Saturday night’s PBC main event on DAZN isn’t the biggest fight in the world, but we will see the return of Pitbull Cruz as he faces Nestor Bravo, with the potential for Cruz to land a much bigger title fight if he can get the victory.
Is there any shot of the lesser-known B-side scoring the upset on Saturday? Myself and Patrick take a look at the matchup.
Pitbull vs Bravo Recent Form
by Scott Christ
Isaac Cruz has been able to become Pitbull Cruz, and not Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz, same as Saul Alvarez became Canelo Alvarez, and not Saul “Canelo”
Alvarez, and Ronald Wright was Winky and we took the quotation marks off of “Sugar” for Sugar Rays Robinson and Leonard.
So that’s something!
Cruz (28-3-2, 18 KO) is a fun fighter. He has shark’s eyes and a mean disposition in the ring, a little fireplug who is a whirlwind at his best, but can be neutralized because he’s really quite small for these divisions he fights in, but built too sturdy, like, down into his bones, to fight any lighter than 135.
At 140, he’s been, like, pretty decent. He beat Rolly Romero in 2024, lost a big upset to Jose “Rayo” Valenzuela less than five months later, and is 2-0-1 since then, with W’s over Angel Fierro and Omar Salcido, both by decision, and then a draw with Lamont Roach that many felt Roach deserved to win, even having been knocked down.
Cruz is a tough dude, doesn’t shake easy, takes a good punch, seems mentally resilient, maybe once in the ring his mind goes as blank as those eyes and struggles don’t bother him. It would be a good quality for a fighter. He’s obviously the much bigger name in this fight, and will be expected to win. Basically, you’ve all seen Cruz fight in recent years. Not as many have seen Bravo.
Nestor Bravo (24-1, 17 KO) is no prospect. He’s 32, a Puerto Rican, and featured on a few of those CBS Sports Network shows nobody watched that used to come from the Caribe Royale in Orlando, before MVP pretty much took over the boxing business at the venue. None of his wins were all that notable if you’re talking about world level, and he took an upset loss against veteran Xolisani Ndongeni in March 2025, a split decision in Puerto Rico that one judge tried very hard to push his way, but was overruled.
Last time out, Bravo stopped Pedro Campa in two rounds, back in January. That was similar to prior Bravo outings, in terms of the result and the level of opposition he faced. He’ll have obvious advantages over Pitbull in height and reach, but pretty much everybody does.
Pitbull vs Bravo Style Matchup
by Patrick Stumberg
Even my well-documented love of the “mean little f***er” archetype can’t convince me that Cruz is a genuine top fighter at 140. His power doesn’t seem to have followed him up and he’s been struggling to pace himself down the stretch, forcing him to lean on banking as many early rounds as possible before his gas tank runs out. It’s worked more often than not, of course, but with the caveat that he hasn’t fought an actual super lightweight since bulldozing Rolly Romero five fights ago. If nothing else, Bravo isn’t a temporarily inflated lightweight, introducing an element of intrigue.
That’s about the only element Bravo’s got going for him, unfortunately. He’s a weird mix of high-guard catch-and-pitch counter-puncher and wild slugger, two styles that neither excel on their own nor mesh particularly well. Bravo couldn’t find Xolisani Ndongeni’s chin on the counter despite genuinely atrocious defense on Ndongeni’s part and his bum-rushes generally led to him falling over himself and stumbling into the clinch. It’s blatantly obvious that he can’t handle Cruz in the pocket and none of his game is conducive to keeping Cruz out of it; either he shells up and lets Cruz waltz in while chucking slow, ineffectual left hooks in response or he does Cruz’s job for him by trying to lead and losing control of his momentum.
Bravo does have a genuinely strong jab that could prove potent considering his half-foot reach advantage, but every other part of his style puts him smack in the middle of Cruz’s storm, and he’s just not good enough to survive waters that choppy.
Pitbull vs Bravo Predictions
Scott Christ: Again, there are obvious advantages on paper for the 32-year-old Bravo. He’s much taller, much longer reach, and as noted he has a decent jab when he uses it, there are ways he can make this competitive and maybe even win. I just don’t think he will, because Pitbull is just hard to beat. That sounds simple and sort of pointless, and maybe it is and maybe I’ll be wrong, but you have to be willing and able to stand up to Pitbull’s charges, and they’re pretty relentless. I don’t know if Bravo can do that. I think Cruz buys himself another title shot, either against the Smith vs Puello winner (Cruz is the WBC’s interim champ, which shouldn’t exist but does), or Gary Antuanne Russell in 2027. Pitbull Cruz by TKO in Round 5
Patrick Stumberg: There’s really nothing to this matchup outside of the national rivalry. As simple as it is on paper to defuse Cruz’s onslaught, Bravo lacks the skills, physicality, and composure to do so. His counter-punching mode wasn’t sharp enough to deter Ndongeni despite the South African B-side offering his chin on a silver platter and his brawler mode leaves him at the mercy of a faster, more seasoned, and more destructive puncher. He’s got an outside chance of winning a decision if he can stay standing long enough for Cruz to empty his tank, but after seeing him get wobbled by Ndongeni and try to bash his way out of trouble instead of working to survive, odds are we see Cruz clip him early and put him down for good when Bravo attempts a brave last stand. Pitbull Cruz by TKO in Round 3
Join us on Saturday, September 19, starting at 8 pm ET for round-by-round coverage and a live chat for Pitbull vs Bravo!
