Jesus Pinedo: Born to Scrap

The benefit of hindsight brought onetime Professional Fighters League champion Jesus Pinedo to the realization that he was destined to be a mixed martial artist.

“I’d always practiced contact sports since I was a kid, since I was 6 years old,” he told Sherdog.com. “I started with karate. I did a little bit of boxing. I did kung fu. I did everything a little bit. I was looking for martial arts where I could fit everything [together that] I had practiced all my life since I was a kid. Then I saw an MMA fight on television. It caught my attention because everything fit together. I went and looked for an academy. I joined and haven’t stopped since.”

Pinedo will return to action for the first time in more than a year when he confronts Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Jeremy Kennedy as part of the undercard for the PFL 2024 Season Championships this Friday at King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Kennedy, 32, has rattled off three wins in four appearances but finds himself on the rebound following a third-round technical knockout loss to reigning Bellator MMA featherweight champion Patricio Freire at Bellator Champions Series 1 on March 22. The Xtreme Couture rep has never suffered back-to-back defeats as a pro.

“I know he’s a very experienced opponent,” Pinedo said. “He has fought in many fights in the biggest organizations in the world. He has fought with very tough people. I hope it’s a good fight. I’m going to go out and look for an intense fight on my part. I know he’s not an opponent who pressures you a lot. He waits for the other fighter’s mistakes, but I’m going to go out and pressure him. I’m going to be the one who looks for his mistake.”

The 28-year-old Pineda once again spent his training camp at the Pitbull Martial Arts Center in Lima, Peru. There, he sharpened his skills under the direction of longtime coach Ivan Iberico.

“I have training partners who also fight in large organizations,” Pineda said. “I have very good striking partners who have fought in big leagues, like in Thailand, [and] muay thai world champions from here in Peru.”

Should Pineda get past Kennedy, he already has a target in mind. He was scheduled to challenge the aforementioned Freire in February before a back injury forced him to withdraw.

“I’m looking at him,” Pineda said. “I want him next.”