Jesus Pinedo pulled off one of the biggest upsets of 2023 Thursday evening in Atlanta.
In the main event of 2023 PFL 4, Pinedo (21-6-1) stepped into the cage to face 2022 champion Brendan Loughnane. The bout took place at Overtime Elite Arena and aired live on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.
A massive underdog at the betting window, Pinedo needed to score a first-round finish if he wanted to reach the playoffs, while Loughnane (26-5) just needed a win in any manner to continue his quest for another championship.
Unfortunately for the champ, Pinedo hand designs on spoiling the party, and was successful by landing a knee up the middle in an exchange that dropped Loughnane. A few follow-up punches later, the referee called a stop to the action and the celebration for one of the biggest upsets of the year was on.
Check out video of the finish below (via Twitter):
UPSET! UPSET! UPSET JESUS PINEDO IS GOING TO THE #PFLPLAYOFFS!
Loughnane is eliminated!#PFLRegularSeason LIVE NOW
🇺🇸 ESPN & ESPN+
🌎 https://t.co/jPNvomD5xg pic.twitter.com/WOxITRo19X— PFL (@PFLMMA) June 9, 2023
With the first-round stoppage, Pinedo earned six points and knocked off Chris Wade for the last featherweight playoff spot.
In his first fight of the season in April, Pinedo ended up on the wrong side of a split decision to Gabriel Braga. Despite the loss, he was able to reach the playoffs by upsetting Loughnane.
The first round of the 2023 playoffs will see Pinedo take on Bubba Jenkins, who put Sung Bin Jo to sleep with a submission in the first round earlier at the event. The other half of the bracket will see Gabriel Braga take on Movlid Khaybulaev.
Loughnane sees his five-fight win streak come to an end in devastating fashion. Not only was he on the receiving end of a knockout, but he was eliminated from playoff contention. In his first fight of the season, Loughnane finished Marlon Moraes, who retired earlier in the evening after being stopped by Braga.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL 2023, Week 4.
