PFL Brussels had chaos, controversy, and a couple of real breakout moments
PFL does not always give you a card people keep talking about days later, but PFL Brussels: Habirora vs. Henderson definitely did. This show had weird officiating drama, one ridiculously fast knockout, a strong debut performance, and one head-kick finish that was brutal enough to carry its own highlight cycle. It was messy in places, but it was never boring.
Joe Schilling’s comeback went off the rails almost instantly
The strangest moment of the night came in Donegi Abena vs. Joe Schilling. Schilling returned to MMA and barely got to do anything before the fight spiraled. Abena landed a blatant headbutt from inside guard, the referee stopped things, took a point, and then tried to restart the action. Schilling hated the restart position, kept arguing, and finally refused to continue. So the result went down as a TKO retirement win for Abena in 37 seconds, even though the entire sequence felt wrong from the moment the foul landed.
😱 C'EST DU JAMAIS VU !
— RMC Sport Combat (@RMCsportcombat) May 23, 2026
Joe Schilling met fin au combat après avoir pris un coup de tête de son adversaire, parce qu'il n'est pas d'accord avec la position pour reprendre l'action ! pic.twitter.com/hggZdvQlsU
Patrick Habirora stole the show in 20 seconds
If Schilling gave the event its controversy, Patrick Habirora vs. Benson Henderson gave it its signature result. Habirora needed just 20 seconds to flatten Henderson, and that is the kind of win that instantly changes a fighter’s profile. Henderson is far from his peak, obviously, but nobody brushes off a veteran name with that kind of speed unless something real is there.
🤯🤯🤯 PATRICK HABIRORA VIENT DE TERMINER BENSON HENDERSON EN 20 SECONDES !!!
— RMC Sport Combat (@RMCsportcombat) May 23, 2026
💥🇧🇪 Encore une énorme performance de la pépite belge qui ne cesse de monter au PFL ! pic.twitter.com/uRUcbrwwam
The rest of the card had enough action to keep the night moving
Naoki Inoue vs. Marcirley Alves ended with Inoue getting a win in his PFL debut, which is a nice start considering his reputation coming in. Asael Adjoudj vs. Keisuke Sasu produced the nastiest finish outside the Habirora knockout, thanks to a vicious head kick. Elsewhere, Taylor Lapilus vs. Jake Hadley went cleanly to Lapilus, Boris Atangana vs. Jared Gooden ended early, and the prelims added even more movement with Gustavo Oliveira vs. Baris Adiguzel, Movsar Ibragimov vs. Shane Campbell, Khamzat Abaev vs. Luca Poclit, Adam Meskini vs. Keweny Lopes, and Ashley Reece vs. Rustam Serbiev.
Naoki Inoue wins his PFL debut!!! #PFLBrussels pic.twitter.com/NQ7E1rO2lt
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) May 23, 2026
Oh my GOD. Brutal head kick KO by Asael Adjoudj over Sasuke#PFLBrussels pic.twitter.com/AJZfnYULub
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) May 23, 2026
PFL Brussels full results
Main Card
Patrick Habirora vs. Benson Henderson – Habirora won by KO, Round 1, 0:20
Taylor Lapilus vs. Jake Hadley – Lapilus won by unanimous decision
Boris Atangana vs. Jared Gooden – Atangana won by KO, Round 1, 1:05
Naoki Inoue vs. Marcirley Alves – Inoue won by split decision
Asael Adjoudj vs. Keisuke Sasu – Adjoudj won by KO, Round 2, 2:22
Preliminary Card
Gustavo Oliveira vs. Baris Adiguzel – Oliveira won by submission, Round 2, 1:10
Donegi Abena vs. Joe Schilling – Abena won by TKO retirement, Round 1, 0:37
Movsar Ibragimov vs. Shane Campbell – Ibragimov won by submission, Round 1, 3:28
Khamzat Abaev vs. Luca Poclit – Abaev won by KO, Round 1, 2:56
Adam Meskini vs. Keweny Lopes – Meskini won by split decision
Ashley Reece vs. Rustam Serbiev – Reece won by unanimous decision
PFL Brussels FAQ
What happened in Joe Schilling vs Donegi Abena at PFL Brussels?
In Donegi Abena vs. Joe Schilling, Abena landed a headbutt from inside guard, lost a point, and Schilling later refused to continue after arguing about the restart position. The fight was ruled a TKO retirement win for Abena.
How fast did Patrick Habirora beat Benson Henderson?
Patrick Habirora vs. Benson Henderson ended in just 20 seconds with Habirora scoring the knockout.
Did Naoki Inoue win his PFL debut?
Yes. Naoki Inoue vs. Marcirley Alves ended with Inoue winning by split decision in his first PFL appearance.
Who had the best knockout at PFL Brussels?
The two most talked-about knockouts were Habirora’s 20-second finish of Henderson in their main event and Asael Adjoudj’s head kick against Keisuke Sasu in their fight.
What was the official event name for PFL Brussels?
The official event listing is PFL Brussels: Habirora vs. Henderson.
Why did PFL Brussels get so much attention?
Because PFL Brussels had a bizarre Joe Schilling controversy, a huge 20-second knockout from Patrick Habirora, a successful Naoki Inoue debut, and a brutal head-kick finish from Asael Adjoudj on the same card.
