All articles tagged with #pfl
Patrick Habirora blitzed former UFC/WEC lightweight champion Benson Henderson in 20 seconds at PFL Brussels, landing a quick left that wobbled Henderson and finishing with ground-and-pound as referee Mike Beltran stopped the bout; Habirora improves to 9-0 with four straight first‑round KOs, and after the win he called out BKFC star Mike Perry while Henderson likely heads toward retirement.
A chaotic scene unfolded at the ceremonial weigh-ins for PFL Brussels when welterweight hopefuls Khamzat Abaev and Luca Poclit clashed during the face-off, prompting security intervention with Dan Hardy in the middle. The brawl comes ahead of Saturday's event headlined by Benson Henderson vs. Patrick Habirora, airing at 12:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
At the PFL Brussels weigh-ins, Luca Poclit got too close to Khamzat Abaev and Abaev responded with a jab, triggering a chaotic stage rush before officials subdued the parties; the welterweight prelim remains on the card with the rest of the weigh-in results released.
Professional MMA fighter Logan Storley was arrested in Key West on May 18, 2026, on a sexual-battery charge after police say he assaulted a woman outside Teasers strip club, following an earlier scene at Bull and Whistle and an upstairs, clothing-optional area; he allegedly followed the woman into an alley on Telegraph Lane, where he had intercourse with her against her will and fled, leaving his clothes behind until the Teasers manager detained him and turned him over to police. The woman was taken for a sexual-assault exam, Storley was booked into Monroe County Jail and later released on a $50,000 bond. Storley, who had fought in Bellator and most recently for the PFL (which says he no longer fights for the league), faces one count of sexual battery.
Logan Storley defeated Florim Zendeli by unanimous decision in the PFL Sioux Falls main event, while Gadzhi Rabadanov earned a decision over Alex Chizov in the co-main; the card also featured multiple finishes and decisions across the prelims, delivering a strong night for the league in Sioux Falls.
Live PFL Chicago results from Wintrust Arena feature Sergio Pettis vs. Mitch McKee in the main event, with Pettis aiming to return to title contention; the card also includes Raufeon Stots vs. Renat Khavalov, Viviane Araujo vs. Shanna Young, and Gabriel Braga vs. Cheyden Leialoha on the main card, plus prelims where Omar El Dafrawy defeated James Vake by KO, Paulina Wisniewska stopped Kana Watanabe by TKO, Alexandr Romanov submitted Rodrigo Nascimento, Biaggio Ali Walsh stopped Dash Harris by KO, Valanti Atsas won by unanimous decision, and the Jordan Newman vs. Josh Silveira bout was canceled after Newman withdrew for undisclosed reasons.
Costello van Steenis defended the PFL middleweight title by knockout (elbows) of Fabian Edwards in Round 3 at PFL Madrid. The card also saw A.J. McKee defeat Adam Borics by unanimous decision, Franco Tenaglia stoppage TKO over Yassin Najid due to a doctor’s stoppage, Jacinta Austin KO’ing Benita van Rooij, and Linton Vassell’s TKO win over Jose Augusto. Preliminary results included Luciano Pereira KO, Borja Garcia UD, Gino van Steenis KO, Mattia Giordano UD, Claudio Pacella UD, and Ignacio Campos UD.
Costello van Steenis halted Fabian Edwards in the third round to defend the PFL middleweight title in Madrid, capitalizing on Edwards’s grappling decisions and finishing with a flurry of elbows as a takedown attempt backfired; it marked Van Steenis’s second win over Edwards and his first title defense in front of a home crowd, while Edwards’ world-title hopes—after two prior defeats—were dashed.
Costello van Steenis defended his PFL middleweight title in Madrid by stopping Fabian Edwards with elbows at 1:48 of Round 3, capping a night that also featured A.J. McKee’s decision over Adam Borics, Luciano Pereira’s KO of Kevin Cordero, Linton Vassell’s TKO of Jose Augusto, Jacinta Austin’s first-round KO of Benita van Rooij, Franco Tenaglia’s second-round TKO of Yassin Najid (injury), and multiple decisions including Mattia Giordano over Ernesto Schisano, Gino van Steenis KO’ing Mark Ewen, Borja Garcia Heres over Rafael Calderon, Claudio Pacella over David Mora, and Nacho Campos over Mathys Duragrin.
Professional Fighters League has released former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, ending his multi-sport run with the league after a stint that included high-profile boxing bouts and MMA appearances under a flexible contract.
The Professional Fighters League has released Francis Ngannou after just one appearance in the promotion, as PFL pivots toward recruiting new talent for its 2026 schedule. Ngannou, 39, has largely focused on boxing against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua and was briefly appointed PFL Africa chairman, but did not attend the 2025 Africa debut, making a UFC return unlikely per Dana White. PFL also plans a busy 2026 tour across multiple domestic and international stops after recently retiring its tournament format.
Usman Nurmagomedov outworked and dominated Alfie Davis, finishing him with an unorthodox arm-triangle choke hybrid in the third round to retain the PFL lightweight title in Dubai, extending his unbeaten run to 22 fights and marking a fifth title defense.
Usman Nurmagomedov defended his PFL lightweight title against Alfie Davis in the main event at PFL Dubai, preserving his flawless 20-0 (with one no-contest) pro record. The card also featured a welterweight title bout between Ramazan Kuramagomedov and Shamil Musaev in the co-main, along with several prelims and undercard wins, including Luke Trainer's submission of Rob Wilkinson, Khabib Nabiev's TKO over Ahmed Sami, and Jhony Gregory's guillotine finish of Haider Khan.
Ngannou was left out of the PFL's new heavyweight rankings, fueling questions about his future with the promotion. PFL CEO John Martin says the omission wasn’t deliberate and may reflect Ngannou’s inactivity and contract terms, as the fighter has said one fight remains on his deal. He has floated a possible June UFC White House appearance, but there’s been no return announcement, and the PFL is still weighing options for a meaningful matchup.
The PFL released its initial rankings under a new system, excluding Francis Ngannou from the heavyweight and pound-for-pound lists. CEO John Martin says these rankings are a starting point that will evolve over the next several months as fighters compete, with Ngannou still under contract and potentially a special project planned for him in 2026. The rankings are independently administered by Combat Registry.