One More Step: PFL 2025 World Tournament

The opening round of the Professional Fighters League 2025 World Tournament has come and gone, and while there were several former title challengers at the starting line, very few remain across eight weight classes. After falling short in their previous attempts at glory, these martial artists have advanced to the semifinals in their respective brackets and kept alive their chance to claim an elusive PFL championship.

A look at those hoping to take one more step toward a crowning achievement:

Gabriel Braga

After he was originally set to face Yves Landu in the first round of the featherweight tournament, Braga had a short-notice opponent change and faced Frederik Dupras in what would be a quick finish for the Brazilian. Having secured a first-round submission over Dupras, Braga will now have his trilogy against former PFL champion Jesus Pinedo. There is no love lost between the two rivals, and it should make for one of the more interesting matchups in the semifinals.

Brent Primus

Primus took on Vinicius Sacchelli Cenci, who stepped up on short notice for Alexander Shabliy, and showed he was sticking to his plan in the lightweight quarterfinals. Using relentless pressure, grappling and wrestling against Cenci, Primus threw his best shots but did not author the finish until he nailed down the third-round submission. He will now face England’s Alfie Davis, as he looks to secure a spot in the 2025 lightweight final.

Joshua Silveira

For a fighter who has continued to knock on the doorstep of championship glory, Silveira will have a marquee middleweight semifinal matchup ahead of him after he defeated England’s Mike Shipman by unanimous decision. That victory now pairs Silveira with former Bellator MMA title challenger Fabian Edwards, who defeated Impa Kasanganay to kick off his run in the tournament. Silveira will not have an easy matchup against Edwards. However, with a victory, he will have cemented himself as a top contender in the PFL’s middleweight division. Though he had fought as a light heavyweight ever since he joined the promotion, Silveira looked like he was more at home at 185 pounds.

Oleg Popov

Originally scheduled to face Linton Vassell in the heavyweight quarterfinals, Popov would be one of many fighters who had a short-notice opponent change and instead faced Karl Williams. The change in opponents would not be an easy one for Popov, who secured the winning nod by split decision. With the victory, Popov will now face Rodrigo Nascimento in the semifinals. Nascimento also won his first-round matchup by split decision.