Thad Jean Wins PFL Welterweight Championship: New Star!

Thad Jean Crowned Welterweight Champion at PFL

Thad Jean has established himself as the new welterweight champion in the PFL, culminating his participation in the 2025 World Tournament with a dominant performance in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Jean (11-0), who started the year as a relatively unknown competitor, proved his worth by defeating Logan Storley (18-4), an experienced opponent. Although Jean showed signs of exhaustion at the end of his first five-round fight, he managed to maintain his composure and finish the match in the center of the cage, exchanging blows. The three judges awarded the victory to Jean with scores of 49-46, 49-46, and 48-47. This triumph culminates an exceptional period for Jean, who began the tournament with a knockout in the first round over Mukhamed Berkhamov, followed by a split decision victory against former Bellator MMA champion Jason Jackson in June. In his fight against Storley, Jean was close to finishing him in the second round.

Storley is a beast. I thought I would finish him in the second round, and I think everyone thought that too. This is my belt, and I am ready to fight whoever is next.

Thad Jean

Jean impacted Storley with a front kick and a head kick in the second round, followed by violent left uppercuts and knee strikes. Storley barely survived the round, but demonstrated his resilience and experience. The former NCAA wrestling champion relied on his grappling to wear down Jean, but Jean managed to maintain enough energy to defend against submission attempts and continue connecting his jab.

Movlid Khaybulaev Crowned in Featherweight

In addition to the welterweight final, the 2025 featherweight world final also took place on Friday, with Movlid Khaybulaev, former PFL champion, obtaining his second 145-pound title. Khaybulaev (24-0-1) submitted Jesus Pinedo (25-7-1) at 1:17 of the fifth round, in one of the best performances of his career. Pinedo had a good start on the feet, but struggled to keep the fight standing over time. Khaybulaev threatened to end the fight on several occasions on the ground and used the threat of takedowns to set up his strikes. The final submission came via an arm triangle, marking the fourth submission victory of his career. Khaybulaev, 34, attributed the victory to his late coach, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, father of the legendary Khabib Nurmagomedov. Khabib, who was in Khaybulaev’s corner on Friday, praised his Dagestani compatriot.

We have trained together for 18 years, since we were children. He was a student of my father. We have trained thousands of rounds together. He is undefeated, two-time PFL champion. I think he is already a legend of the sport.

Khabib Nurmagomedov

The PFL World Championships will continue on August 15 in Charlotte, North Carolina, with the lightweight, bantamweight, and women’s flyweight championships.