After a wildly entertaining start to the 2025 season, the Professional Fighters League (PFL) returns this Thursday, with the Nashville Municipal Auditorium set to host PFL World Tournament 5. The event features the semifinal matchups in both the featherweight and welterweight brackets.
Let’s take a look at the main card lineup in Nashville, Tennessee, on Thursday night:
Jason Jackson vs. Thad Jean (Welterweight Semifinal)
Former Bellator welterweight champion Jason Jackson (19-5) returned to the win column in the opening round of this year’s tournament, securing a second-round submission victory over Andrey Koreshkov to advance to the semifinals. It was Jackson’s first fight since losing his Bellator title to Ramazan Kuramagomedov last year—his first defeat in nearly five years.
Standing in his way on Thursday is Thad Jean (9-0), who has looked sensational during his brief PFL tenure. "The Silverback" turned heads with a devastating knockout win over Mukhamed Berkhanov in his opening-round matchup in April.
Jesus Pinedo vs. Gabriel Braga (Featherweight Semifinal)
Jesus Pinedo (24-6-1) and Gabriel Braga (16-2) are set to meet for the third time in the featherweight semifinals this Thursday. Braga earned a decision win in their first clash just over two years ago, but "El Mudo" got his revenge a few months later with a knockout victory over the Brazilian to claim the PFL 2023 world championship.
Pinedo opened his 2025 campaign with a first-round knockout of Adam Borics, while Braga submitted Fred Dupras to secure his spot in the semifinals.
Logan Storley vs. Masayuki Kikuiri (Welterweight Semifinal)
Japanese star Masayuki Kikuiri (11-2-1) extended his winning streak to five with a first-round stoppage of former Cage Warriors champion Giannis Bachar. However, he faces a significant step up in competition this week as he takes on former Bellator titleholder Logan Storley (17-3), who earned a decision win over Joseph Luciano to advance to the semifinals.
Movlid Khaybulaev vs. Tae Kyun Kim (Featherweight Semifinal)
The second semifinal features the unbeaten Movlid Khaybulaev (22-0-1), a training partner of Islam Makhachev who edged past the experienced Jeremy Kennedy in the opening round. "Killer" is set to face Korea's Tae Kyun Kim (11-1) who submitted Irish star Nathan Kelly inside the opening round of their clash in April.
PRELIMINARY CARD
- Jeremy Kennedy vs. Adam Borics (145 lbs)
- Joseph Luciano vs. Sarek Shields (170 lbs)
- Mukhamed Berkhamov vs. Kendly St. Louis (170 lbs)
- Alexei Pergande vs. Mike Bardsely (145 lbs)
- Jason Danner vs. Nathan Gilmore (135 lbs)
- Asael Adjoudj vs. Yves Landu (145 lbs)
- Magomed Umalatov vs. Anthony Ivy (170 lbs)
