Four years after his first PFL title, Movlid Khaybulaev finds success in the PFL once again, defeating Jesus Pinedo in a battle of former champs to capture his second PFL belt at the PFL World Championships in Atlantic City.
Khaybulaev set the fight's pace early by scoring early takedowns and controlling the action from top position, despite Pinedo landing some elbows from the bottom.
Khaybulaev nearly finished Pinedo twice in the second round, scoring a knockdown and executing an arm-triangle choke right before the bell. Pinedo, however, responded in the third with a knockdown of his own, courtesy of a big right hand. Khaybulaev, however, quickly recovered and re-established control with his ground game again.
The championship rounds saw more of the same, as Khaybulaev used handcuffs, mat returns, and heavy top pressure to wear Pinedo down. In the fifth, Khaybulaev managed to get into full mount and locked up another arm-triangle. This time, it was enough to score the tap and lock up the PFL title.
Movlid Khaybulaev Wins 2025 PFL Featherweight World Tournament
Khaybulaev now advances to 23-0-1 (1 NC) in his undefeated pro career and locks up a future PFL featherweight world title shot. He advanced to tonight's final with decisions over Jeremy Kennedy and Kim Tae-kyun.
Pinedo, meanwhile, advanced with finishes of Adam Borics and Gabriel Braga.