Thad Jean had a two-year amateur career that gave him plenty of experience and lessons before he turned pro.
In 2018, in his third fight as an amateur, Jean took out Dilano Taylor. Taylor went on to the PFL, and after he got a shot at the 2022 welterweight season through the PFL Challenger Series, he reached the $1 million final.
So it’s perhaps a perfect little coincidence that Jean (4-0) now has the biggest opportunity of his pro career when he takes on Eric Alequin (7-0) on Friday at the PFL’s first Challenger Series event of 2023, which features welterweights.
The winner will be hoping to impress the members of the PFL brass enough to get an invite into the regular season.
But it was a different amateur fight that Jean says helped him turn the corner in his career: a loss to current Bellator rising standout Roman Faraldo.
“When I went against Roman Faraldo – he’s in Bellator now and just suffered his first loss – going against him was the greatest lesson I’ve ever learned,” Jean recently told MMA Junkie Radio. “I was on a good streak. I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m untouchable. I don’t need to work on anything.’
“I underestimated him. I thought, ‘He’s not going to be able to do anything. He can’t stand with me. He can’t strike with me. He’s not going to be able to keep walking me down like I’m going to try to walk him down.’ (I was) just getting in my head …
“Since that fight, I’ve been able to keep myself humble in preparation for each fight.”
Jean is eight years younger than Alequin, who is unbeaten, as well.
2023 PFL Challenger Series 1 takes place Friday at Universal Studios in Orlando, Fla. The card airs on fuboTV.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for 2023 PFL Challenger Series 1.
