5 Things You Might Not Know About Jakob Nedoh

Jakob_Nedoh KO's Zvonimir_Kralj in under a minute. Perfectly placed right hand to the jaw #BRAVECF56 pic.twitter.com/SfOCGb4vxh

— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) December 18, 2021

Jakob Nedoh sees the Professional Fighters League’s latest venture as his chance at a big break.

The once-beaten Slovenian prospect will toe the line against Riccardo Nosiglia—a short-notice replacement for Kenneth Bergh—in a PFL Europe 1 light heavyweight feature on Saturday at Vertu Motors Arena in Newcastle, England. There, he begins his pursuit of a possible $100,000 payday and a seat at the Professional Fighters League table in 2024. Nedoh enters the cage with the wind of a five-fight winning streak in his sails. He last appeared on Dec. 3, when he buried Ezequiel Braz Silvino with punches 1:44 into the first round of their encounter at a Valhalla Fight Night show.

As Nedoh makes final preparations for his forthcoming battle with Nosiglia at 205 pounds, here are five things you might not know about him:

1. His athletic gifts extend beyond martial arts.

Nedoh pursued a career in handball—parallels can be drawn between his path and that of current Bellator MMA women’s featherweight champion Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino—before he made the full-time transition to mixed martial arts.

2. He trains close to home.

“The Gorilla” operates out of the TNT Gym in his native Slovenia. There, Nedoh sharpens his considerable skills alongside a number of Slovenian fighters, from journeyman Marko Drmonjic to Miha Frlic, Matjaz Belsak and the undefeated Luka Podkrajsek.

3. Adversity led to recalibration.

Nedoh made his professional mixed martial arts debut at the age of 18 when he submitted to an armbar from Gordian Schober a little more than three minutes into the first round of their encounter under the Final Fight Championship banner on Nov. 21, 2014. He did not fight again for nearly three years.

4. Efficient potency has marked his rise.

The 6-foot-4 Nedoh has finished five consecutive opponents, four of them in two minutes or less. His surge was highlighted by a 71-second keylock submission of Nemanja Kukic in 2017 and a 50-second knockout of Zvonimir Kralj in 2021.

5. His talents are in demand.

The Professional Fighters League will be the sixth promotion in which Nedoh has competed, along with the aforementioned FFC, Cage Fight Championship, World Free Fight Challenge, Brave Combat Federation and Valhalla Fight Night. He has already fought in three different countries: Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia.