Patrick Habirora and Benson Henderson are set to meet in the PFL Brussels main event on Saturday afternoon at ING Arena in Brussels, putting an unbeaten Belgian prospect against a former two-division champion who has been away from the cage since 2023. The bout headlines a card that also features Taylor Lapilus against Jake Hadley in the co-main event.
Habirora enters at 8-0 and has become one of Belgium’s most watched fighters after two first-round finishes in PFL Europe last year. Henderson, 30-12, is a former UFC and WEC lightweight champion whose career has stretched across multiple disciplines over the past few years. The matchup has drawn attention because it brings together a fighter still building momentum at home and a veteran known across the sport as an MMA legend. For readers tracking the card, more on the matchup is available in the related preview on MogazMasr’s PFL Brussels coverage, Benson Henderson returns to headline against Patrick Habirora.
The rest of the Brussels card produced a sharp mix of finishes and tight decisions. Boris Mbarga Atangana stopped Jared Gooden with punches at 1:05 of round one, while Asael Adjoudj knocked out Keisuke Sasu with a head kick at 2:22 of round two. Gustavo Oliveira submitted Baris Adiguzel with a guillotine choke at 1:10 of round two, and Movsar Ibragimov finished Shane Campbell with a rear-naked choke at 3:28 of round one.
Donegi Abena advanced after Joe Schilling refused to continue following a foul, with the result recorded as a TKO by retirement in round one. Khamzat Abaev added another early finish, stopping Luca Poclit with strikes at 2:56 of round one. The closer decisions went to Naoki Inoue, who edged Marcirley Alves by split decision with scorecards of 29-28, 29-28 and 27-30, and to Adam Meskini, who beat Keweny Lopes by split decision with scores of 29-28, 29-28 and 28-29. Ashley Reece also picked up a unanimous decision over Rustam Serbiev, sweeping the judges 29-28 across the board.
For Habirora, the main event is a chance to test an undefeated record against a proven name with championship history. For Henderson, it is a return to a cage that has not seen him since 2023, against a fighter whose rise has been built in front of a Belgian crowd that has learned his name quickly. That is what gives the Brussels headliner its weight: one man trying to prove he belongs with the sport’s established elite, and another trying to show that time away has not softened what he brings into a fight.
