Jesus Pinedo Knee Strike Eliminates Brendan Loughnane in Stunning PFL 4 Headliner

A lightning bolt from Jesus
Pinedo altered the direction of the
Professional Fighters League season in an instant.

The Peruvian featherweight wiped out Brendan
Loughnane with an exquisite knee strike and follow-up punches
in the
PFL 4 headliner on Thursday at Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta.
Pinedo (21-6-1, 1-1 PFL) drew the curtain 1:34 into Round 1,
eliminating the defending league champion from postseason
contention in a shocking turn of events.

Loughnane (26-5, 9-2 PFL) was never allowed to get in gear. The
gangly Pinedo met him with fluid stance switches and shots from
various angles.
A perfectly placed knee to the head at close range froze Loughnane
where he stood before he collapsed to the canvas in a
dazed-and-confused state. Pinedo then pounced with punches, forcing
referee Keith Peterson to call for the stoppage.

Meanwhile, the undefeated Movlid
Khaybulaev dismissed “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 27
semifinalist Tyler
Diamond with
an arm-triangle choke in the second round of their featherweight
co-main event. Diamond (12-3, 1-2 PFL) checked out
4:23 into Round 2.

Khaybulaev (21-0-1, 7-0-1 PFL) was utterly dominant. He decked
Diamond with a flying knee late in the third round and flurried
with punches for a potential finish. Only the bell kept Khaybulaev
from wrapping it up right then and there. Round 2 went even worse
for Diamond. Khaybulaev secured an immediate takedown, applied
asphyxiating pressure and zeroed in on the neck. He eventually
climbed to a mounted position, locked in the arm-triangle and
prompted the tapout.

The 32-year-old Khaybulaev now finds himself on a seven-fight
winning streak.

Elsewhere, Frontline Academy standout Marthin
Hamlet leaned on takedowns, positional control and an active
but ineffective submission game to claim a unanimous decision over
Australian journeyman Sam Kei in a
three-round light heavyweight showcase. All three cageside judges
struck 29-28 scorecards for Hamlet (12-4, 6-3 PFL).

Kei (8-8, 0-3 PFL) once again looked out of his depth. Hamlet
struck for takedowns in the first and second rounds, climbed to the
back without meeting much resistance and worked aimlessly on
rear-naked chokes without creating the necessary openings. Kei more
than once escaped to his feet, where the two men engaged one
another in what turned to a plodding standup affair. Hamlet made a
concerted effort to steer clear of danger across the final five
minutes, resulting in an uneventful third round that drew boos from
the crowd.

Hamlet has won three fights in a row.

Further down the card, former Brave Combat Federation champion
Bubba
Jenkins put Sung Bin Jo
to sleep with
a rear-naked choke in the first round of their featherweight
attraction. Jo (10-3, 0-2 PFL) lost his grip on
reality 1:25 into Round 1, where he was finished for the first time
in his 13-fight career.

Jenkins (21-6, 7-2 PFL) charged to a takedown inside the first 15
seconds, allowed the Team Stun Gun product to return to his feet
and executed a beautiful suplex before progressing to the back.
Soon after, the choke was in place. Jo briefly struggled briefly to
free himself, only to have the room go dark.

The 35-year-old Jenkins has rattled off 10 victories across his
past 12 appearances.

Finally, American Top Team’s Joshua
Silveira was awarded a technical knockout after Delan Monte
suffered what appeared to be a serious knee injury in the first
round of their light heavyweight feature. Monte (9-5, 1-4 PFL) met
his unfortunate end 1:30 into Round 1, losing for the third time in
as may outings.

Silveira (11-1, 4-1 PFL) kept the Brazilian at bay with repeated
rear-leg front kicks to the body, a sharp jab and a few punching
combinations. The former Legacy Fighting Alliance titleholder then
moved on a double-leg takedown,
with Monte suffering the fight-ending injury on his fall to the
canvas. He wailed in pain, resulting in an immediate
stoppage.

In preliminary action, Gabriel
Braga (11-0, 3-0 PFL) punched out Marlon
Moraes (23-13-1, 0-3 PFL) and
sent the former World Series of Fighting champion into retirement
3:02 into the first round of their featherweight
contest; Ty Flores
(13-4, 2-0 PFL) took a unanimous decision from Dan Spohn
(19-9-1, 2-4-1 PFL) in a three-round light heavyweight affair,
drawing 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27 marks from the cageside judges;
Chris
Wade (23-9, 11-6 PFL) choked Ryoji Kudo
(11-6-1, 1-4 PFL) unconscious with
a high-elbow guillotine 4:15 into the first round of their
featherweight battle; Impa
Kasanganay (13-3, 3-0 PFL) dispatched Tim Caron
(13-6, 0-1 PFL) with
an arm-triangle choke 3:52 into the second round of their light
heavyweight clash; Andrew
Sanchez (14-7, 1-0 PFL) eked out a split decision—29-27, 27-29,
29-27—over Taylor
Johnson (9-4, 2-1 PFL) in a three-round light heavyweight tilt;
Alexei
Pergande (3-0, 3-0 PFL) subdued Akeem
Bashir (3-2, 0-1 PFL) with
a brabo choke 3:40 into the first round of their featherweight
pairing; and Abigail
Montes (4-2, 2-2 PFL) put away Brandy
Hester (0-1, 0-1 PFL) with
punches 3:06 into the first round of their women’s featherweight
encounter.