Abaev and Poclit brawl at PFL Brussels ceremonial weigh-ins ahead of Henderson-Habirora main event

A brawl erupted between welterweights Khamzat Abaev and Luca Poclit during the ceremonial weigh-ins for PFL Brussels on Friday, May 23, turning what had been a calm morning of official weigh-ins into a chaotic scene. Both fighters had already made weight — Abaev at 170.4 pounds and Poclit at 170.9 — before the confrontation broke out on stage.

The incident came on the eve of a card headlined by a welterweight clash between MMA veteran Benson Henderson and undefeated prospect Patrick Habirora. Henderson, 42, weighed in at exactly 171 pounds for his first PFL appearance, while Habirora came in at 170.9 for what represents the biggest fight of his young career.

Henderson (30-12) carries a résumé that spans three major promotions, having held titles in the UFC, Bellator MMA, and World Extreme Cagefighting. He has not competed since a 2023 loss to Usman Nurmagomedov, though he showed he remained a threat beforehand with victories over Peter Queally and Islam Mamedov.

Habirora (8-0) is 25 years old and has compiled his entire professional record during the period Henderson has been inactive. The Belgian fighter, nicknamed “The Belgian Bomber,” arrives on the back of three consecutive PFL Europe wins, including a knockout of Kevin Jousset. Seven of his eight victories have ended inside the distance.

One change to the card was confirmed on weigh-in day: Movsar Ibragimov will no longer meet Youssouf Binate at bantamweight. Ibragimov (139.5 lb) will instead face Shane Campbell in a 140-pound catchweight bout, with Campbell’s weight listed as TBD.

All other bouts on the card came in without issue. The full official weigh-in results are as follows:

PFL Brussels official weigh-in results:

Patrick Habirora (170.9) vs. Benson Henderson (171)

Taylor Lapilus (135.7) vs. Jake Hadley (136)

Boris Mbarga Atangana (184.6) vs. Jared Gooden (184.9)

Marcirley Alves (135.5) vs. Naoki Inoue (135.5)

Asael Adjoudj (145.9) vs. Keisuke Sasu (145.3)

Donegi Abena (205.5) vs. Joe Schilling (204.9)

Baris Adiguzel (136) vs. Gustavo Oliveira (135.9)

Movsar Ibragimov (139.5) vs. Shane Campbell (TBD) — catchweight 140 lb

Khamzat Abaev (170.4) vs. Luca Poclit (170.9)

Adam Meskini (145.8) vs. Keweny Lopes (145.3)

Rustam Serbiev (169) vs. Ashley Reece (168)