After a massively phenomenal 2025, Belgian bruiser Patrick Habirora is set to become not just one of the PFL’s fastest rising stars, but also a worldwide sensation.
Habirora Dominated PFL Welterweight Division This Year
Across his four bouts in the promotion, Patrick Habirora has emerged as a rising prospect on the international stage under the PFL banner. Racking up an impressive 8-0 undefeated record, the Belgium native has logged a wide array of highlight reel stoppages as a professional, with all but one of his matches in the company ending via knockout. In fact, his last three trips to the cage resulted in three first-round finishes, with Patrick Habirora’s last two opponents boasting a veteran record of 28-12.
Making his first appearance in the organization in 2025 this past July, Patrick Habirora easily dispatched grizzled UFC alum Danny Roberts. Competing in the largest mixed martial arts organization for almost a decade, “Hot Chocolate” compiled a middling amount of wins and losses during his time there, ending his tenure at an even 7-7 in the Octagon.
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He notably crossed paths with several welterweight stalwarts like Mike Perry, Michel Pereira and future champion Jack Della Maddalena. Wasting no time, Patrick Habirora throttled Roberts with a thunderous head kick with only 30 seconds left in the first round.
Patrick Habirora Wows in PFL Lyon
Patrick Habirora then capped off his run this year with his most high-profile matchup to date on the main card of PFL Lyon, Starching another former UFC athlete in Kevin Jousset. Briefly fighting in the promotion from 2023 to 2025, Jousset failed to make a meaningful impact during his climb up the welterweight ladder, taking losses to Bryan Battle and Jonathan Micallef. Getting his hand raised much quicker than in the Roberts clash, Habirora brought “Air” crashing to the canvas with a thudding left hook, finishing off the City Kickboxing product with subsequent ground and pound.
In no time whatsoever, Patrick Habirora has cemented his position as arguably the hardest-hitting welterweight on the entire PFL roster. As the organization begins to shift its focus towards a more standard division and championship model, fight fans could see “The Belgian Bomber” take his talents to new extraordinary heights in 2026.
Although it may seem that Patrick Habirora just came out of nowhere to make himself a major threat in the smart cage, his ascension to stardom was largely bolstered by his extensive amateur career spanning almost five years. Making his debut in 2019, he fought a total of 27 contests, acquiring a record of 21-6.
It should be noted that he was only stopped by strikes just one time, which came in his second-ever tilt at 2019 IMMAF-WMMAA European Senior & Junior Open Championships. With this deep well of experience backing him up, it should be no surprise that Habirora took the world of the pros by storm after he ended his time as an amateur in 2024.
