Gabriel Braga ran this race once before, only to stub his toe before reaching the finish line.
The Tropa Thai standout will lock horns with Timur Khizriev in the Professional Fighters League featherweight semifinals at PFL 9 this Friday in Washington, D.C., with the winner advancing to face either Brendan Loughnane or Kai Kamaka III in the $1 million championship. Braga steps back into the spotlight following back-to-back stoppages of Bubba Jenkins and Justin Gonzalez. He reached the 2023 featherweight final in November before being upset by Jesus Pineda, as he succumbed to third-round punches from the Peruvian.