'Thad Jean By Robbery' - Fans & Fighters Debate Thad Jean's Narrow, Controversial Split Decision Win Over Jason Jackson In PFL World Tournament Semifinal

The rise of the "Silverback" continues, as Thad Jean edged out former Bellator welterweight champion Jason Jackson in a split decision in the main event of the PFL World Tournament semifinals event in Nashville.

It was a back-and-forth encounter, with Jackson relying on his wrestling and clinch control. He landed multiple takedowns throughout the fight, pressing Jean against the fence. Jean, however, responded with some crisp striking, including a knockdown from a jab in the opening seconds of the fight.

Jean also made use of sharp counterstriking and did damage to the body in the later frames of the fight. While both men had their moments, it was Jean's cleaner shots and timely reversals that most likely helped him earn the nod.

One judge each scored the bout 29-28 for a fighter, while the third had Jean winning all three rounds to seal the split decision in his favor.

Jean, an alumnus of the PFL Challenger Series from 2023, is now 10-0 in MMA, including a now 5-0 PFL record with three finishes in the PFL cage.

Jackson has now lost two of his last three. His April first-round win over Andrey Koreshkov had been a rebound after dropping his welterweight title last year to Ramazan Kuramagomedov.