Here’s your 2025
#PFLWorldTournament welterweight final: Thad Jean vs.
Logan
Storley pic.twitter.com/W6VmKEkBxP— Sherdog (@sherdogdotcom)
June 13, 2025
Thad
Jean took his next step towards
Professional Fighters League stardom Thursday night after
defeating former Bellator
MMA welterweight champion Jason
Jackson by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 27-30) in the
2025 PFL World Tournament 5: Semifinals main event from
Nashville Municipal Auditorium.
This fight was heavily anticipated and for good reason. Jean, a
young, explosive contender, had yet to face an opponent as seasoned
and accomplished as Jackson, and many wondered how he’d handle
himself. Jean set the tempo in Round 1 by dropping Jackson on his
back with a stiff jab. Jackson composed himself and forced Jean
into wrestling exchanges throughout the rest of the period, but
Jean showcased his strength by getting the match back to the
feet.
The two would trade momentum throughout the rest of the bout.
Jackson carried the edge in the grappling department, but Jean’s
power was evident in the striking field. Jackson landed shots on
the younger challenger and gave him the toughest fight of his
career. It was anybody’s guess who would win and you could hear a
pin drop as the scorecards were read. Alas, Jean’s strong start and
crispy combos were enough to edge out Jackson’s well-rounded effort
on the cards in the fight of the night.
With the win, Jean (10-0) moved on to the welterweight finale to
face another accomplished wrestler, former Bellator titleholder
Logan
Storley.
Quiet Pinedo Has Loud Finish
For a fighter nicknamed “The Mute,” Jesus
Pinedo’s hands do a lot of talking.
The 2023 PFL featherweight champion demolished archrival Gabriel
Braga in the first round of their rubber match (1:16) to secure
his spot in the tournament finale. Pinedo starched Braga in three
rounds last time out but didn’t even need three minutes in
Thursday’s co-main event. Using his superior height and reach,
Pinedo walked the charging Braga into a right hook that flattened
the Brazilian flat on his back. Braga has proven to be
one of the PFL’s best featherweights, but Pinedo is a stylistic
nightmare. He’s powerful, awkward and blessed with a granite
chin.
The featherweight finale between Pinedo and Movlid
Khaybulaev should be an elite clash of styles.
Storley All Business Against Kikuiri
Storley punched his ticket to the welterweight final by
outwrestling Masayuki
Kikuiri over three rounds en route to a unanimous decision win
(30-27, 29-27, 29-28). Storley, a former Bellator titleholder and
four-time NCAA D1 All-American wrestler, proved his pedigree
against the Japanese combatant.
Kikuiri found success when he kept his distance and even had
Storley wobbled in the second round. Storley would weather the
storm and drag Kikuiri back to the mat and control him till the
final bell.
Khaybulaev Back in Finals
PFL 2021 featherweight champion Khaybulaev is one win away from
reclaiming his crown after defeating Tae Kyun
Kim by unanimous decision in the semifinals (30-27, 30-27,
30-27).
Kim was frustrated as he struggled to break Khaybulaev’s
python-like grip. The Russian dominated all three rounds with his
control time, unbreakable clinch and position-breaking leg strikes.
Ultimately, it was a risk-free performance from Khaybulaev, but he
once again proved that he can shut down the best strikers in his
division.
Borics Edges Kennedy
Featherweight vet Adam Borics
bounced back from his quarterfinal loss to Jesus
Pinedo with a majority decision win over Canada’s Jeremy
Kennedy.
Kennedy (29-28, 28-28, 29-28) and Borics are two seasoned vets with
50 professional fights between them, and you could sense the level
of respect between the former foes. Borics defeated Kennedy in 2021
and went 2-0 in the series by landing clean long-range punches.
Kennedy successfully closed the distance and kept control for
periods of time, but never advanced position or threatened a
submission.
Umalatov Rebounds Against Ivy
Magomed
Umalatov was the toast of the PFL welterweight division last
season before he was starched in the championship finale. The
formally unbeaten Eagles MMA product has waited patiently for
redemption and it would come Thursday night in the form of a
beautiful first round knockout over Anthony Ivy
(2:28).
Ivy (15-8) started aggressive and even caught Umalatov with a hard
right hand over a lazy jab, but the San Antonio native became
overzealous. Ivy charged toward Umalatov and threw an out of range
jumping knee that Umalatov read like a children’s book.
Umalatov punished Ivy’s aggression with a picture perfect left hook
that left Ivy flat on his face, giving Umalatov (18-1)
his 13th career knockout.
Shields Dominates Luciano
American
Top Team welterweight Sarek
Shields impressed in his PFL debut, ragdolling Jospeh Luciano
for three rounds en route to a unanimous decision win (30-27,
30-27, 30-27).
Luciano had no answers for Shields wrestling and was forced to
operate from guard for most of the fight. Shields didn’t inflict
tons of damage but his sheer control was too much to ignore.
Surging St. Louis Puts Away Berkhamov
Kendly St.
Louis notched the biggest win of his career after submitting
Mukhamed
Berkhamov in the third round of their welterweight clash
(3:21). Berkhamov was eliminated from the 2025 World Tournament by
St. Louis’ teammate Thad Jean
earlier this year, but instead of knocking Berkhamov out,
St. Louis handed him his first career submission loss with a
rear-naked choke.
With the win, St. Louis (11-4) notched his eighth win in a row.
Pergande Impresses in Hometown
Nashville’s own Alexei
Pergande improved to 6-0 with a unanimous decision winning
performance over Georgia’s Mike
Bardsley (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
Bardsley (5-2) proved to be a game and rugged opponent, but was
left bloodied by the lanky 24-year old. Both fighters entered the
match with impressive grappling backgrounds, but Pergande proved to
be a tricky outfighter. He routinely tagged the charging Bardsley
and opened up a nasty cut over his temple that poured blood down
his chest.
‘Raw Dog’ Shows Teeth in Tennessee
Fans flocked to the arena early to see Tennessee’s own Jason
Danner hunt a third-straight win against savvy bantamweight
veteran Nathan
Gilmore. They were treated to a back-and-forth brawl that
included several momentum swings and riveting moments. Danner’s
pace and scrambling kept Gilmore flustered throughout the first
frame but Gilmore nearly finished Danner in the second round with a
devastating knee. Gilmore followed him to the mat and nearly capped
off the upset with arm triangle, but the hometown hero survived.
Gilmore gave everything he had in the second-round rally and
couldn’t handle the pressure in the closing minutes.
Danner grinded his way to a well-earned unanimous decision (30-27,
30-27, 29-28) to improve to 3-0 as a pro. Gilmore fell to 4-6.
