Jesus Pinedo, the winner of the PFL 2023 regular season, has pulled out of his bout against reigning Bellator Lightweight Champion Patricio Freire. The fight was scheduled for February 24 at the PFL vs. Bellator tournament in Saudi Arabia.
As announced by the league on their social media platforms, Brazilian mixed martial artist Gabriel Braga agreed to step in on short notice to replace Pinedo.
Freire's last fight was against Chihiro Suzuki in July 2023 at the Super Rizin 2 tournament. In that bout, Patricio suffered a knockout defeat in the first round. He holds a record of 35 wins and seven losses.
Braga last stepped into the cage against Pinedo in November 2023 at a PFL tournament. The fight, which was stopped in the third round, ended in Gabriel's defeat by technical knockout. He has 12 wins and one loss.