Peruvian Pride

Jesus Pinedo thought he had ruined Gabriel Braga’s perfect record after their three-round slugfest on April 23, but after 15 minutes of violence, “El Mudo” was shocked to be left on the back end of a split decision. Fortunately for the 27-year-old Peruvian puncher, he has a golden opportunity to avenge his loss and bring home the gold when he rematches Braga for the Professional Fighters League featherweight title and $1 million as part of the 2023 PFL Championships on Friday at The Anthem in Washington, D.C. “I’m so happy about this fight because the world title and grand prize are on the line,” Pinedo told Sherdog, “and I’m glad it’s a rematch because now we can really see who won the first fight.”

Pinedo (22-6-1, 2-1 PFL) would not change much from the first outing. He took crippling calf kicks all night, but his willingness to charge forward and throw combinations on one leg earned the nod from judge Adalaide Byrd on split scorecards: 29-28, 28-29 and 28-29. Despite taking the loss, Pinedo hoped he would have another chance to prove himself to the world as the better fighter.

“Heading into this championship fight, he’s probably going to be really confident being undefeated,” Pinedo said. “As true fighters know, you learn more from a loss than you do from a victory.”

If Pinedo plans to beat Braga (12-0, 4-0 PFL)—who is coming in off another split decision win over Chris Wade—he will have to dig even deeper to get his hand raised. That is why he returned to his roots. Pinedo trained for the first Braga fight at the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, California. For this historic five-round title match, however, Puente Piedra’s favorite son spent his entire camp back in Peru.

“[AKA] is a great gym and I got all the right training partners and the right rounds in, but it’s just very different from the gym I started out at,” Pinedo said. “I know that’s going to give me the edge going into the rematch. I know I have to go back to the gym where I started, where I do all my camps and where I do my best.”

It was at the Pitbull Martial Arts Center in Lima, Peru, where a then-15-year-old Pinedo was first given his nickname, “El Mudo,” which translates to “The Mute” in English. His stubborn work ethic and antisocial nature quickly won over his coaches.

“I wouldn’t really talk to anybody in the gym,” Pinedo said. “I’d just go, get my work finished and quietly leave. Over time as I’ve gotten older, I’ll talk to everybody at the gym, but when I first started, it was because I was so quiet.”

Pinedo started out as the shy kid in the corner, yet grew into the face of the gym. Despite training around the world with some of the best fighters and coaches in the business, Pinedo believes there is no place like home.

“My camps in the United States are a lot more stressful. I’m more sheltered. I’m staying at home and not going out,” he said. “When I’m in Peru, I have my proper training partners that I’ve known forever, I have my coach that I’ve had since I started and I’m close to my family.”

Comfort has been key for Pinedo throughout his camp. Making the mental adjustments for a championship fight while physically preparing for five rounds is not easy, but being around loved ones eases some the pressure. From the first time he knocked out an opponent as a teenager to his brutal second-round technical knockout of Bubba Jenkins in August, Pinedo has loved the feeling of knocking someone senseless. He feels tranquil when hunting an adversary across the cage.

On the opposite side, Pinedo feels uneasy when the fight is left in the hands of the judges. Pinedo stopped four opponents in a row before Braga took him the distance at PFL 1. It may have taken back-to-back knockouts of Brendan Loughnane and the aforementioned Jenkins for him to earn a spot in the final, but he knows firsthand that the sturdy-chinned Brazilian is tough to put away. He also sees Braga as vulnerable, and with an entire country in his corner, Pinedo believes he can accomplish anything.

“When any young kid starts out training and they’re in the gym every day, their main goal is to be a world champion,” he said. “I’m going to be a world champion. I know that coming back with that world title is going to bring a lot of glory to Peru, to my teammates and my family.”