Thad Jean will no longer be facing Shamil Musaev in the main event of PFL Washington this Saturday.
With Musaev withdrawing due to weight cut complications, Jean (11-0) will instead take on short-notice replacement Ernesto Rodriguez (11-1). The promotion’s vacant welterweight title remains on the line.
An ex-Tuff-N-Uff champ, Rodriguez made a successful PFL debut back in March.
League officials announced the news on Thursday. And Jean, for one, is none too happy at a short-notice fighter thinking they might get the better of him.
“I feel disrespected Ernesto thinks he can beat me on short notice by taking this fight. You think I’m a short notice opponent who you can honestly beat? I have to put you in your place,” Jean was quoted as saying in Thursday’s press release. “It sounds arrogant, but my arrogance isn’t from a place of trash talk, but it’s rooted in something bigger than both of us. You will see. I am knocking you out. You don’t have the cardio to go the distance, the technique to go the distance. I won’t underestimate you, but I know your game and your level. You will see.”
The PFL welterweight title was vacated by Ramazan Kuramagomedov after he won the championship in a fight with Shamil Musaev in February. Musaev was then granted a rare opportunity to get an immediate second chance at gold, coming off a loss, in the pairing with Thad Jean, a surprise winner of the 2025 PFL World Tournament.
PFL Washinton takes place this Saturday, July 25 at the CareFirst Arena, Washington D.C.
