CHICAGO – With a heavy heart, Gabriel Braga entered the cage for the first time since his father’s death. At 2024 PFL 3, Braga (13-1) began his featherweight season with a bout against Justin Gonzales. With one second left on the clock in Round 1, Braga prompted the referee to stop the fight after landing a series of hard punches that sent Gonzales (14-4) to the ground. Braga dropped to his knees in the center of the cage, letting the emotions of the entire moment take over as he lifted both hands toward the sky. “He left us, but in leaving us, he left me very ready,” Braga said about his father through an interpreter during a post-fight news conference. “Ready for these moments, ready to make him proud, and ready to conquer the world, so that’s what I’m here to do.” Braga’s father, Diego, was killed in January in Brazil.