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Usyk keeps titles with controversial Verhoeven stoppage
Referee Mark Lyson stops the fight with one second left in round 11, sparking widespread criticism — scorecards had Verhoeven ahead on two judges' cards at the time of the stoppage.
Usyk escapes Giza on a disputed stoppage, Habirora wrecks Henderson in 20 seconds: combat sports May 19–25 recap + UFC Macau preview
Usyk survived a disputed 11th-round TKO to keep his WBC/WBA heavyweight titles against Rico Verhoeven at the Pyramids, while PFL Brussels saw Patrick Habirora wreck Benson Henderson in 20 seconds. Three title changes on the Giza undercard. Preview: UFC Fight Night 277 in Macau (May 30) headlines Song Yadong vs. Deiveson Figueiredo.
에디터 노트
No UFC card fell inside this week's window — Vegas 117 ran May 16 — but boxing and PFL more than made up for it. A controversial stoppage at the Pyramids, a 20-second knockout in Brussels, and a headbutt-triggered retirement: it was the kind of week where the referees did as much talking as the fighters.
Boxing: Glory in Giza (May 22–23 — Giza, Egypt, DAZN PPV)
Usyk vs. Verhoeven — WBC/WBA heavyweight titles (R11 TKO, controversial)
Oleksandr Usyk retained his WBC and WBA "super" heavyweight titles with an 11th-round TKO of Rico Verhoeven, but the finish left almost nobody satisfied 1.
Referee Mark Lyson stopped the fight with one second remaining in round 11 after Usyk put Verhoeven on the canvas with a sharp left uppercut, then followed up with a flurry as Verhoeven beat the count. Verhoeven spat his gumshield out during the final exchange and protested the recovery time it cost him. The scorecards at the moment of stoppage read 95-95, 95-95, and 96-94 — all favoring Verhoeven 2. A separate BoxingScene analysis argued Usyk "would have been ahead on the cards going into the 12th" once the knockdown score was factored in — the discrepancy reflects how the 11th-round knockdown would have shifted at least one card 3.
The fight itself was more competitive than almost anyone anticipated. Verhoeven — a kickboxing legend in only his second professional boxing contest — was the aggressor for long stretches, stunning Usyk with right hands in rounds 3 and 8. Usyk came alive in rounds 10 and 11 with repeated uppercuts. Usyk weighed in at a career-heavy 233 lbs; Verhoeven came in 25 lbs heavier at approximately 258 lbs 1.
"I wanted the referee to let me go out on my shield or let me go in the 12th. I felt we were pretty even on the scorecards."— Rico Verhoeven 4
BoxingScene's Tris Dixon framed the result as Usyk dodging a bullet 5.
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The post-fight reaction sharpened quickly: promoter Frank Warren publicly called for Usyk to be stripped of the WBC belt if he pursues a Verhoeven rematch instead of facing mandatory challenger Agit Kabayel 6. WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman had expressed confidence before the fight that Usyk would face Kabayel next. What comes next for the division — rematch or Kabayel mandatory — is the open question 7.
Undercard — three title changes, one callout
The Giza undercard delivered its own news:
- Hamzah Sheeraz (UK) stopped Alem Begic (Germany) in round 2 to win the vacant WBO super-middleweight title in what was described as a one-sided rout 8
- Jack Catterall (UK) won the WBA regular welterweight title by wide unanimous decision over Shakhram Giyasov (Uzbekistan) in a polished performance 9
- Frank Sanchez (Cuba) KO'd Richard Torrez Jr. (USA) in round 1 with a single crushing punch — then immediately called out Usyk 10
- Mizuki Hiruta (Japan) retained the WBO super-flyweight title with a resounding win over Mai Soliman (Egypt); Ukraine's Daniel Lapin suffered an upset loss on the card 11
Amari Jones TKO3 Vincenzo Gualtieri (May 22 — Golden Boy)
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The night before Giza, American middleweight prospect Amari Jones made easy work of former IBF middleweight champion Vincenzo Gualtieri (Germany/Italy), stopping him in round 3 on a Golden Boy card 12. Jones is widely seen as a fast-track title contender at 160 lbs 13.
MMA: PFL Brussels (May 23 — ING Arena, Brussels, Belgium)
PFL's first event in Belgium produced two of the week's most-discussed moments — one spectacular, one embarrassing.
Habirora 20-sec KO of Benson Henderson — main event
Habirora (left) after his 20-second demolition of Henderson at ING Arena 14
Patrick "The Belgian Bomber" Habirora (9-0, 8 finishes) needed just 20 seconds to knock out former UFC and WEC lightweight champion Benson Henderson (30-13) with a leaping left hook followed by a short uppercut and two right hands 15. Henderson, 42 years old, had no answer for the 25-year-old Namur native's pace. Habirora called out Mike Perry post-fight — Perry had TKO'd Nate Diaz the previous week on the MVP card 15.
Henderson was gracious afterward; the two reportedly agreed to share a drink post-event. The sport being unkind to fighters in their 40s is not a new story, but 20 seconds does not leave much room for a different narrative.
Rest of the PFL Brussels card
Taylor "Double Impact" Lapilus (France, 25-4) controlled Jake "White Kong" Hadley (12-6) from bell to bell, winning 30-27 on all three cards, and grabbed the microphone afterward to demand a title shot — his sixth straight win 15. Sherdog noted that Lapilus "has clearly found a new lease on life" since leaving the UFC.
Boris Mbarga Atangana (Belgium, 9-0, 9 finishes) kicked Jared Gooden (23-12) in the head, then closed the deal with a straight-right flurry at 1:05 of round 1. Atangana jumped into the crowd after the stoppage and called out anyone in the 170, 185, or 205-lb divisions 15. Belgium sent two unbeaten finishers to the main card; both delivered.
The Abena/Schilling headbutt mess
In the prelims, Donegi Abena — in his professional MMA debut — deliberately headbutted Joe Schilling after a takedown at 0:36 of round 1. Referee Mike Beltran deducted a point. Schilling exploded, yelled "the fight is over!", walked to the cage wall, and refused to continue. Beltran warned him he'd be ruled the loser; Schilling briefly reconsidered, then quit anyway. Beltran stopped the bout and Abena got a TKO (retirement) win on his debut. Schilling tried to charge Abena immediately after, was separated by security, and left the cage cursing 15.
Separately, Khamzat Abaev and Luca Poclit brawled all-out at the weigh-in — at one point it was unclear whether their fight would even proceed. It did. Abaev knocked Poclit out in round 1 at 2:56, and the two shook hands. Abaev apologized to commentator Dan Hardy afterward 15.
MMA: PFL MENA 9 + ONE Friday Fights 155 (May 22–24)
PFL MENA 9 — Dubai, May 24
The PFL MENA 2026 season opener was held at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai after being relocated from Khobar, Saudi Arabia — the original May 8 date was pushed due to the ongoing Iran conflict, making this PFL MENA's first event outside Saudi territory 16.
The headline result: Ylies "Broly" Djiroun (Algeria, 25-9) TKO'd defending 2025 PFL MENA lightweight champion Salah Eddine Hamli (Morocco, 11-1) at 4:20 of round 1 — Hamli's first career loss. Djiroun's body work dropped Hamli before finishing on the ground; he moves to the semifinal against Basel Ahmed Shalaan 17.
In the featherweight main event, Mehdi Saadi (France/Tunisia, 7-2) edged Mohammad Yahya (UAE, 12-7) by split decision (27-30, 30-27, 29-28) to advance to a semifinal date with Hamza Kooheji. All three Sherdog ringside scorers had Yahya winning; the official scorecard went the other way 18. A disputed decision controversy in two different promotions in the same week.
ONE Friday Fights 155 — Bangkok, May 22
At Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Yod-IQ Or Pimolsri extended his win streak to nine with a split-decision over the previously unbeaten Kiamran Nabati in The Inner Circle's bantamweight Muay Thai main event 19. Jonathan Haggerty's brother Freddie Haggerty also picked up a unanimous decision win on the card.
Looking ahead: UFC Fight Night 277 — Song vs. Figueiredo (Sat, May 30 — Galaxy Arena, Macau)
UFC returns to Macau for the first time in years, and the card has a clear identity: seven Chinese fighters on the roster, plus Japanese and Thai representation, making this the most Asia-loaded UFC card in recent memory. It runs as part of a three-day stretch at Galaxy Arena — Road to UFC Season 5 Macau Quarterfinals run May 28–29 before the main event Saturday 20.
Main event: Bantamweight — Song Yadong (22-9-1, "Kung Fu Kid") vs. Deiveson Figueiredo (25-6-1, "Deus da Guerra"). Song is an established 135-lb contender fighting in front of a friendly Macau crowd; Figueiredo is a former UFC flyweight champion who moved up to bantamweight. US main card begins at 7:00 AM EDT on Paramount+ 21. Betting odds were not available at time of publication.
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| Bout | Division |
|---|---|
| Song Yadong (22-9-1) vs. Deiveson Figueiredo (25-6-1) | Bantamweight — main event |
| Mingyang Zhang (19-7) vs. Alonzo Menifield (17-6-1) | Light heavyweight — co-main |
| Sergei Pavlovich (20-3) vs. Tallison Teixeira (9-1) | Heavyweight |
| Kai Asakura (21-6) vs. Cameron Smotherman (12-6) | Bantamweight |
| Carlston Harris (19-7) vs. Jake Matthews (22-8) | Welterweight |
| Alex Perez (26-10) vs. Su Mudaerji (19-7) | Flyweight |
| Jingnan Xiong (19-2) vs. Angela Hill (18-16) | Strawweight |
| Kangjie Zhu (21-4) vs. Rodrigo Vera (21-1-1) | Featherweight |
| Meng Ding (35-9) vs. Jose Henrique Souza (8-1) | Welterweight |
| Rei Tsuruya (10-1) vs. Luis Gurule (11-3) | Flyweight |
| Luis Felipe Dias (17-5) vs. Yi Sak Lee (8-1) | Middleweight |
| Cody Haddon (8-1) vs. Qileng Aori (26-12) | Bantamweight |
| Konklak Suphisara (10-4) vs. Jaqueline Amorim (10-2) | Strawweight |
Storylines to watch:
- Pavlovich vs. Teixeira — Sergei Pavlovich (Russia, "The Sledgehammer") was a top-5 heavyweight not long ago; Tallison Teixeira (Brazil, "Xicao") has won 9 of 10 and is pushing for a ranking. This is the most finish-likely bout on the card.
- Smotherman's durability — Cameron Smotherman collapsed at UFC 324 weigh-ins before this booking; whether he makes weight cleanly is the first question to answer 22.
- Zhu's opponent change — Kangjie Zhu (China, "One Punch Man") was originally scheduled against Ramon Taveras; he now faces Rodrigo Vera (21-1-1) after a late switch 23.
- Jingnan Xiong — the Chinese strawweight (19-2, "The Panda") faces Angela Hill at 115 lbs. Reports from MMA Junkie suggest Xiong has been calling out Valentina Shevchenko.
On the horizon: UFC 329 — McGregor vs. Holloway 2 (July 11 — T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas)
The full UFC 329 card is confirmed 24.
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McGregor (22-6) vs. Holloway (27-9) is a welterweight rematch — their first meeting was at featherweight. McGregor's manager said this week that McGregor is "looking to stay active" after the fight, signaling more dates planned beyond July 25. Veterans around the sport give McGregor a puncher's chance while acknowledging the odds run heavily against him 26.
Also notable on the 329 card: Robert Whittaker (former middleweight champion, 26-9) moves up to light heavyweight to face Nikita Krylov (31-11). Whittaker has never competed at 205 lbs professionally.
| Bout | Division |
|---|---|
| Conor McGregor (22-6) vs. Max Holloway (27-9) | Welterweight — main event |
| Benoit St. Denis (17-3) vs. Paddy Pimblett (23-4) | Lightweight — co-main |
| Cory Sandhagen (18-6) vs. Mario Bautista (17-3) | Bantamweight |
| Brandon Royval (17-9) vs. Lone'er Kavanagh (10-1) | Flyweight |
| Gable Steveson (3-0) vs. Elisha Ellison (5-2) | Heavyweight |
| Robert Whittaker (26-9) vs. Nikita Krylov (31-11) | Light heavyweight |
Next Saturday in Macau is the immediate focus — Song vs. Figueiredo has genuine title implications at bantamweight, and the Pavlovich-Teixeira heavyweight collision could be over inside a round. The heavyweight division picture, meanwhile, won't settle down until the WBC sorts out whether Usyk owes Kabayel a fight or owes Verhoeven a rematch.
Cover: AI-generated illustration
참고 출처
- 1Usyk keeps titles with controversial Verhoeven stoppage — BBC Sport
- 2Usyk v Verhoeven — scorecards at time of stoppage — BBC Sport
- 3Usyk-Verhoeven scorecards: Usyk was on course to beat Verhoeven on points — BoxingScene
- 4Rico Verhoeven: 'just turned boxing on its head' — BoxingScene
- 5Sphinx Jinx: Oleksandr Usyk dodges a bullet — BoxingScene
- 6Frank Warren: Usyk must be stripped if Verhoeven rematch comes next — BoxingScene
- 7What next for heavyweight division after Usyk's win? — BBC Sport
- 8Hamzah Sheeraz batters Alem Begic to land WBO title — BoxingScene
- 9Jack Catterall grabs WBA belt with decision win over Giyasov — BoxingScene
- 10Frank Sanchez calls out Usyk after blitzing Richard Torrez — BoxingScene
- 11Mizuki Hiruta retains title, Daniel Lapin upset in Egypt — BoxingScene
- 12Amari Jones makes easy work of former champion Gualtieri — BoxingScene
- 13Jones on fast track to middleweight title — BoxingScene
- 14Complete PFL Brussels results — FightNews
- 15PFL Brussels: Habirora vs. Henderson play-by-play — Sherdog
- 16PFL MENA 9 — Wikipedia
- 17PFL MENA 9 play-by-play — Sherdog
- 18PFL MENA 9: Mehdi Saadi outstrikes Mohammad Yahya — Sherdog
- 19ONE Friday Fights 155 and Inner Circle results — Cageside Press
- 20UFC Fight Night 277 — Sherdog
- 21UFC Fight Night: Song vs. Figueiredo — UFC.com
- 22UFC Macau: Kai Asakura to face fighter who collapsed at UFC 324 weigh-ins — Sherdog
- 23Kangjie Zhu sees change of opponent at UFC Macau — Sherdog
- 24UFC 329 — McGregor vs. Holloway 2 — Sherdog
- 25Manager claims McGregor 'looking to stay active' after UFC return — Sherdog
- 26UFC vets give McGregor 'puncher's chance' vs. Holloway at UFC 329 — Sherdog
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