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00:00But the welterweights and featherweights like guys
00:02are gonna be getting involved,
00:03starting all for us and kicking us off,
00:06starting with the main event of Jason Jackson,
00:08Andrei Koreshkov.
00:10We talked to Jackson last week,
00:11you've seen some of the clips
00:12that we've put out on social media
00:13that the PFL has put out as well about this fight.
00:16The ass-kicking machine in Jason Jackson,
00:1934-year-old from Jamaica, 18 and five in his career,
00:23going against Koreshkov, the 34-year-old Russian,
00:2528 and five, 14 wins by KO, TKO, 10 by decision.
00:29This is a guy who wants to keep his standing.
00:30Jackson, a guy who has a lot of wins by decision,
00:32six by KO.
00:33So this is gonna be an on-the-feet battle
00:35between these guys for much of it, I'm sure,
00:37unless someone gets dropped down.
00:39Eight and two, Bellator record for Jason Jackson.
00:42Fought for the title last June, but could not get it.
00:44Won the title over on Mosov back in November of 2023.
00:48Wins over guys like Lima, Cooper III,
00:50Daly, Neiman Gracie, Ben Henderson.
00:53So he has fought the best of the best.
00:54Koreshkov fought Lima three times
00:58when he was in Bellator.
00:59Lost to Molotov last season in the title fight
01:03for that one, and beat Lima good.
01:05Benson Henderson, Lorenz Larkin.
01:08So he's fought for the title, has never achieved it,
01:10but now he is going to try to get to that end goal here
01:13once again.
01:14I mean, as we said, this is a fight between guys
01:17who could've been matching up in the finals.
01:19Now they're gonna be matching up to kick it all off
01:20as the main event for this tournament.
01:22Great job by the PFL getting us caught up into it
01:26right away out of the gates here with this first card.
01:29You know what?
01:30It's hard to pick which one.
01:31These guys are the same age.
01:32Both these guys have a lot of experience.
01:34I think I'm gonna lean towards Jackson a little bit
01:36over the opponents that he has beaten.
01:38And we talked to him.
01:40He seems ready, not just physically,
01:42but you see the mental head games,
01:44the mental space that you gotta have
01:46with this kind of tournament format.
01:47He's experienced with that.
01:49Look forward to this fight,
01:50but I think I'm leaning towards him
01:51as my pick in that fight.
01:53Featherweight, co-main event between Jesus Pinedo
01:55and Adam Boric.
01:57We talked to Boric a couple weeks ago,
01:59coming back off a long-term injury that he had,
02:02fought last in November, 2023.
02:04Was supposed to fight a couple times last year,
02:05but had to pull out.
02:06He is a 2023 PFL featherweight champ.
02:0828, I'm sorry, Pineda is a 28-year-old from Peru.
02:13But 23, six and one in his MMA career.
02:16Looking forward to getting back in there
02:17and seeing that he is championship level once again.
02:20Going against a Boric, a 31-year-old from Hungary
02:22who now lives in the US.
02:2319-2 in MMA, 10-2 in Bellator in the PFL.
02:27Tried to fight for the title in 2022
02:28against Patricio Pitbull.
02:30Lost, and then he's been out almost two years due to injury.
02:32There's the confusion for me, both these guys.
02:34I've had long-term injuries,
02:35we haven't seen them in a couple years.
02:37Both making their returns.
02:38Both guys who could have, again,
02:40been favorites in this tournament.
02:42Maybe not as much as that last fight in Jackson and Koreshkov
02:45because they've both been out for a while here
02:47with injuries, but now we will see them both
02:49try to shake off that ring rush against each other
02:52and take each other out.
02:53I'm leaning towards Pineda right now.
02:55You know, a guy who has held the title.
02:56A guy who has gone the distance and taken a belt.
02:59I think he comes back in dominant fortune
03:01here against Boric.
03:02Both these guys have some highlight reel finishes, though,
03:04so don't blink, this one could be over quick.
03:08Then, well to wait on the main card as well.
03:10Logan Storlie, Magomed Umalatov.
03:12Again, the other two guys that would have been a favorite
03:14in this tournament for me before the tournament
03:17matchups were announced.
03:18Storlie, the 32-year-old from the US.
03:1916-3, nine wins by KO TKO.
03:22Wants to, you know, stand and trade.
03:2310-2 in Bellator.
03:24One-on-one the PFL, beat Nemi Grasme and Michael Vanapage.
03:28Lost to Mosov twice and lost to Musaev last year.
03:32Umalatov, the 32-year-old Russian.
03:3317-1, was unbeaten before losing to Musaev
03:36by third round TKO last November for the title
03:39in the PFL playoffs.
03:40Eight-and-one in the PFL.
03:42This is a tough one.
03:43I lean towards Umalatov, though.
03:45You know, this guy has had more recent success.
03:47You know, he has shown us how dominant he could be
03:49before getting to the top of the mountain
03:50and losing that title.
03:51But even in that fight, he was a badass
03:53before losing to his opponent.
03:55Just couldn't figure out the guy that no one else
03:57has been able to figure out, because he stands unbeaten.
04:00So, you know, not a bad loss on his record at all
04:03for his only and first loss.
04:04I think he rebounds quick here against Storlie
04:06and gets right back into the mix
04:08as one of the contenders in this division.
04:11And rounding out the main card will be
04:12the featherweight battle between Jeremy Kennedy
04:14and Movlid Kaiboulayev.
04:17Kennedy, the 32-year-old Canadian,
04:18who now trains in the US as 19-5 in MMA,
04:21fought in the UFC, Bellator, and PFL.
04:23Lost to Borch in April of 21,
04:25before, you know, has come back
04:27with back-to-back losses last year.
04:29So, has struggled over the last few years here.
04:32Lost to Pitbull by TKO for the title last March.
04:34Lost to Gabe Braga last November.
04:37So, he needs a serious rebound here.
04:39Not good track record, though, recently,
04:41in the recent history, going against a guy
04:42in Kaiboulayev, the 34-year-old Russian
04:44who won the tournament back in 2021.
04:4721-0-1 in MMA, 6-0 in the PFL.
04:51Hasn't fought since 2023, but again,
04:53has not been beaten.
04:55I'm not gonna pick against a guy who has not lost yet.
04:57I think he takes this fight here against Kennedy
05:00and sends him to a third straight loss
05:02in these last two years.
05:04On the prelim card, you got some great matchups.
05:07You got Ukumayev, Berkumov versus Florian Zendel.
05:11Berkumov, the Russian, is 17-2 with one no contest.
05:14Most of his wins by submission.
05:17Zendel, 10-1-1, five by KO, TKO, four by submission.
05:20So, he's game wherever it goes,
05:21but probably doesn't wanna get to the mat
05:23against a more dominant opponent on the ground.
05:26I think he probably wants to keep it more undefeated
05:28in PFL Europe.
05:29Won the 2024 PFL title.
05:31Now, moving up to the even bigger leagues in the PFL here.
05:34This is gonna be a step up in opponent for him,
05:37but I think he's gonna be game
05:38as long as he can keep it standing
05:40and stuff those takedowns.
05:41By the way, you have Gabe Braga versus Yves Landu.
05:43Braga, the 26-year-old from Brazil, 15-2 in MMA,
05:467-2 in the PFL.
05:48Lost to Pinedo in 2023 for the title,
05:503-1 since, and beat Kennedy last November by decision.
05:53Landu, the 38-year-old from France, 21-9 in MMA,
05:576-1 in Bellator, won his last five fights
05:59coming off a back-to-back split decision wins.
06:02But you know what?
06:03Braga's younger, gonna be faster,
06:05gonna be hungry to get back into that title mix.
06:07I'm sticking with the Brazilian in that fight.
06:10You also have welterweight,
06:11Takuri versus Yanis Bashar.
06:13Takuri, the Japanese fighter from 29-year-old,
06:15is 10-2 in one.
06:17Seven wins by KO TKO.
06:18He wants to stand, mostly his fights are in Pancrase.
06:212-0 in Bellator, both by TKO.
06:23Bashar, 9-2, the Tunisian fighter fighting out of Greece,
06:26is 9-2, eight by TKO.
06:30Both these guys have had more experience outside the PFL
06:33than they have inside major promotions,
06:35but both these guys like to stand and trade.
06:37I don't know who to pick in this one yet.
06:38I haven't seen enough of these guys,
06:40but I can tell you I don't think this one
06:41is gonna go the distance.
06:43And then to round out, featherweight battle
06:44between Nathan Kelly and Taekyun Kim.
06:47Kim, the South Korean fighter, 30-year-old,
06:48make his major promotion debut.
06:50He's 10-1.
06:51Kelly, 11-3 in MMA.
06:53We just saw him lose on that Ireland-Dagestan card.
06:56I'm gonna take a shot with the South Korean,
06:58thinking he's a little hyped
06:59to make a name for himself in this card.