Nashville, TN — Ahead of their third meeting at PFL Nashville, featherweight Jesus Pinedo downplayed his rivalry with Gabriel Braga.
Sort of.
“Nothing changes for me depending on the rival. I know it’s always a tough fight, but I’ve been saying this all week: This isn’t 1-1, it’s 2-0. The first fight, I won it, I’m very confident about that,” stated Pinedo (24-6-1), speaking with Cageside Press and other media outlets during the event’s media day on Wednesday. “And this week it will be 3-0.”
That sort of talk has Braga, for his part, fired up, but for Pinedo, it’s not about his opponent. “My final goal at the end of the day is winning the belt, and that’s the main reason why I’m here. Braga right now is in the way, but my main goal has always been the belt.” And with that in mind, he has a prediction for the fight. “First round knockout or early round two knockout.”
Talk of the rivalry would still dominate during Wednesday’s media day however. The knockout prediction, for one, isn’t specifically about Braga, who Jesus Pinedo defeated in the 2023 PFL final.
“For me it doesn’t really matter, it’s never anything personal. I’ve got a job to do here, and no matter who I’m fighting, it could be Braga, it could be Movlid [Khaybulaev], it could be [Tae-Kyun] Kim, I’ll still knock out him. My main goal is just to win fights and advance.”
As for what has changed in Pinedo’s skillset since 2023, it’s less physical, more mental. “My mindset is the biggest change I’ve had in my career. Between these two years I’ve learned a lot, I’ve trained a lot and that’s where you’ll see the biggest improvement from me. I’ll show that this Thursday.”
Watch the full PFL Nashville media day appearance by Jesus Pinedo above.
