Gabriel Braga, Killing Two Birds with One Stone

A key result of the Professional Fighters League’s new single-elimination format is that the implications of each fight are clear and absolute. Win and move on; lose and go home. While those stakes are enough to make for compelling viewing all by themselves, one factor that can heighten the drama is as old as sport: a good old-fashioned rivalry.

So it is for Gabriel Braga, who faces Jesus Pinedo in a featherweight semifinal at 2025 PFL World Tournament 5 on Thursday in Nashville. The two have faced one another twice already, with Braga winning the first meeting in April of 2023, then falling to “El Mudo” via third-round TKO in the championship bout that November.

With both men in their mid-20s at the time and still improving, a rubber match seemed inevitable. It was delayed, as Pinedo missed the 2024 season with an injury, while Braga made the playoffs once again, losing a split decision against Timur Khizriev, who went on to win the title.

That sets the stage for this week’s trilogy bout, where Pinedo will look to recapture the title he won two seasons ago, while Braga endeavors to break his yearly cycle of coming up just short against the eventual champion. The two would hardly seem to need more motivation, but nonetheless, there is a lingering sense that they do not exactly like each other. When informed that Pinedo feels his style presents difficulties for Braga, the 27-year-old Brazilian is blunt in his response.

“I see many positives but I also see negative points in him,” Braga told Sherdog.com. “If he's saying that, he's only seeing the positive. When he gets to the negative, he won't know what to do. I'll show him it’s pure BS. I'll go there and break him.”

In a matchup between two men who have already fought twice, it is fair to speculate over what might be different the third time around. On the topic of Pinedo taking advantage of the physical geography of his native Peru to train at over 7,000 feet for this tournament, Braga is dismissive.

“He can train with the Pope,” he said. “It won't change anything for me. He can train anywhere in the world. He can have infinite stamina, but that won't change anything for me. I'll go in there with the mindset of breaking him. And I'll break him. I'm confident I'm better than him in all areas. In my two previous fights against him, I couldn’t show that. This time I'm very focused on going in there, doing everything I trained and going home with my victory.”

Braga is open about his own preparation for the fight, which included setting up in Southern California with a team imported from various locales.

“My last fight was on April 3,” he said. “Right after that, I went from Orlando to California. I trained with a friend of mine – Marcio Moreira– who is also a coach at Ralph Gracie Pleasanton. From Brazil, I brought in my uncle and coach Eduardo Pachu. I also brought in Bruno Nunes, who has been with me since I was young, from our Brazilian team. And I added some local guys like Rafael “Coxinha” Barbosa who is an athlete from Los Angeles. He came to Pleasanton to spend some time helping us. In this camp, we did something very different. We brought everyone together, put everyone in the same house, with the same energy, function and mission. Everyone shared the goal of beating this guy [Pinedo]. So, I'm very focused on going in there, giving my best and leaving with another victory.”

While the specifics of this camp were new, the goal remains the same: “In every fight we make a new strategy. Every fight is different. I’m going into this one with another mentality, with another strategy. My job is to go there and to do everything I trained.”

A rivalry-defining victory over Pinedo would be sweet indeed for Braga, but after coming tantalizingly close to a PFL title two years in a row, it is just one more step towards the ultimate goal.

“After this victory, I expect to capture the belt. It doesn't matter against whom. I'm going there with the mentality of breaking whoever it is. I want to see my belt. That’s my next step.”