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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

Marcus McGhee says UFC has ‘pushed me back’ since Petr Yan fight

Published

35 minutes ago

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September 30, 2026

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Marcus McGhee says UFC has ‘pushed me back’ since Petr Yan fight
Marcus
McGhee believes the biggest fight of his career halted his
momentum.

McGhee (11-2) went undefeated in his first four
Ultimate Fighting Championship outings before taking a massive
step up in competition against Petr Yan last
year. Yan earned a unanimous decision over McGhee and went on to
win the bantamweight title against Merab
Dvalishvili in his next fight.

“The Maniac†claims the promotion has held him back since that
result, but he doesn't know why.

Marcus McGhee questions his UFC matchmaking ahead of UFC
332

McGhee returned to the win column in June against unranked John
Yannis, who is now 1-2 in the UFC. He is scheduled to return at
UFC
332 on Oct. 3 against Bernardo
Sopai.

McGhee admits that he accepted the matchup against Sopai (13-3) to
stay active. He believes the loss to Yan led to the recent decline
in his level of opposition and that the UFC has been pushing him
back since the defeat.

In an interview ahead of his Octagon return, McGhee pointed to
Payton
Talbott co-headlining UFC 332 and Raoni
Barcelos headlining
UFC Vegas 121 on Saturday while questioning the UFC's
matchmaking process.

“Seems like it hindered me,†McGhee told Full Send MMA. “I wouldn't
even say [ranked opponents] are not ready to fight. I just think
that the UFC decides who they want to fight and who they don't want
to fight. Because me and Payton Talbott are both on this card.
Raoni Barcelos fought last week. There's plenty of guys that are
available, but they make their matchups for whatever reason they
make their matchups… But I do feel like they have been pushing me
back since [the Petr Yan] fight. So, I'm gonna keep doing my job,
keep showing up, keep winning these fights.â€

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MMA

Ex-IBF champion Lee Selby gets unbeaten test in BKB 61 main event

Published

4 hours ago

on

September 30, 2026

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Ex-IBF champion Lee Selby gets unbeaten test in BKB 61 main event
Lee “Lightning†Selby will headline BKB 61 against Ollie “The
Death†Sentance on Nov. 14 at Indigo at The O2 in London.

BKB announced the all-British matchup Tuesday, with the former IBF
featherweight champion set to make his second appearance in the
promotion's Trigon. Selby had previously been confirmed for the
event, but his opponent had not been announced.

Lee Selby faces 2-0 bare-knuckle finisher Ollie Sentance in
London

Selby retired from professional boxing in 2022, bringing an end to
a career in which he captured the IBF featherweight championship.
He made his BKB debut at BKB 55 in June, stopping Antonio Rizzo via
second-round TKO.

The 39-year-old Welshman will now make his first BKB appearance in
London, where he will face another undefeated bare-knuckle fighter
in Sentance.

“I'm really looking forward to getting back in the Trigon and
fighting in London again,†Selby said. “Ollie is a tough opponent
and I know he'll be coming to bring a fight, so I'm expecting a
proper battle. It's always special fighting in front of the British
fans and I'm excited to headline BKB 61 and put on a great night
for everyone at The O2.â€

Sentance enters the matchup with a 2-0 bare-knuckle record, with
both victories coming by stoppage. The Kidderminster,
Worcestershire, native made his BKB debut in February, stopping
Nico Earwaker in the fourth round before adding another TKO victory
over Corey Healey at BKB 55.

The 29-year-old competed in several combat sports, including mixed
martial arts and kickboxing, before moving into bare-knuckle
boxing.

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MMA

Dana White says Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua delay is a ‘total ego thing’ and explains why he won’t be at the press conference

Published

8 hours ago

on

September 29, 2026

By

Dana White says Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua delay is a ‘total ego thing’ and explains why he won’t be at the press conference

Dana White says he is definitely part of Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua.

The last few weeks have been dominated by the public battle between Joshua's promoter, Eddie Hearn, and the UFC CEO over whether or not White will be involved in the Fury vs. Joshua superfight in December. Despite having no direct promotional relationship with either fighter, White and fight financier, Turki Alalshikh, have pushed for White's involvement in the promotion, while Hearn has steadfastly refused to allow it.

As such, for the past few weeks the fight has appeared to be in jeopardy of even happening, but on the eve of their first official press conference, White insists that everything has been settled, and that he is part of the promotion.

“There's no confusion whatsoever,†White told reporters after the latest edition of Contender Series on Tuesday night. “If you look at everything, from the network to the guy that's actually f*cking paying for it, and to me saying what I've said. I've been saying it now feels like for f*cking years, but it's probably been weeks, and I've been saying the same thing. …

“It's happening. It's done,†White continued. “It's a done deal. Everything that I've been saying is the truth. Why would I say it and double down, and triple down, and f*cking quadruple down if it wasn't the case?â€

Of course, White has insisted several times before that things were settled, only for Hearn to deny those claims later. Hearn and White have been embroiled in an increasingly bitter rivalry for most of 2026, since White moved into boxing with Zuffa Boxing and quickly signed one of Hearn's long-time fighters, Conor Benn. Since then, the two have battled through the media, with White at one point even suggesting they fight for real. So, as this rivalry continues, White puts the issues with booking Fury-Joshua down to ego.

“This isn't a hesitation, this is an ego thing,†White said. “Total ego thing. It has nothing to do with any of this shit. And listen, boxing has taken a hit in the United States. It's not as big as it was 20 years ago. It has become a very British sport, and all the shit that you're hearing, the crying, and the bitching, and whatever the f*ck, is coming from the U.K.â€

White also insisted that despite all his fiery language, he's actually in his element, telling reporters he's having fun and that “this is right up my alley.â€

It's still unclear exactly what role White plays in the Fury-Joshua fight, though, and whatever it is, it apparently won't be part of the opening press conference on Wednesday, as White confirmed he will not be in attendance for the London event.

“No, because I was here,†White said when asked if he would be at the press conference. “I would have been there if I didn't have the Contender.â€

Fury and Joshua are expected to fight on Dec. 11 at Cardiff's Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.

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