as he lifted both hands toward the sky.

“He left us, but in leaving us, he left me very ready,” Braga said about his father through an interpreter during a post-fight news conference. “Ready for these moments, ready to make him proud, and ready to conquer the world, so that’s what I’m here to do.”

Braga’s father, Diego, was killed in January in Brazil. A drug gang reportedly murdered him as they searched for a stolen motorcycle.

While working through the pain of losing a parent, Braga’s circle helped keep a smile on his face. He continued training to prepare for this PFL season, which he intends to win.

“I’m here to be a champion,” Braga said. “Last year, I feel like I conquered a lot of space within the organization. I proved my worth, but this year I’m here to be champion.”

Check out Braga’s full post-fight interview in the video above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL 2024, Week 3.

2024 PFL 3 video: Gabriel Braga knocks out Justin Gonzales in first fight since father’s death

Three months after his father was reportedly murdered by a drug gang, Gabriel Braga returns to the PFL cage with a big TKO finish.

[autotag]Gabriel Braga[/autotag] entered 2024 PFL 3 to compete for the first time since his father’s death, and he walked away with the victory.

As the clock wound down in Round 1, Braga (13-1) drilled opponent [autotag]Justin Gonzales[/autotag] (14-4) with a clean punching combination that stopped the fight at the 4:59 mark. The win at Wintrust Arena in Chicago earned Braga six points in the 2024 featherweight regular season standings.

Braga, the 2023 runner-up, hadn’t fought since his father, Diego, was killed in Brazil in January. Reports indicated a drug gang murdered Diego while searching for a stolen motorcycle.

Diego served as his son’s head coach and mentor for his entire career, so Gabriel felt the impact both personally and professionally. In February, he withdrew on weigh-ins day from a fight vs. Bellator champion Patricio Freire as he determined he wasn’t mentally ready to compete.

With the victory, Braga moves to 5-1 in PFL with two finishes by strikes.

A Bellator import, Gonzales loses his PFL debut and falls into a three-fight skid.

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The up-to-the-minute 2024 PFL 3 results include:

  • Gabriel Braga def. Justin Gonzales via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 4:59
  • Goiti Yamauchi def. Neiman Gracie via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Kai Kamaka III def. Bubba Jenkins via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Adam Borics def. Enrique Barzola via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Timur Khizriev def. Brett Johns via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Murad Ramazanov def. Laureano Staropoli via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 4:07
  • Don Madge def. Brennan Ward via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 1:02
  • Thad Jean def. Romain Debienne via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 2:07

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for 2024 PFL 3.

Gabriel Braga withdraws from PFL vs. Bellator: Champions fight vs. Patricio Freire at last minute

In the end, it wasn’t meant for Patricio Freire to compete at the inaugural PFL vs. Bellator: Champions event.

In the end, it wasn’t meant for [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] to compete at the inaugural PFL vs. Bellator: Champions event.

A week after Freire’s original opponent, Jesus Pinedo, withdrew from the fight, replacement [autotag]Gabriel Braga[/autotag] withdrew after not weighing in Friday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. No reason was given for Braga pulling out, with the PFL only announcing that he was “unable to compete.”

Freire did step on the scale at official weigh-ins and made weight for the featherweight bout.

Braga (23-8-1), who was a PFL finalist last season, had been scheduled to compete only five weeks after the death of his coach and father, Diego Braga. According to reports, Diego Braga was killed by organized crime in Rio de Janeiro.

Freire (35-7) was looking to put a bad stretch behind him with this return. In 2023, he went 0-2 before getting sidelined due to injury. The Brazilian lost to Sergio Pettis in June in an attempt to capture the Bellator bantamweight title and become the first fighter to win titles in three weight classes, and was knocked out by Chihiro Suzuki in a big upset at a Rizin event in Japan.

PFL vs. Bellator: Champions, which streams Saturday on ESPN+ and pay-per-view, will proceed with 11 bouts.

Below is the complete lineup:

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 3 p.m. ET)

  • Renan Ferreira vs. Ryan Bader
  • Impa Kasanganay vs. Johnny Eblen
  • Ray Cooper III vs. Jason Jackson
  • Bruno Cappelozza vs. Vadim Nemkov
  • Thiago Santos vs. Yoel Romero
  • Clay Collard vs. A.J. McKee

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, noon ET)

  • Henry Corrales vs. Aaron Pico
  • Biaggio Ali Walsh vs. Emmanuel Palacio
  • Claressa Shields vs. Kelsey De Santis
  • Abdullah Al-Qahtani vs. Edukondala Rao

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL vs. Bellator: Champions.

PFL vs. Bellator fight card shuffle impacts Patricio Freire, Aaron Pico matchups

Five days out from PFL vs. Bellator: Champions, the fight card is once again facing some changes – this time, a semi-mix-and-match.

Five days out from PFL vs. Bellator: Champions, the card has been slightly edited.

Bellator stars [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] and [autotag]Aaron Pico[/autotag] are looking at new matchups – a domino effect that stemmed from the withdrawal of Jesus Pinedo.

Pinedo was initially scheduled to face Freire (35-7) in a champion vs. champion matchup. Filling that void will now be [autotag]Gabriel Braga[/autotag] (12-1), who was initially scheduled vs. Pico (12-4).

The promotion now targets Pico for a rematch against 2019 foe [autotag]Henry Corrales[/autotag], a seasoned, gritty veteran, who is one of the longest-tenured fighters under the Bellator banner. Corrales (21-7) won their first meeting with an onslaught-halting knockout punch.

Four people with knowledge of the changes recently informed MMA Junkie of the promotion’s plans. It’s unclear at this time if bout agreements have been signed by all parties, as some fighters are still in transit to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the site of Saturday’s event. Ag. Fight first reported Freire vs. Braga.

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“Pitbull” Freire looks to bounce back from the first two-fight losing skid of his career. In June, he attempted to win Bellator gold in a third weight class but was unsuccessful at bantamweight against Sergio Pettis. In an impromptu move, Freire took on days notice a fight under the RIZIN banner in July. He was upset by Chihiro Suzuki in Round 1.

Braga, who knows Freire well, competes just weeks after the death of his father, who served as his MMA mentor. Braga was the runner-up in the 2023 PFL featherweight post-season. His loss to Jesus Pinedo in the divisional championship was the first of his career.

Pico has long-served as one of the faces of Bellator, particularly as an example of the promotion’s homegrown-talent-building. Under the spotlight since before his professional debut, Pico has encountered ups and downs inside the Bellator cage. However, he appears to have hit his stride in recent fights, with wins over James Gonzalez and Pedro Carvalho.

Corrales looks to bounce back from an October unanimous decision loss to Kai Kamaka III. The defeat snapped a three-fight winning streak. Corrales has been with Bellator since 2015 and has a 9-7 promotional record.

With the changes, the projected PFL vs. Bellator: Champions lineup includes:

  • Renan Ferreira vs. Ryan Bader
  • Impa Kasanganay vs. Johnny Eblen
  • Ray Cooper III vs. Jason Jackson
  • Gabriel Braga vs. Patricio Freire
  • Bruno Cappelozza vs. Vadim Nemkov
  • Thiago Santos vs. Yoel Romero
  • Clay Collard vs. A.J. McKee
  • Henry Corrales vs. Aaron Pico
  • Biaggio Ali Walsh vs. Emmanuel Palacio
  • Claressa Shields vs. Kelsey De Santis
  • Abdullah Al-Qahtani vs. Edukondala Rao

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL vs. Bellator: Champions.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC, PFL, Bellator fights announced in the past week (Jan. 15-21)

Check out the UFC, PFL, and Bellator fights that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC, PFL, and Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Jan. 15-21.

PFL lists its top 5 fights of the 2023 season

Relive the PFL’s best fights of the year with this video ranking the top 5.

In 2023, MMA delivered some top-notch fights, and several of those went down under the PFL banner.

From a wild, standup battle between [autotag]Clay Collard[/autotag] and [autotag]Shane Burgos[/autotag], to [autotag]Jesus Pinedo[/autotag]’s close loss to [autotag]Gabriel Braga[/autotag], which kicked off his incredible championship run, PFL was home of some barn burners. Now with the season over, the promotion ranked its best knockouts as the following:

1. Clay Collard def. Shane Burgos via unanimous decision
2. [autotag]Zach Juusola[/autotag] def. [autotag]Brandon Jenkins[/autotag] via unanimous decision
3. Magomed Umalatov def. Nayib Lopez via unanimous decision
4. Gabriel Braga def. Jesus Pinedo via split decision
5. [autotag]Larissa Pacheco[/autotag] def. [autotag]Marina Mokhnatkina[/autotag] via unanimous decision

You can watch the replay of the highlights of the top 5 PFL fights in the video above.

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Jesus Pinedo def. Gabriel Braga at 2023 PFL Championship: Best photos

Check out these photos from Jesus Pinedo vs. Gabriel Braga at 2023 PFL Championship for the featherweight title.

Check out these photos from [autotag]Jesus Pinedo[/autotag]’s featherweight title victory over Gabriel Braga at 2023 PFL Championship at The Anthem in Washington, D.C. (Photos by Cooper Neill, PFL MMA)

Jesus Pinedo takes out unbeaten Gabriel Braga to win featherweight crown | 2023 PFL Championship Fight Night HQ

No. 2 seed Gabriel Braga (12-0) meets No. 4 Jesus Pinedo (22-6-1) in the PFL’s 145-pound season championship.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The PFL crowned its newest $1 million featherweight winner Friday.

No. 2 seed [autotag]Gabriel Braga[/autotag] (12-0) met No. 4 [autotag]Jesus Pinedo[/autotag] (22-6-1) in the 145-pound season championship at The Anthem in Washington, D.C.

Go inside the matchup below, from the backstory and the buildup through the end of the fight itself, with stats, photos, preview videos, highlight videos, quotes, recaps and more.

The story will update throughout the fight and event.

Jesus Pinedo reflects on wild journey to 2023 PFL Championship final: ‘It’s been beautiful, but intense’

Jesus Pinedo’s journey to the 2023 PFL Championship final has been a wild one.

Few expected [autotag]Jesus Pinedo[/autotag] to punch his ticket into the 2023 PFL playoffs, let alone make it to the featherweight final.

Yet, the Peruvian is just one win away from a $1 million championship prize.

Pinedo returns to the cage at the 2023 PFL Championship in Washington, D.C., to compete in this season’s featherweight final against the man who almost got him out of the race in the first place – [autotag]Gabriel Braga[/autotag]. The 27-year-old has had a remarkable and unexpected, journey to the title. It’s been a true underdog story, and he’ll look to put a happy ending to it Friday.

“It’s been beautiful, but intense,” Pinedo told MMA Junkie in Spanish, reflecting on his journey through the PFL’s 2023 featherweight season. “Fight after fight and dealing with the injuries that each fight leaves you. Now I’m more known in the media. My country now knows more about me. PFL is now making the rounds in Peru, especially because I’ve reached the final.

“I’m always trying to keep my feet grounded, and I try to keep my emotions in the middle – never too high or too low. I just stay right in the middle, so I can keep focused and keep fighting well. It’s not about just winning one or two fights. I plan on winning the title.”

The road to the final wasn’t an easy one for Pinedo (22-6-1). He lost a split decision against Braga (12-0) in the opening bout of the regular season.

“In the first fight we had in Las Vegas, I thought I won that fight,” Pinedo said. “I always had in my mind that I wanted that rematch. I had no clue it was going to be in the final, but I knew that I was going to fight him one day because to me, I won that fight. I felt I won by a little.

“But anyway, things happen, and I turned the page and I focused on the other rivals and now destiny puts him in front of me once again. It’s going to be a fight for everything: the belt, the $1 million, the rematch. It’s an important fight for me.”

With only two bouts to earn playoff points in the regular season, the loss to the undefeated Braga put Pinedo in a position in which he needed to get a first-round finish in his second fight in order to make the postseason.

On top of that difficult task, Pinedo was matched against 2022 PFL featherweight champion Brendan Loughnane, who had plenty of hype and was coming off a stoppage win over Marlon Moraes to extend his streak to five.

But in shocking fashion, Pinedo wobbled Loughnane with a knee to the head, then stopped him with ground-and-pound in just 94 seconds. He pulled off another big upset in his next bout in August when he put away Bubba Jenkins, the 2021 runner-up the season prior.

“It’s been a crazy, busy year for my career,” Pinedo said. “When I accepted to fight in PFL, I knew that I was going to be fighting very tough people, opponents with world-class ability, fighters like Brendan, Bubba, guys with tons of experience and very good records.

“But this is what I prepared for. I was ready for any rival that they would put in front of me. When I started this tournament, I said I was going to win it and that I was taking that belt back to Peru. That’s what I’ve been doing and what I’ve been showing fight after fight. Now I’m just one step away from achieving it, and I’m 100 percent focused, and 100 percent concentrated on (Friday).”

Throughout this processed, Pinedo has defeated two of the more known names in PFL and headlined two events. But most importantly, Pinedo feels he’s proved he’s among the best featherweights today.

“I’m very happy that I’ve been able to show the level that I have and long with my great team,” Pinedo said. “It’s been so many years of hard work that’s now showing.”

Pinedo is not one to talk. After all, his nickname is “El Mudo,” which translates to “The Mute.” He’s not one to give a fight prediction for his rematch against Braga, but he does assure that he’s a much more different fighter than the one who lost to Braga at the start of the season.

“Braga is fighting a totally different rival from the one he fought the first time,” Pinedo said. “I wasn’t even half of what I am today.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for 2023 PFL Championship.

Video: Watch first fight between Gabriel Braga and Jesus Pinedo ahead of 2023 PFL Championship rematch

Watch first fight between Gabriel Braga and Jesus Pinedo ahead of their rematch at the 2023 Championship.

[autotag]Jesus Pinedo[/autotag] and [autotag]Gabriel Braga[/autotag] met in the first fight of the PFL 2023 featherweight season, and they will soon meet again.

The two fighters are set to rematch Friday at 2023 PFL Championship. Pinedo (22-6-1) and Braga (12-0) will fight for the 2023 PFL featherweight title and the $1 million prize that comes with it. This is a rematch from the first regular season bout back in April at 2023 PFL 1. It was a close bout that ended in a split decision for Braga.

You can watch their first bout in the video above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for 2023 PFL Championship.