Overview
- Eliezer Kubanza stopped Trey Waters at 1:36 of the first round on Friday at Wintrust Arena when a compact left dropped Waters and follow-up punches prompted the referee to end the bout.
- The knockout came on the preliminary card of PFL Chicago and moved Kubanza to 10-1 while extending his winning streak in the promotion.
- Kubanza used the in-cage interview, draped in a Democratic Republic of the Congo flag, to directly call out PFL welterweight champion Thad Jean and request a title opportunity; no title fight has been scheduled.
- Trey Waters fell to 10-3 overall and 1-1 in PFL after joining the promotion following his late-2025 UFC release.
- Broadcasters noted Kubanza’s prolific finishing rate—many of his wins are stoppages, several in round one—which gives him momentum and could push PFL to consider him for higher-profile matchups or a title shot.