PFL 2025 World Tournament Dark Horse: Jay-Jay Wilson

Lightweights will comprise one of the most entertaining brackets for the Professional Fighters League in the PFL 2025 World Tournament. There is no shortage of talent in any weight class, but the entrants at 155 pounds seem certain to deliver from the start.

Names in the lightweight draw include Gadzhi Rabadanov, Brent Primus, Alexander Shabliy and Clay Collard. There are plenty of intriguing quarterfinal matchups to go around, and while some may believe they know how the tournament may play out, one dark horse could surprise everyone: Jay-Jay Wilson.

Fighters only get one shot! Watch the PFL World Tournament LIVE Friday, April 18 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN+.

Wilson has not competed since 2023, having taken time off due to injury and the Bellator MMA-PFL merger. Despite his extended absence, the PFL identified the 27-year-old Kiwi as a worthy talent and decided to invest his skills by choosing him as one of eight lightweights to compete in its world tournament. The road to glory looks far from easy for Wilson. He faces Mads Burnell in a PFL 2025 World Tournament 3 showcase on Friday at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. Burnell has seen and done much in his career and enjoys a good brawl, which sounds like it might be right up Wilson’s alley. Should he get past Burnell, Wilson would advance to the semifinals against the Rabadanov-Marc Diakiese winner. There are no easy paths to a championship.

In welcoming the biggest challenges that can be put in front of him, Wilson will no doubt be looking for wars and the opportunity to entertain the masses. In a recent interview with Sherdog.com, he labeled himself as having a killer mentality that seems tailor-made for a win-or-go-home environment like the PFL tournament. Wilson has no thoughts of going home early. He carries a 10-1 record, with all but one of his bouts having taken place under the Bellator banner. A unanimous decision defeat to the aforementioned Rabadanov at Bellator 276 on March 12, 2022 remains the only blemish on his resume.

The PFL tournament offers him a chance at revenge and an opportunity to display his talents on the most significant platform available to him. With three wins in the tournament, Wilson can establish himself as one of the top fighters in the world at 155 pounds, walk away with a PFL championship and bank a $500,000 grand prize. His name may not jump off the page, but “The Maori Kid” has a deep motivation to prove himself among the sport’s best.

Winning the PFL lightweight tournament will be no easy task, but Wilson’s is a participant worth monitoring from the beginning.