Patrick Habirora has just staged one of the wildest and most viral knockouts of the entire year after destroying former UFC champion Benson Henderson in just 20 seconds during the main event in PFL Brussels.
The fight ended practically before it started.
The young Belgian phenom came out very aggressive from the first exchange and landed a very hard hand that left Henderson completely out of position. From there, Habirora threw himself on top with a brutal flurry of punches until he forced the referee to stop the fight.
The ING Arena exploded.
The scene was especially shocking because in front of him was a true legend of the sport. Benson Henderson, former UFC and WEC champion, was returning to the MMA at the age of 42 looking for one last great performance after several years away from competition.
But the return ended up becoming a very tough night.
Habirora showed no competitive respect inside the cage and literally ran over the American veteran in one of the fastest finishes seen recently in PFL.
\ nThe victory keeps the Belgian undefeated and further triggers the hype around one of the fastest growing young names in European MMA.
And the reality is that Patrick Habirora's rise is starting to be very serious.
Nicknamed "The Belgian Bomber", the fighter from Namur has been accumulating violent knockouts and increasingly high-profile performances for months. Before Henderson he had already managed to finish opponents such as Danny Roberts or Kevin Jousset, gradually consolidating himself as one of the most visible faces of PFL's European expansion.
In addition, style helps a lot.
Habirora fights with constant aggressiveness, seeks to finish fights quickly and has exactly that explosive profile that the great modern promotions try to turn into a star.
In fact, many fans are already beginning to compare him with other recent European phenomena due to the mixture of charisma, power and ability to go viral.
The defeat, meanwhile, leaves many doubts around the return of Benson Henderson.
The American is one of the most important names of an entire generation of MMA. Historic lightweight champion in UFC, protagonist of legendary wars against Frankie Edgar, Gilbert Melendez, Nate Diaz or Donald Cerrone and for years one of the most complete fighters on the planet.
But time does not forgive.
At 42 years old and after several years practically retired from MMA, Henderson found himself facing a much faster, more explosive and physically opponent at a completely different time.
The difference was too evident from the first second.
Despite everything, the final image of the event was that of Patrick Habirora celebrating in front of his audience after achieving probably the most important victory of his entire career.
And seeing the noise that this KO has generated on social networks, everything points to the fact that PFL has just found one of its next great European stars.