PFL 2025 World Tournament Dark Horse: Thad Jean

The Professional Fighters League will flip the switch on its latest campaign when welterweights and featherweights take center stage at PFL 2025 World Tournament: First Round 1 this Thursday at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. While Jason Jackson, Andrey Koreshkov, Logan Storley and Magomed Umalatov are viewed as the favorites at 170 pounds, the new format opens the door for a newcomer to cement his place in history by defying the odds and winning the eight-man tournament.

A look at the welterweight bracket offers some possibilities in terms of dark horses, led by a name that was added on late notice. Florim Zendell’s exit from the tournament opened the door for Thad Jean, an unbeaten prospect with an undeniably high ceiling.

Jean made his PFL debut in 2023 and quickly established himself as a person of interest, and he could emerge as the surprise of the tournament. He carries an 8-0 record that includes first-round finishes of Ali Omar and Romain Debienne in the PFL. Now, Jean has the opportunity of a lifetime in front of him. Set to face 19-fight veteran Mukhamed Berkhamov, he certainly has a difficult road ahead of him. If Jean were to beat Berkhamov in the opening round, he would advance to face the Jackson-Koreshkov winner in the semifinals, immediately pitting him against a former world champion.

Not much more needs to be said about Jean from there. A promising young fighter who trains out of the Fight Sports camp in Deerfield Beach, Florida, he has shown himself to be unafraid of throwing everything at the wall in an effort to be as dangerous and entertaining as possible. His clash with Berkhamov matches him against an opponent with vastly more experience and a proven grappling specialist, with 10 of his 17 wins having resulted in submissions. It looks to be a classic striker-versus grappler showdown. If Jean can nullify Berkhamov’s ground game, it should provide him with an opening on which to capitalize. A victory would skyrocket him to immediate contention.

Fighters only get one shot! Watch the PFL World Tournament LIVE at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

A challenging road awaits Jean and the other seven men in the welterweight bracket. He has little to lose and everything to gain as a short-notice replacement, and he certainly possesses the talent necessary to shock the world and win the tournament. In his most recent PFL appearance, Jean flexed his resolve in a three-round unanimous decision over former Legacy Fighting Alliance champion Chris Brown on Aug. 16.

An undefeated record and fan-friendly style make Jean a fighter worth monitoring moving forward and an obvious choice as a potential dark horse to win it all at 170 pounds.