All About the Sacrifices for PFL Bantamweight Finalist Justin Wetzell

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Justin Wetzell got a life-changing opportunity when the Professional Fighters League offered him a spot in the PFL 2025 World Tournament, but he had multiple obstacles to overcome—inside and outside the SmartCage.

Wetzell began his journey in the bantamweight draw with a short-notice win over Kasum Kasumov. It moved him into the semifinals against Mando Gutierrez, where he faced his toughest challenge: cutting 20 pounds of weight in less than 24 hours. It was a brutal process.

“They said it was 18 pounds, but after I watered up, it was much closer to 20 pounds,” Wetzell told Sherdog.com. “I did that cut for 20 hours straight, from 2 p.m. on Wednesday until 10 a.m. Thursday morning. No breaks. I saw the sun go down, [and] I saw that sun come up. We got it done. I want this more than anyone. I’ve been relishing and waiting for this opportunity for so long, and nothing is going to stop me.”

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The battle with the scale was an eye-opening event for Wetzell, but it also provided him with the opportunity to make a statement about his willingness to endure anything to achieve his goals. He went on to defeat Gutierrez and now awaits Marcirley Alves in the PFL 2025 World Tournament 9 bantamweight final on Friday at Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina. All the hard work has been worth it.

“I feel like an actual pro athlete being part of the PFL,” Wetzell said. “The back-to-back-to-back training camps means every day I have to wake up and do some sort of training. This is my job now, and I’ll forever be grateful to the PFL for giving me these opportunities because everyone else passed on me. I’m 33. It’s primetime for me, but I’m not young in MMA, so it’s time for me to go.”

Wetzell remains humbled by the commitment the PFL has shown him despite his lack of big-league experience at the start of the tournament.

“I have a ton of pride in representing the PFL,” he said. “The way they’ve treated me … they gave me a pass for missing weight on short notice. That was something I’ve never done before. Another thing I take pride in with this tournament is that I’m the only guy in the tournament who is making their major promotional debut. Every other person in this tournament has fought for the PFL, Bellator or the UFC. Every single person. Not me, though. Now that I have this opportunity, I can’t squander it. I’m here to stay. I’m going to win this tournament this year. Then I’ll come back and win next year. Money comes and goes, but it’s about being champion. I want to be the first-ever PFL bantamweight champion.”

Only Alves stands in his way. The Brazilian also entered the tournament on short notice and proceeded to beat Leandro Higo and Jake Hadley to earn his spot in the championship. Wetzell recognizes the danger Alves poses.

“He’s scary, man,” Wetzell said. “He’s got good defense on the grappling, but with that being said, he’s only got one way to beat me and I’ve got every way to beat him. The only way he can beat me is if he catches me with a big shot, hurts me and puts me away. I can strike with this guy. I can finish him on the feet. I can put him up against the cage and beat him up there. I can finish this guy on the ground. I can beat him in any way in this fight, and that’s going to be the big difference. I’m going to frustrate him. I’m going to put on a high pace. Winning is not enough. I want to make a statement. I want to finish him and show I can finish people at the highest level.”

The tournament has already taught Wetzell a great deal about himself.

“I want to say that it makes me proud of myself knowing that I can do these things,” he said. “Every sacrifice I’ve made has been worth it. I’ve sacrificed so, so much in my life just to get where I’m at right now. Winning this tournament is one step in my career, but it’s one step that makes it all worth it. I’ve lost so much to get here. This is just one step to show that the sacrifice was worth it.”