The night’s main event found a hometown favorite in the unbeaten Patrick Habirora taking on a UFC and WEC great, Benson Henderson. A former champ in both promotions as well as a contender/title challenger in Bellator MMA, “Smooth” was returning from retirement for the fight, competing for the first time since March 2023, when he lost to Usman Nurmagomedov in a title fight that was part of the Bellator lightweight grand prix.

Henderson isn’t expected to become a contender at age 42, but Saturday did mark the opportunity to get back in the win column rather than retiring off a loss. For Habirora, meanwhile, it was a big step up in competition and name value.

Kickboxing Joe Schilling also returned to action on the PFL Brussels card, having last fought in MMA in 2019. He was moving to light heavyweight to take on Donegi Abena. A pair of UFC veterans served as the night’s co-main event with Taylor Lapilus facing Jake Hadley.

Where to Watch PFL Brussels

Saturday, May 23, 2026 sees the Professional Fighters League at the ING Arena in Brussels, Belgium for PFL Brussels: Habirora vs. Henderson. In the U.S. the card streams on the ESPN App. Full results can be found below.

PFL Belgium: Habirora vs. Henderson Results

Main Card

Patrick Habirora def. Benson Henderson by KO, Round 1, 0:20
Taylor Lapilus def. Jake Hadley by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Boris Atangana def. Jared Gooden by KO, Round 1, 1:05
Naoki Inoue def. Marcirley Alves by split decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28)
Asaël Adjoudj def. Keisuke Sasu by KO, Round 2, 2:22

Preliminary Card

Gustavo Oliveira def. Baris Adiguzel by submission (guillotine choke), Round 2, 1:10
Donegi Abena def. Joe Schilling by TKO (retirement), Round 1, 0:37
Movsar Ibragimov def. Shane Campbell by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 3:28
Khamzat Abaev def. Luca Poclit by KO, Round 1, 2:56
Adam Meskini def. Keweny Lopes by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Ashley Reece def. Rustam Serbiev by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

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On Wednesday, promotion officials announced that Taylor Lapilus (24-4) will face off against Jake Hadley (12-5) at the event, set for the ING Arena on May 23, 2026. The bout takes place in the bantamweight division.

Benson Henderson returns from retirement in the main event, taking on Patrick “The Belgian Bomber” Habirora in a welterweight match-up.

Lapilus went 6-2 in two stints with the UFC, and both times left the promotion off wins. Currently, the French star known as “Double Impact” sits on a five-right win streak that includes victories over Cody Stamann, Vince Morales, Ali Taleb and others. After winning his last two fights in the UFC (Stamann, Morales), he jumped to the PFL, rattling off three straight victories.

Most recently, Lapilus finished off Kasum Kasumov via TKO last month.

Jake Hadley went 3-4 in his UFC stint, which was not without its share of controversy. “White Kong” missed weight for his Contender Series bout in 2021, which saw him defeat Mitch Raposo. He was signed to the promotion regardless, then lost his debut against Allan Nascimento.

Hadley also claimed he was briefly cut by the UFC after refusing a short-notice fight with Igor Severino, and was eventually let go off the final fight of his contract after losing to Cameron Smotherman.

The English bantamweight went 1-1 in the PFL last year, defeating fellow UFC alum Matheus Mattos before being bounced from the World Tournament by Marcirley Alves.

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In the night’s main event, it was “Hot Chocolate” Roberts paired up with Brussels’ own Patrick Habirora, who was making his return to the PFL cage with an undefeated 6-0 record. Roberts, meanwhile, was making his PFL debut and competing for the first time since exiting the UFC off a loss to Jonny Parsons in 2023.

In the co-main event, Taylor Lapilus looked to pick up where his UFC career ended, for the second time no less. Lapilus had won two straight inside the UFC octagon but chose to exit the promotion regardless, signing with the PFL instead. That’s the second time Lapilus had left the UFC off a win, his two stints there saw him go 3-1 both times for a 6-2 record overall. Lapils set off on his PFL career against Ali Taleb, winner of the 2024 PFL MENA bantamweight tournament.

Where to Watch PFL Brussels

Saturday, July 5, 2025 saw PFL Europe Brussels take place at the ING Arena in Brussels, Belgium. Full results from the event, which streams on DAZN in Europe and the PFL App in North America, can be found below.

PFL Europe Brussels: Habirora vs. Roberts Results

Patrick Habirora def. Danny Roberts by KO (head kick), Round 1, 4:32
Taylor Lapilus def. Ali Taleb by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Gaetano Pirrello def. Salvatore Liga by submission (D’arce choke), Round 1, 3:22
Boris Mbarga Atangana def. Bruno Santos by TKO, Round 1, 0:56
Chequina Noso Pedro def. Khamzat Abaev by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Movsar Ibragimov def. Gerardo Fanny by submission (von flue choke), Round 2, 1:42
Ibragim Ibragimov def. Mathys Duragrin by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Dean Garnett def. Toumas Grönvall by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) – Bantamweight Tournament
Mahio Campanella def. Matiss Zaharovs by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) – Bantamweight Tournament
Catalin Safta def. Nicolas Di Franco by split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)
Gustavo Oliveira def. Anas Azizoun by KO (spinning back elbow), Round 1, 3:25 – Bantamweight Tournament
Jan Ciepłowski def. Julien Lopez by TKO, Round 1, 3:43 – Bantamweight Tournament
Paulina Wiśniewska def. Jessica Cunha by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 4:12
Adam Meskini def. Tiziano Ferranti by TKO, Round 2, 4:56
Levi Batchelor def. Fahdi Khaled by technical submission (Ezekiel choke), Round 3, 4:34
Salvo Giudice def. Brice Belghazi by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 3, 2:14

The post PFL Europe Brussels Full Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

The event, per a press release issued Thursday, will take place at the ING Arena in Brussels, Belgium and represents the promotion’s first visit to the country.

While no main event has been revealed for the card, a co-headliner between bantamweights Taylor Lapilus (21-4) and Ali Taleb (12-1) was included in Thursday’s release. Lapilus, who has gone 6-2 through a pair of UFC stints now, was a surprise signing by the PFL earlier this year, after the UFC once again let him slip away off back-to-back wins.

Also announced for PFL Europe: Brussels is Belgium’s own Patrick “The Belgian Bomber” Habirora (6-0), who will be fighting at home for the first time against an opponent to be announced. Alongside him, fellow Belgian fighter and teammate Boris “Modern Gladiator” Mbarga Atangana (5-0), who also does not have an opponent at the moment.

“PFL is making its first ever trip to Brussels, and we are going to put on a show in the ING Arena for the people of Belgium like nothing they’ve seen before. We have an absolute star on our hands with Patrick Habirora, and his fans are going to erupt when they see him make his first ever walk as a professional fighter in his home country of Belgium. Stay tuned, as we’re going to stack this card with elite fights such as our co-main event between Taylor Lapilus and Ali Taleb, and more Belgian athletes are set to be added. Get your tickets, because we’re going to make history,” PFL Chief Executive Officer Pete Murray was quoted as saying in Thursday’s announcement.

PFL Europe: Brussels currently features the following bouts:

• Taylor Lapilus vs. Ali Taleb
• Patrick Habirora vs. TBA
• Boris Mbarga Atangana vs. TBA
• Dean Garnett vs. Alexander Luster – Bantamweight Tournament Bout
• Mahio Campanella vs. Matiss Zaharovs – Bantamweight Tournament Bout
• Anas Azizoun vs. Gustavo Oliveira – Bantamweight Tournament Bout
• Julien Lopez vs. Jan Ciepłowski – Bantamweight Tournament Bout

The post Several Fights Announced for PFL Europe: Brussels on July 5 appeared first on Cageside Press.

In a press release issued Thursday, PFL officials announced that Bellator alums Mansour Barnaoui and Archie Colgan will face off on the Paris card, in lightweight action. Additionally, recently released UFC bantamweight Taylor Lapilus will make his debut at the event.

Lapilus (21-4) does not yet have an opponent. His signing, and release from the UFC, made waves in recent days. In two stints with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Lapilus is 6-2. In both cases, the French star, a former regular for Canadian promotion TKO, was released off wins. This time around, he’s won two straight, notching victories over Cody Stamann and Vince Morales.

That makes Lapilus’ release all the more puzzling, especially with the UFC active in the French market. However, their loss is the PFL’s gain, as “Double Impact” joins French stars like Barnaoui and Cedric Doumbe under the Professional Fighters League banner.

As for Barnaoui (22-6), he’s won two straight, most recently defeating Alfie Davis when the PFL visited Saudi Arabia in November. Opponent Archie Colgan, who trains alongside Justin Gaethje, is an undefeated 11-0, meanwhile, returning for the first time since a September win over Manoel Sousa.

“Paris! I’m back and ready to show everyone why I am one of the best lightweights in the world. The French fans always bring a great atmosphere so I’m ready to put on a show at the Accor Arena and show why I am in this conversation for the title shot. We will see you Saturday May 24th inside the SmartCage,” Colgan was quoted as saying in Thursday’s press release.

Also announced for May’s PFL Paris card, an all-Belgium lightweight battle as Patrick “The Belgian Bomber” Habirora (6-0) takes on Nicolas Di Franco (10-4-1).

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Now that’s a head scratcher.

Seven fighters have been removed from the UFC’s active roster in the past 24 hours and appear to be done with the promotion, UFC Roster Tracker and other services noted on Thursday. In addition to Stamann and Lapilus, Matthew Semelsberger, Mashrabjon Ruziboev, Jonathan Pearce, Julio Arce, and Josh Culibao are also gone from the promotion.

In the case of Lapilus, a French fighter who is 6-2 overall through two stints with the company, the move is downright puzzling. Lapilus went 3-1 under the UFC banner from 2015 to 2016, and was a released off a win (or simply not re-signed), going on to find success with ARES FC.

After winning the ARES bantamweight championship in 2022, Lapilus made a triumphant return to the UFC as part of the promotion’s return to Paris in September of 2023. This second four-fight stint saw the French star earn wins over Caolan Loughran, Vince Morales, and Cody Stamann. He’s currently on a two-fight win streak, but nevertheless appears to be on the outs with the UFC for the time being.

Fans were not happy with Taylor Lapilus situation.

While Lapilus has now had eight fights in the UFC, Mashrabjon Ruziboev had zero. He was briefly linked to a fight with Jared Gordon this month, but withdrew due to issues with his weight cut.

Matthew Semelsberger, a.k.a. “Semi the Jedi,” started his UFC run 4-1, but ends it on a four-fight skid with a record of 5-6 overall inside the octagon. As for Jonathan Pearce, the once-promising featherweight was on a three-fight skid, and 5-4 overall in the promotion.

The post Stamann, Lapilus Among Seven Fighters Exiting UFC appeared first on Cageside Press.

Both men have left and made their return to the UFC after successful runs outside of the promotion.

Lapilus (20-4) came into UFC Paris on a 5-2 UFC record dating back to 2015. His return to the UFC came in 2023 going 2-1 in his recent run with wins over Cody Stamann and Caolan Loughran.

Morales (20-4) left the UFC in 2022, rattled off 5 consecutive victories, and made his return against Lapilus at UFC Paris.

Round 1 Lapilus came out with the pressure and landed a nice head kick early. He continued to fire head kicks off as it was clearly part of the game plan. Lapilus held the center of the cage with Morales working on the outside trying to make his way inside. Lapilus even got close to use some quick elbows up top almost like a jab.

Morales had a tough time getting going early in the round with his attacks getting stuffed for the most part. Lapilus continued his flow and peppered Morales all over the right side of his body including a cut up top.

Round 2 felt like the continuation of the first round in the beginning until Morales scored a quick takedown. Lapilus fought his way back to his feet, but he had to deal with Morales on the cage. A couple of nasty elbows forced Morales to back away and Lapilus put the pace back on him immediately.

In the clinch Lapilus landed a heavy knee up top that should have knocked his opponent out, but Morales ate it and kept on going.

Morales shot in for a single leg with 30 seconds left in the round, but Lapilus stuffed it and time ran out.

Round 3 Morales clearly slowed down showing the damage was taking effect. Lapilus meanwhile continued his pace and attacks in a fight he was clearly winning so far. Morales shot in for a takedown, got stuffed, but he stayed on it and tackled Lapilus to the ground.

Lapilus, with his back on the fence, tried to get his guard, gets to his knees instead, and to his feet. Morales looking dejected fired away like he wanted a brawl, but Lapilus landed a spinning back elbow as time ran out.

Official Result: Taylor Lapilus def. Vince Morales via Unanimous Decision (30-27×3)

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Both fighters were looking to return to the win column after dropping their last outing, with Stamann seeing a two-fight win streak snapped against Doulas Silva de Andrade just over a year ago.

The fight started off with Stamann landing a solid body kick. A few seconds later and Cody was able to land a leg kick before Lapilus countered with a straight punch of his own. Lapilus was continually probing with his lead hand constantly touching the lead hand of Stamann. A couple of minutes into the bout, and the action is stopped when Stamann is brushed by an open hand to the eye. When the action resumed, Stamann looked for a takedown which ultimately ended with a sustained clinch against the cage. With a couple of minutes left in the round the two fighters separated and Lapilus was able to land a good body kick before Cody again looked for a takedown. With a minute left in the round, the two fighters were exchanging with Lapilus finding the mark with short knee to the body, multiple times. The round ends with some solid exchanges in the center of the cage.

To open round two, Stamann was trying to stay active throwing long strikes and darting in, trying to combat the reach of his opponent. Lapilus began to land the jab at will on Cody, before the two men again end up in a clinch against the side of the octagon. As the two men returned to open space, Stamann counited to look for a way to get into range staying light on his feet attempting to land that overhand right.

Mid way thru the round and Lapilus is looking comfortably in control landing a body kick and stopping a shot from his opponent in return. The two men were again briefly tied up against the cage before landing some short strikes and separating. On the break, Lapilus landed a kick to the cup and there was a momentary break in the action.

When the fight resumed, Taylor went right back to the long-measured jab and continued to do an excellent job at keeping his opponent out of range. Stamann was able to back Lapilus to the cage with long punches and scoop up a single leg. Cody worked for the takedown till 15 seconds left on the clock but was met with some solid combos from his opponent till the end of the round.

At the start of the final round, Stamann landed a body kick that is answered by a swiftmulti punch combo. Cody then lands a leg kick that momentarily floored his opponent. Staying on the offensive, Stamann pressured his opponent and then shot a well-timed takedown, finally getting his opponent to the ground. With three minutes left in the round, Cody is on top in half guard with an arm of his opponent’s trapped. Lapilus was able to kick off of the fence and escape the position with Stamann initiating a clinch against the cage momentarily. With 90 seconds left in the fight, Stamann has his hands down and is using nice head movement to evade punches. Stamann is continuing to come forward, but Lapilus was comfortably slipping punches and returning at will as the final time expires.

Official Result: Taylor Lapilus def. Cody Stamann by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

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“For me every fight is life and death. It doesn’t matter if it’s end of the year, beginning of the year, every fight is the next most important fight. The last 12 weeks of my life I dedicated to this fight non-stop,” Basharat told reporters including Cageside Press at his post-fight scrum.

“I think it kind of showed today in the fight. I put a crazy pace in there and I was ready for every single puzzle that Lapilus put in front of me.”

With Basharat remaining undefeated, and on a 3-fight UFC win streak, the bantamweight is looking for a step up in competition next.

“I don’t have an idea of who I want to fight next. Let it be a step up, but regardless it doesn’t matter who it is. I’m constantly improving so much I’m never worried about who it’s going to be next,” Basharat said.

“I’m just worried about improving myself when I get there. When it will be, let’s see you know, I’m always ready. I’m always training hard, always in shape, so whoever it is they can all get it.”

Watch the entire post-fight scrum with Farid Basharat above.

The post Farid Basharat Looking For Step Up In Competition Next appeared first on Cageside Press.

Lapilus, on his second stint on the UFC, had won six straight, including his return to the promotion in his last outing against Caolàn Loughràn.

Farid opened up with a range of kicks going to a range of different targets, to the leg, body and even an axe kick. Basharat proceeded to attack a single leg, getting Lapilus down for merely a moment, however Lapilus was able to get back up. Multiple attempts from Basharat to take the Frenchman down, but Lapilus was able to get back up to his feet everytime, A brief submission attempt from the clinch from Lapilus forced Basharat to disengage from the clinch. A picture perfect entry from Basharat lead to him finally flooring Lapilus in the last 20 seconds of the first round, and finishing the round on top.

Basharat continued to attack with a range of kicks while Lapilus began to find the range with his jab in the opening moments of round two, and his stellar takedown defense is making Basharat work for every single takedown. With just over a minute left in the second round, Basharat is able to secure a takedown and move into half guard to end the round.

Going into the third round, Farid Basharat’s corner consisting of former UFC title challenger, Jake Shields and Dewey Cooper believed that Basharat was up two rounds, but told their young fighter to make sure he finishes with a dominant third and final round.

As the third round started, Lapilus found some openings with the hands, while being aware of a takedown attempt potentially coming at any moment. Two minutes into the round Basharat goes back to the well with the takedown and gets Lapilus down for twenty seconds but Lapilus is able to get back up, before Basharat gets him back down once again for his fifth takedown of the fight. With thirty seconds left in the final round, Basharat attacks the D’arce choke but Lapilus is able to slide out of it with ten seconds left, but Basharat, like the past two rounds, finishes the round on top in a dominant position.

An impressive and gritty performance over a veteran from Farid Basharat moved him to 12-0 in his professional MMA career and 3-0 in the UFC.

Official Result: Farid Basharat def. Taylor Lapilus via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

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