Jason Jackson is one step closer to another championship run in the PFL.
PFL`s 2025 season tournament began Thursday night in Orlando, Florida, with PFL 1. The event featured the first round of the welterweight and featherweight tournaments. The main event saw Jason Jackson defeat Andrey Koreshkov by technical submission in the second round, securing his place in the welterweight semifinals.
After a close first round between former Bellator welterweight champions Jackson and Koreshkov, Jackson gained control in the second. However, the fight was briefly paused when Jackson accidentally landed an illegal elbow. Koreshkov took the full five minutes to recover, but the referee did not deduct a point from Jackson. Upon restart, Jackson quickly took Koreshkov down and unleashed ground strikes until Koreshkov gave up his back, allowing Jackson to secure a rear-naked choke for the finish.
In the co-main event, Jesus Pinedo, the 2023 featherweight champion, returned to the SmartCage with a first-round TKO victory over Adam Borics. Despite not fighting since his title win, Pinedo showed no signs of rust, quickly hurting Borics with a powerful right hand and finishing him with strikes. Pinedo will now face Gabriel Braga in the featherweight semifinal, a rematch for the title.
In another welterweight main card fight, Logan Storley, a former interim Bellator champion, easily won by decision against Joseph Luciano. Luciano was a late replacement for Magomed Umalatov, who missed weight, and couldn`t overcome Storley`s wrestling.
Storley will now face Masayuki Kikuiri in the semifinals.
Movlid Khaybulaev earned a narrow split decision victory over Jeremy Kennedy in the opening main card fight to advance to the featherweight semifinals. Kennedy started strong, but Khaybulaev recovered in the second round. The third round was closely contested, but judges favored Khaybulaev.
Khaybulaev will face Ta Hyun Kim in his featherweight semifinal.
The preliminary fights featured exciting finishes, with Thad Jean and Masayuki Kikuiri advancing in the welterweight tournament, and Ta Hyun Kim and Gabriel Braga in the featherweight tournament. Jean particularly impressed with a knockout win and will face Jason Jackson in the semifinals.
Here are the full PFL 1 results:
- Jason Jackson def. Andrey Koreshkov via technical submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 4:21
- Jesus Pinedo def. Adam Borics via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:43
- Logan Storley def. Joseph Luciano via unanimous decision (30-27×3)
- Movlid Khaybulaev def. Jeremy Kennedy via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Thad Jean def. Mukhamed Berkhamov via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:25
- Gabriel Braga def. Fred Dupras via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 4:37
- Masayuki Kikuiri def. Giannis Bachar via TKO (retirement) – Round 2, 5:00
- Tae Hyun Kim def. Nathan Kelly via technical submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 4:53
