It was nothing short of a whirlwind.
Jesus Pinedo emerged as the Professional Fighters League’s breakout star in 2023, as he scored three victories—all as an underdog—in less than seven months to become the promotion’s latest featherweight champion. Now a marked man following the PFL-Bellator MMA merger, his follow-up campaign figures to be fraught with difficulty. The 27-year-old Pinedo has won 14 of his past 16 bouts and could be a young talent around which the PFL and its partners can build.
As Pinedo awaits word on his next assignment, a look at five of the many moments that have come to define the Pitbull Martial Arts Center export: