Gabriel Braga: Navigating the Turbulence

“One shot means an opportunity to honor my name”

A PFL Featherweight World Title and cementing his legacy is the only goal on @Gabrielbragab mind heading into 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣5️⃣

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[ #PFLWorldTournament | Thursday , April 3rd | 📺 10PM EST | ESPN 2 ] pic.twitter.com/c0CfYKYaBo

— PFL (@PFLMMA) February 16, 2025

Gabriel Braga can only sit back, prepare and await his marching orders from the Professional Fighters League, as the company puts the pieces in place for its 2025 World Tournament. He was announced as one of eight participants in the featherweight draw, along with Jesus Pinedo, Adam Borics, Movlid Khaybulaev, Jeremy Kennedy, Yves Landu, Nathan Kelly and Tae Kyun Kim.

“I like this new lineup,” Braga told Sherdog.com. “They’re high-level athletes from all over the world. I think this year will be awesome.”

Those eight 145-pound hopefuls are set to compete for the 2025 PFL featherweight championship and a $500,000 payday, down from $1 million in season’s past.

“They decreased it, but my focus now is to get this belt,” Braga said. “It would be an honor for us to bring this belt home. That is the most important thing for me. Money will be the consequence of this work.”

As Braga moves forward toward his next assignment in the PFL, he continues to mourn the loss of his father and keeps his memory close to his heart. Diego Braga Alves was murdered in his native Brazil at the age of 44 in January 2024. Not even death could sever their bond.

“It was a unique connection,” Braga said. “Unfortunately, life surprises you in some ways. We have to know how to deal with all those problems, move on and keep going. My father was always the one who guided me, who had high expectations of me, including in my career. Everything I practice today was taught by him. I’ll continue on that road for the rest of my life. I plan to pass this on to my future children. I received life lessons which would not be found elsewhere. He was my mentor. I believe that he still is in various facets of life.”

To this day, no one has been apprehended in connection with Alves’ death.

“I heard several stories, but I can’t really know what happened,” Braga said. “They’re just stories that people tell. Unfortunately, some stories end up not being true. Others could be true. We will never know. The only people who know are who those were actually there. What I can do is to continue getting better and stronger every day. It wasn’t just my personal goal. It was our goal.”

Braga rose to prominence as a PFL finalist in 2023. The Tropa Thai rep fought with a heavy heart and reached the semifinals in 2024—he bested Justin Gonzales and Bubba Jenkins during the regular season—before being eliminated in a split decision defeat to Timur Khizriev. Braga rebounded to close out the year, as he was awarded a unanimous verdict over Jeremy Kennedy in November.

“Last year, admittedly, was very turbulent for me,” he said. “Even though I went through all that, even though I went in there and won fights, I had to go through some feelings that I had never gone through before. Last year brought a lot of learning for me. This year, I’m hungry. This year, I’m more mature, more experienced, and I really want the belt. Last year, I put in a lot of work, and this year, I’m going to show the results.

“I’m just thinking about fighting,” Braga added. “I’m thinking about all my opponents and all the strategies I have to employ. My biggest goal in life is that. It’s to go there, do my job well, beat everyone who needs to be beaten and get my belt.”