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← PFL Brussels: Habirora vs. Henderson
PFL Light Heavyweight

Donegi Abena VS Joe Schilling

ING Arena, Brussels, Belgium

Tale of the Tape

Donegi Abena VS Joe Schilling
11-7-0 Record 4-7-0
28 Age 42
192 cm Height —
orthodox Stance —
55% Finish rate 75%
55% KO rate 50%
0% Sub rate 25%

Result Summary

Donegi Abena def. Joe Schilling TKO (retirement) · R1 0:37

Donegi Abena defeated Joe Schilling by TKO (retirement) at 0:37 of round one in a light heavyweight bout at PFL Brussels: Habirora vs. Henderson on May 23, 2026. Schilling, a kickboxing specialist returning to MMA competition after a seven-year absence from the sport, chose not to continue after the opening exchanges and retired from the contest inside the first minute. The finish came before either fighter had established a sustained rhythm, cutting short Schilling's MMA comeback in under 40 seconds of action. Abena earned the quick win by retirement stoppage in his PFL light heavyweight appearance.

Fight Overview

Former GLORY Light Heavyweight Champion Donegi Abena (31-11 in kickboxing) makes his long-awaited MMA debut against fellow kickboxing veteran Joe 'Stitch 'Em Up' Schilling (4-6 MMA, 23-9 kickboxing) in a striking-heavy light heavyweight contest. Abena brings elite-level stand-up credentials as a GLORY Grand Prix winner and former champion, while Schilling carries the edge of prior MMA cage experience, making the unknown factor of Abena's grappling adaptation the central storyline.

Keys to Victory

Donegi Abena

  1. Use his elite kickboxing reflexes and footwork to control distance and land clean strikes without entering the grappling danger zone.
  2. Stay disciplined against takedown attempts by maintaining base and using cage awareness to avoid being taken down.
  3. Set a high output from the opening seconds to establish dominance before Schilling can exploit grappling experience gaps.

Joe Schilling

  1. Pressure Abena with takedowns and clinch grappling early to disrupt his rhythm and move into unfamiliar MMA territory.
  2. Use his edge in cage grappling and ground positioning to wear Abena down and expose any defensive gaps from the debuting fighter.
  3. Force scrambles and ground exchanges where Schilling's combat sports adaptability can neutralise Abena's superior striking.

Last 5 fights

Donegi Abena

  1. L Tarik Khbabez Decision · R5 3:00 · 7 DEC 2024
  2. W Bahram Rajabzadeh TKO · R1 2:43 · 8 JUN 2024
  3. W Stefan Latescu TKO · R3 0:59 · 8 JUN 2024
  4. W Tarik Khbabez TKO · R2 · 8 JUN 2024
  5. L Tarik Khbabez Decision · R5 3:00 · 9 MAR 2024

Joe Schilling

  1. L Tony Johnson KO · R3 2:07 · 4 OCT 2019
  2. W Keith Berry Decision · R3 5:00 · 29 MAR 2019
  3. W Will Morris TKO · R1 5:00 · 30 NOV 2018
  4. L Hisaki Kato KO · R2 0:34 · 26 JUN 2015
  5. L Rafael Carvalho Decision · R3 5:00 · 10 APR 2015

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AI-generated This analysis was generated with AI and may contain errors.

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