Gabriel Braga entered 2024 PFL 3 to compete for the first time since his father's death, and he walked away with the victory.
As the clock wound down in Round 1, Braga (13-1) drilled opponent Justin Gonzales (14-4) with a clean punching combination that stopped the fight at the 4:59 mark. The win at Wintrust Arena in Chicago earned Braga six points in the 2024 featherweight regular season standings.
Braga, the 2023 runner-up, hadn't fought since his father, Diego, was killed in Brazil in January. Reports indicated a drug gang murdered Diego while searching for a stolen motorcycle.
Diego served as his son's head coach and mentor for his entire career, so Gabriel felt the impact both personally and professionally. In February, he withdrew on weigh-ins day from a fight vs. Bellator champion Patricio Freire as he determined he wasn't mentally ready to compete.
https://twitter.com/PFLMMA/status/1781514946368467344
With the victory, Braga moves to 5-1 in PFL with two finishes by strikes.
A Bellator import, Gonzales loses his PFL debut and falls into a three-fight skid.
The up-to-the-minute 2024 PFL 3 results include:
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for 2024 PFL 3.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: 2024 PFL 3 video: Gabriel Braga knocks out Justin Gonzales in first fight since father's death
2024-04-20T03:21:18Z dg43tfdfdgfd