Movlid Khaybulaev defeated Jesus Pinedo to become the 2025 PFL World Tournament featherweight champion on Friday night.
Khaybulaev landed an early takedown, but a lack of activity prompted the referee to stand them back up with three minutes left to go in the round. Given a gift, Pinedo turned up the heat and started throwing heavy leather looking to catch Khaybulaev.
Pinedo’s overly-aggressive approach made it all that much easier for Khaybulaev to take him down once again, allowing him to ride out the remainder of the round in Pinedo’s guard.
Khaybulaev picked up right where he left off on the first, taking Pinedo to the mat and nearly cinching in a rear-naked choke. Pinedo fended off the submission attempt, and before long, the referee stood them up once again due to activity. This time, it was Khaybulaev who would explode, blasting Pinedo with a vicious right hand that sent the Peruvian crashing to the canvas.
Khaybulaev unleashed a brutal ground-and-pound attack, battering and bloodying his opponent. The referee took a close look, but Pinedo was doing just enough to avoid the knockout shot. That prompted Khaybulaev to fish for an arm-triangle choke, but Pinedo comfortably defended the hold, making it out of the round.
Early in the fourth, Pinedo knocked down Khaybulaev with a big right hand. Khaybulaev shot in for a desperation takedown attempt, getting Pinedo’s back to the mat. That allowed the undefeated Dagestani an opportunity to recover before getting back to work in Pinedo’s guard. Unfortunately, Pinedo couldn’t take advantage of the moment, spending much of the fourth round on his back.
Khaybulaev finally found the finish in round five, securing an arm-triangle choke to capture his second PFL featherweight tournament championship.
Official Result: Movlid Khaybulaev def. Jesus Pinedo via submission (arm-triangle choke) at 1:17 of Round 5 to win the PFL featherweight world tournament final.
Check Out Highlights From Movlid Khaybulaev vs. Jesus Pinedo at PFL World Tournament 8:
