In a clash of power striking vs. elite wrestling, undefeated Thad Jean outlasts Storley to capture the Welterweight World Tournament title and a $500K championship bonus.
On Friday, August 1, 2025, Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey transforms into the battleground for the PFL Welterweight Tournament Final, headlined by undefeated Thad “The Terminator” Jean vs. wrestling powerhouse Logan “Leviathan” Storley.
With a perfect 10–0 record, Jean enters the final as the undefeated favorite. In the semi-finals of the 2025 PFL Welterweight World Tournament in Nashville, Jean edged out a hard-fought battle against Jason Jackson via split decision, punching his ticket to the finals. In the opening round of PFL 1 in Orlando, Jean scored a first-round TKO over Mukhamed Berkhamov, setting the tone early in the tournament. Jean remains undefeated (10–0) with no losses so far, making his run in PFL all the more impressive.
Storley, a former Bellator interim welterweight champ brings grit and elite grappling into the fight. He arrives on a tear winning four of his last five fights and he is hungry to regain championship status inside the PFL cage. On June 12, in the semi-finals at PFL World Tournament 5 in Nashville, Storley dominates Masayuki Kikuiri via unanimous decision, advancing to the August final.
In the first-round bout in PFL 1, Storley won his opening match against Joseph Luciano via unanimous decision, despite opponent replacements due to weight misses. Storley’s last recorded loss came before entering PFL, he was knocked out in the second round by Shamil Musaev during his PFL debut on April 19, 2024.
From the opening bell, Jean looked sharp and composed. He controlled the pace with his footwork, defended takedowns well, and picked Storley apart with clean counters Storley went for early takedowns, but Jean’s sprawl and balance were on point. At one point, Jean reversed and mounted him, landing some punches before Storley scrambled back to his feet. Jean stayed busy, mixing front kicks, one-twos, and a strong left hand that kept Storley guessing. Storley finally landed a takedown late in the round, but Jean popped right back up and stayed calm, even with Storley on his back. Jean ended the round strong, breaking free and throwing a flying knee, then tagging the body with a clean kick.
Round 2 started with Front kick by Jean as Storley starts by circling on the outside again. Left jab by Jean. Storley tries a combination. Round 2 saw more of Jean’s striking shine through. He landed a series of crisp combinations and made Storley pay for every takedown attempt. Storley found some moments against the cage, but Jean’s defense was rock solid.
Round 3 saw more clean work from Thad Jean, who kept tagging Logan Storley with crisp left hands as Storley tried to close the distance. Storley kept hunting for takedowns but couldn’t get anything clean, even when Jean briefly threatened a guillotine. Jean stayed calm, landed a high kick, and shrugged off more takedown attempts, showing great balance and awareness.
Even when Storley managed to press him against the SmartCage, Jean worked his way out, firing off jabs, knees, and low kicks. Jean kept landing jabs, a solid right hand, then another left. Storley finally secured a takedown and got a hook in with about 90 seconds left, even transitioning to full mount. But Jean scrambled brilliantly, slipping out the back and getting back to his feet. Jean finished the round pushing forward, throwing a front kick, a clean right, then a left hand as the round closed. Another strong frame from Jean, who mixed offense and defense beautifully.
Storley turned up the pressure, walking Jean down and scoring some takedown attempts. Jean’s takedown defense was tested, but he managed to escape several deep positions. Despite absorbing volume from Storley, Jean stayed sharp and landed clean combinations before the bell.
Round 5 came and Jean looked to finish strong, meeting Storley head-on with strikes and standing knees. Storley secured a late takedown, but Jean scrambled to his feet and regained position. The two traded fiercely in the final minute, with Jean landing the cleaner shots. Judges scored it 49‑46, 49‑46, 48‑47 in Jean’s favor.
The co-main event of the night didn’t disappoint, delivering a high-stakes, action-packed showdown that kept fans on the edge of their seats. Movlid Khaybulaev showcased dominant grappling and relentless pressure to become a two-time PFL tournament champion, finishing Jesus Pinedo with an arm-triangle choke early in Round 5. Across the first four rounds, Khaybulaev controlled the action with timely takedowns, suffocating top control, and steady ground-and-pound, while Pinedo tried to respond with elbows off his back and brief striking moments on the feet.
In Round 3, Pinedo dropped Khaybulaev briefly, but couldn’t keep him down, as Khaybulaev quickly recovered and re-established control. The championship sequence came in the final frame, where Khaybulaev passed to mount and sealed the deal with a submission at 1:17 of Round 5.
In the second fight on the preliminary card, Sarah Shields and Nick Meck wasted no time getting into the action, trading shots early on. But with just under two minutes left in the round, Shields caught Meck with a vicious knee to the head as he charged in. Meck somehow stayed on his feet, but the blow opened a brutal cut that left his face pouring blood and drenched Shields by the end of the round. Doctor finally examined the damage and had no choice but to call off the fight, the gash above Meck’s eyelid was too severe to continue.
Check out PFL 8 results below:
Main card
Thad Jean def. Logan Storley via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 48-47)
Movlid Khaybulaev def. Jesus Pinedo via submission (arm-triangle choke) — 1:17, Round 5.
Asael Adjoudj def. Yves Landu via unanimous decision (29-28×3)
Jordan Newman def. Eslam Abdul Baset via TKO (retirement) — 5:00, Round 1.
Prelims
Jakub Kaszuba def. Sergio Cossio via unanimous decision (29-28×3)
Kyle Driscoll def. Husein Kadimagomaev via split decision (29-28, 27-30, 30-27)
Fred Dupras def. Nathan Kelly via technical submission (guillotine choke) — 4:38, Round 2
Sarak Shields def. Nick Meck via TKO (doctor stoppage) — 5:00, Round 1. | Gruesome Cut
Tom Pagliarulo def. Matt Turnbull via knockout — 4:36, Round 1.
