Dan Hooker would like to see the whole ‘BMF' championship put to rest for now.
MMA
PFL Brussels: Habirora vs. Henderson welterweight fight
Published
8 months agoon
NEW YORK – The Professional Fighters League (PFL) will travel to Belgium on Saturday, May 23, for a major welterweight clash at the ING Arena in Brussels.
The main event will be the undefeated Belgium team Patrick Habirora (8-0) puts his perfect record on the line against the former UFC and WEC champion Benson Henderson (30-12). In this fight, one of the fastest developing players in Europe will face one of the most successful veterans of this sport.
Information about tickets and broadcasts
Pre-sale tickets for PFL Brussels will be available from Tuesday, March 3 at 12:00 CET, with general sales starting on Wednesday, March 4 at 12:00 CET at pfl.info/brussels.
The event will be broadcast live in the United States on the ESPN app for subscribers with access to the ESPN Unlimited plan, while fans in France will be able to follow the action on RMC Sport.
The undefeated Belgian striker faces his biggest challenge
Habirora, currently ranked No. 10 in the welterweight rankings, enters the fight with an impressive 8-0 professional record, including seven wins by KO or TKO. Known as “The Belgian Bomber,” he made a statement last December at the PFL Lyon Stadium, beating Kevin Jousset with a massive first-round knockout followed by relentless ground striking.
Now, competing in front of a home crowd in Brussels, Habirora will face the most formidable opponent of his teenage career. A victory over Henderson would significantly raise his welterweight status and solidify his reputation as one of Europe’s top elite prospects.
Henderson’s championship pedigree
Henderson brings nearly two decades of elite-level experience to the cage. Former UFC and WEC lightweight champion “Polished” has defeated top fighters including Nate Diaz, Frankie Edgar (twice) and Jorge Masvidal.
Most recently, Henderson continued to hone his skills in multiple combat sports, including grappling, karate, wrestling and boxing, before returning to MMA competition. The veteran is determined to prove that his experience, versatility and mastery continue to make him a earnest threat in the league.
Updated PFL Brussels main card
Premises: ING Arena – Brussels, Belgium
Date: Saturday, May 23, 2026
Start time: 18:00 CEST | 12:00 EST
Program: ESPN App (USA) | RMC Sport (France)
Welterweight main event:
#10 Patrick Habirora (8-0) vs. Benson Henderson (30-12)
With local pride and a former world cage champion on the line, PFL Brussels promises a high-stakes main event that could shape the future of the welterweight division.
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MMA
Arman Tsarukyan sets one condition for fighting Alexander Volkanovski
Published
18 hours agoon
November 3, 2026
Tsarukyan is open to fighting Alexander
Volkanovski, provided
Ultimate Fighting Championship gold is at stake.
Volkanovski (29-4) defended the featherweight title with a
technical knockout victory over Movsar
Evloev at
UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi before expressing interest in returning to
lightweight. With champion Justin
Gaethje uncertain about his future, Volkanovski offered to face
Tsarukyan (24-3) for the vacant title if Gaethje retires.
Arman Tsarukyan reminds Alexander Volkanovski how Islam
Makhachev rematch ended
Tsarukyan said the championship matters more to him than the
opponent.
“I'm ready for everyone,†Tsarukyan told Yavuz Saynomo. “For me, it
doesn't matter who I'm gonna fight; I just want to fight for the
title.â€
Volkanovski has expressed confidence that he can counter
Tsarukyan's wrestling and avoid being held down. Tsarukyan
responded by recalling the Australian's knockout loss to Islam
Makhachev.
“He said Islam Makhachev cannot knock him out, too,†Tsarukyan
added.
Volkanovski has twice challenged Makhachev for the lightweight
championship. He lost their first meeting by unanimous decision
before Makhachev finished their rematch with a head kick and
follow-up punches.
Tsarukyan remains confident that his next bout will be for the
title. If Gaethje retires, “The Batman†expects to compete for the
vacant belt.
“I have a title fight next,†Tsarukyan reiterated. “Either Justin
Gaethje. If he is retired, someone else.â€
MMA
Dan Hooker blames Charles Oliveira, UFC for tarnishing ‘BMF’ title: ‘He killed it’
Published
18 hours agoon
November 3, 2026
The symbolic title is up for grabs again on Dec. 12 at UFC 335, when champion Charles Oliveira faces Diego Lopes in the main event. Oliveira won the belt with a dominant decision win over Max Holloway at UFC 326, but received criticism for his grappling-heavy performance, which was considered to be against the spirit of the BMF belt.
Hooker agrees that Oliveira, and his newly won title, lost some luster that night.
“It was cool for a bit and then he kind of made it not cool,†Hooker told Submission Radio. “I think he killed it.â€
The BMF championship was innovated by former UFC star Nate Diaz, who cut a fiery promo after a win at UFC 241 that led to he and Jorge Masvidal fighting to become the inaugural titleholder at UFC 244, where Masvidal defeated Diaz. Justin Gaethje later defeated Dustin Poirier for a vacant title, with Holloway subsequently claiming the belt with an all-time great performance at UFC 300.
Hooker believes the promotion has strayed far from the original purpose of the title.
“You know where they f*cked it up?†Hooker said. “They should have kept it like Nate Diaz, Masvidal kind of shit. They completely f*cked it when they were like – They had badass motherf*ckers fighting for it like that, but then it should be the guys that want to throw down and just talk shit as well. That was kind of like me, Bobby Green, could lose 20 times and he's still a BMF contender. Then they had Max do it, and he's like the nicest guy in the f*cking world.
“Talk shit. Say you're going to knock the other guy's head off, that was like our belt. That was the guys whose careers are a f*cking mess. ‘Gamebred' was hot and cold for a minute, Nate Diaz, all our records are a f*cking mess. It's going to be a lot harder for us to get our hands on the nice, shiny, clean one. That's what I'm saying, they let too many nice guys have a crack.â€
That said, Hooker looks forward to the Oliveira vs. Lopes matchup, even if the BMF belt's involvement feels perfunctory. Hooker fights Brian Ortega at UFC Qatar on Nov. 21, and if both he and Lopes are victorious, he sees a scenario where he challenges Lopes for the title next.
“For some reason, they're adamant on this BMF belt sticking around and just having another belt to put up for grabs, but yeah, I like that fight,†Hooker said. “I feel like Diego Lopes is a strong contender for that. As he says, he doesn't feel like he's going to get another crack at Volk. He doesn't feel like it's just around the corner, so I like the fight, definitely.â€
“That's why I wanted this fight [vs. Ortega],†Hooker continued. “I feel like I can beat Brian Ortega, but now, Diego Lopes beating Charles Oliveira, I feel like that's a much bigger ask. But yeah, I like that fight, for sure.â€
MMA
Report: Jacqueline Cavalcanti vs. Michelle Montague postponed to UFC 335 on Dec. 12
Published
1 day agoon
November 2, 2026
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