Rivalries: Tom Breese

Professional Fighters League light heavyweight contender Tom Breese is a battle-tested veteran who has competed in some of the world’s most prominent organizations and gone up against a spectrum of established competitors. He takes on Rob Wilkinson in the PFL 2 co-main event this Friday at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas. Ahead of their clash, a look at some of the rivalries that have shaped Breese as a fighter:

Cathal Pendred

Breese engaged in combat against Pendred at UFC Fight Night 76, the organization’s third event in Dublin. In the opening round, the English fighter utilized stinging left hand counters, inflicting damage on Pendred at will. Eventually, the accumulated damage led to a bloodied Pendred dropping to the canvas at precisely the 4:37 mark of the opening round. With that victory, Breese clocked his second straight UFC victory and went on to win the next fight against Keita Nakamura via unanimous decision before dropping a split decision to future UFC 185-pound champion Sean Strickland.

David Ramires

Breese was released by the Ultimate Fighting Championship after posting a 5-3 promotional record, as he he was forced to withdraw from his fight against Antonio Arroyo due to medical issues on June. 5, 2021. Following the release, he went on to compete under the Levels Fight League banner and was handed the opportunity to fight for the vacant middleweight title in his maiden outing. He won the fight by rear-naked choke submission in the second round and went on to defend the title against Ahmed Sami a few months later.

Damian Janikowski

Following the victory over Sami, Breese went on to compete under the Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki banner, making his debut against Janikowski at KSW 74. Breese secured victory in the co-main event bout over the 2012 Olympic bronze medalist and Polish fan favorite, but the Round 2 finish had its fair share of drama. During one of Janikowski’s takedown attempts, Breese demonstrated impeccable timing and locked in an arm-in guillotine choke, with the referee closely monitoring the sequence. As the choke got tighter, the referee checked in on Janikowski despite a thumbs-up. However, the confusion led to the Pole either tapping or slapping Breese’s back in an attempt to re-establish his grip with his other hand. That was enough for the referee to halt the fight, and Janikowski immediately protested. Breese, for his part, was clear of the victory but extended the offer to rematch to eliminate controversy.

Cleiton Silva

In his debut PFL appearance, Breese locked horns with Silva at the PFL Europe 4: 2023 Finals. From the opening sequence, the English fighter stifled his opponent with stinging shots and proved to be the aggressor. Around the two-minute mark, he pressured Silva against the cage, but the Brazilian countered with heavy shots forcing Breese to retreat. During the same sequence, Silva tried to take his opponent down, only for Breese to transition from a guillotine choke attempt to eventually take his counterpart’s back. From there, he worked towards a rear-naked choke and clocked the submission at the 3:30 mark of the first round.