Few fighters look forward to fighting undefeated Dagestani and former PFL featherweight champion Movlid Khaybulaev, but Canada’s Jeremy Kennedy is the exception.
Kennedy (19-5-1), who has had successful stints with the UFC (posting a 3-1 record) and Bellator MMA (where he fought for a featherweight title), is back in the PFL, and ready to take on the man many see as the toughest out in the weight class.
“It definitely excites me. Out of all the potential match-ups, outside the two guys I have already fought and I would like to get those back, this is the one that, his name carries the most weight,” Kennedy told Cageside Press in a recent exclusive interview. He faces Khaybulaev at Thursday’s PFL 1 card, which kicks off the PFL World Tournament. “Undefeated, that whole storyline, the Dagestanis, what they’re doing to the whole MMA community right now. I think it’s a cool one to get a feather in my cap and hand this guy his first loss. So it’s exciting.”
There’s another reason Kennedy likes the pairing as well, and it boils down to styles. “The match-up itself, I feel like it kind of brings the best out of me. I’m not fighting another kickboxer, striker that I’ve got to worry about taking down. And that’s the game plan, is to get this guy down.”
As Kennedy put it, he needs to fight Khaybulaev “feet to floor. I get to showcase my striking, counter his wrestling, and I’m not afraid to wrestle these guys either. I put my MMA grappling, wrestling, world class with any [fighter], I don’t care what region you’re from.”
Nor is Kennedy afraid to take Khaybulaev down himself. “Any kind of grappling exchanges, I welcome.”
Looking at the other quarterfinal fight on his side of the bracket, which sees Nathan Kelly take on Kim Tae-kyun, Jeremy Kennedy believes he got the toughest match-up right out of the gate. “I think I got the hardest match-up first,” he said, underscoring that he meant no disrespect to those involved. “I feel like the next hardest match-up is on the other side. They got a whole row of killers, those four. Those four on the other side of the bracket.”
The other side sees Gabriel Braga take on Yves Landu, and Jesus Pinedo face Adam Borics. “Nothing else matters outside of April 3. I’ve got a job to do, a big job to do. Once I get through that, then I can kind of adjust and focus and see.”
Later, Kennedy would add “this whole thing is going to be a grind, and no greater way to start it than to jump right into the fire with Movlid.” And as he sees it, since Kaybulaev has never lost (time off and injury prevented him from repeating as champ following his win in 2021), “you can arguably say he’s the defending champ.”
“I’m facing the defending champ, and I’m going to come in here, take all that momentum and ride it into the next fight.”
Watch our full interview with 2025 PFL 1’s Jeremy Kennedy above. The event takes place Thursday, April 3, 2025 in Orlando, Florida.
