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PFL Brussels fight card revealed: Patrick Habirora vs. Benson Henderson – headlines

Published

6 months ago

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BRUSSELS, Belgium — The Professional Fighters League has officially unveiled its full lineup for the upcoming European show, which will include: PFL Brussels will take place on May 23 at ING Arena.

The main attraction of the gala is a fascinating clash between an emerging, undefeated contender and a former world champion, highlighting an evening full of international talent.

In the main event, Patrick Habirora will face Benson Henderson

Belgian Patrick Habirora (8-0) will play in front of his home crowd against MMA legend Benson Henderson (30-12).

Habirora enters undefeated and is ranked 9th, looking to repeat his knockout performance from last year’s event in Brussels.

Meanwhile, former champion Henderson brings elite experience and looks to disrupt the up-and-coming prospects by adding another significant win to his resume.

Taylor Lapilus vs. Jake Hadley fight in the co-main event

In the co-main event, Taylor Lapilus (24-4) will maintain his five-fight winning streak against Jake Hadley (12-5).

Lapilus is coming off an impressive knockout victory and continues to gain momentum, while Hadley – known for his uncommon arsenal of submissions – looks to pick up another victory.

Khamzat Abaev returns in a key welterweight fight

The card also features Khamzat Abaev (5-1), who is trying to recover from his first career loss.

The Belgian who finishes the fight will face Luca Poclit (10-2), a versatile fighter who wants to resume his winning ways after breaking his 10-fight streak.

Full PFL Brussels main card

Main event – ​​welterweight

  • Patrick Habirora vs. Benson Henderson

Co-Main Event – ​​Bantamweight

  • Taylor Lapilus vs. Jake Hadley

Medium weight

  • Boris Atangana vs. Jared Gooden

Bantamweight

  • Marcirley Alves vs. Naoki Inoue

Featherweight

  • Asael Adjoudj vs. Keisuke Sasu

Initial card highlights

  • Joe Schilling returns against Donega Abena
  • Amin Ayoub will face Tim Wild
  • Movsar Ibragimov will face Youssouf Binat
  • Adam Meskini meets Keweny Lopes

How to watch PFL Brussels

  • Date: Saturday, May 23
  • Location: ING Arenas
  • Eliminations: 1:00 p.m. ET (ESPN app)
  • Main card: 16:00 ET (ESPN app)

Rising stars versus proven veterans

PFL Brussels Mixtures emerging European perspectives With battle-hardened veteranscreating attractive matchups in each league.

With a hometown headliner in Habirora and a legend like Henderson back in the spotlight, the event is shaping up to be one of the most intriguing PFL events of the year.

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MMA

10 UFC wins, zero finishes: Movsar Evloev defends his fighting style

Published

9 hours ago

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October 20, 2026

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10 UFC wins, zero finishes: Movsar Evloev defends his fighting style
Movsar
Evloev rejects the notion that fans only want bloody
fights.

Evloev is scheduled to challenge Alexander
Volkanovski for the
Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight title at
UFC 333 on Oct. 24 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The Russian
challenger has won all 10 of his UFC bouts by decision but believes
fans appreciate his fighting style.

Movsar Evloev argues wrestling can entertain UFC fans ahead of
Volkanovski title fight

The recent departures of Michael
Page and Farid
Basharat have fueled debate about whether winning is enough to
secure a new UFC contract. Neither fighter was re-signed despite a
winning streak, though a lack of finishes has not been established
as the reason for either departure.

Evloev believes finishes are not the only measure of a fighter's
value. He says fans also appreciate tactics, skill and
wrestling.

“I have zero finishes in UFC, but I'm still in the UFC and I'm
fighting for the title,†Evloev told MMA Fighting. “That means only
finishes are not important. To show a good fight is also important.
If you have no finish, you can still show a good fight, an exciting
fight; you can show the beauty of wrestling. There are not just
fans of MMA who just wait for blood. There are so many good fans
who know MMA, and they understand, and maybe because of them I'm
still in the UFC.â€

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MMA

Undefeated fighter blasts UFC, Dana White for creating ‘bullsh*t narrative’ around Farid Basharat release

Published

10 hours ago

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October 20, 2026

By

Undefeated fighter blasts UFC, Dana White for creating ‘bullsh*t narrative’ around Farid Basharat release

Muhammad Mokaev knows how it feels to win in the octagon and still lose with the UFC.

In 2024, Mokaev experienced a similar rift despite having zero losses on his record, and he is now taking aim at White and the UFC's practices in defense of Basharat.

“When fighters are getting phone calls from bosses telling them, ‘If you keep wrestling like that, you're going to get cut,' then you're basically telling fighters how you want them to fight,†Mokaev wrote on Twitter. “At what point does that cross the line? Isn't that influencing the competition?

“And if you want to release a fighter, fine. But don't then publicly say he was ‘hard to deal with' or create some bullshit narrative about him that could damage his reputation and make other organizations think twice about signing him. Release fighters if you want. Just don't try to damage their careers on the way out.â€

Like Basharat, Mokaev employed a wrestling-heavy style that didn't always produce thrilling back-and-forth contests (though Mokaev did score submission victories in four of his seven UFC wins). The nail in the coffin for Mokaev was a disappointing decision win over Manel Kape at UFC 304, where both men produced little meaningful offense. Making matters worse, Mokaev and Kape had an altercation during fight week, with Mokaev admitting he threw the first punch.

Mokaev is 4-0 since parting ways with the UFC, having finished three of his past four opponents, but remains on the outside looking in with his competition going mostly unrecognized by fans in North America. The 26-year-old is currently No. 7 at 125 pounds in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings.

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MMA

Morning Report | Chris Weidman, Dustin Poirier recall opponents’ dramatic change from weigh-in to fight night: ‘Who the f*ck is this guy?’

Published

21 hours ago

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October 20, 2026

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Morning Report | Chris Weidman, Dustin Poirier recall opponents’ dramatic change from weigh-in to fight night: ‘Who the f*ck is this guy?’

What’s up best community in sports? Hope you’re having a great start to the week.

Tomorrow (later than usual), we’re going LIVE with a special Between the Links episode. I’ll be in Las Vegas, and joining me will be the great José Youngs to answer your questions about UFC 333, the two title fights, RAF 14, and much more.

Here’s your chance to get your questions in, early and often. Show will go live around 6-6:30-ish p.m. ET, depending on my fun day of travel. Fire away, and we’ll see you tomorrow.

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