The
Professional Fighters League landed in Brussels, Belgium, on
Saturday, bringing in a hometown favorite in the main event as
Patrick
Habirora took on a legend in former
Ultimate Fighting Championship and
World Extreme Cagefighting champ Benson
Henderson. Three fighters stood out the most, two of which had
Belgian roots and laid the groundwork that should see them with
high-level competition moving forward.
Here are the matches to make following PFL Belgium:
After his 20 second knockout, Habriora needs to get himself an
opportunity to crack into the Top 5 as he’s working into title
contention. Zendeli is coming off a loss to former champion
Logan
Storley who is no longer with the promotion, and could be a
great test with his wrestling skill base. Habirora used up little
energy in his main event win over Henderson, which lasted just 20
seconds, so he could get a quick turnaround.
After defeating Jake Hadley
across three rounds on Saturday, Lapilus has put himself in a
no-doubt situation as the next title challenger. For a bantamweight
division with no champion, Lapilus should face Khavalov, who is
also coming off a big win when he defeated Raufeon
Stots earlier this year. Newcomer Mitch McKee could also be in
the mix for a title fight opportunity but after just one fight in
the promotion, he may need a couple more bouts on his resume before
that can happen.
Making an emphatic middleweight debut against Jared
Gooden, Atangana put him away with a brutal and quick technical
knockout victory. Atangana could be a title contender in both
middleweight and light heavyweight divisions, but in order to get
there, he’s going to have to face top contenders who have been
there, like Edwards. Coming off a losing effort to Costello
van Steenis, Edwards is a great veteran matchup to offer a real
test for where Atangana stands among potential title challengers.
Edwards has a world of experience and has fought the very best, now
he can look towards a young and rising prospect in Atangana who
made it clear he’s ready for another leap up in competition.