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PFL Welterweight

Khamzat Abaev VS Luca Poclit

ING Arena, Brussels, Belgium

Tale of the Tape

6-1-0 Record 10-3-0
29 Age 36
183 cm Height 178 cm
unknown Stance —
100% Finish rate 70%
83% KO rate 10%
17% Sub rate 60%

Result Summary

Khamzat Abaev def. Luca Poclit KO (punches) · R1 2:56

Khamzat Abaev stopped Luca Poclit by TKO at 2:56 of the first round in a welterweight bout at PFL Brussels: Habirora vs. Henderson on May 23, 2026 at ING Arena in Brussels. The finish in the opening frame improved Abaev's professional record to 6-1 and handed Poclit (10-2 entering) his third career defeat. The result closed out a heated buildup: at Friday's ceremonial weigh-ins, Abaev shoved Poclit and threw a kick during the face-off, igniting a bench-clearing brawl involving both camps before security intervened. Both fighters had made weight — Abaev at 170.4 lbs, Poclit at 170.9 lbs — but the dispute was settled inside three minutes of competition.

Fight Overview

Brussels-based welterweight Khamzat 'Borz' Abaev (5-1) returns to home soil seeking redemption after a PFL debut loss, bringing a Judo-wrestling-boxing hybrid game and a 100% finish rate across his five victories, against Moldovan veteran Luca Poclit (10-2) who trains with SBG Ireland under John Kavanagh and is renowned for his submission artistry including a memorable Bellator 'Lucanator' finish. Poclit returns from nearly two years of inactivity following a setback, making durability and ring rust key variables.

Keys to Victory

Khamzat Abaev

  1. Use his Judo-wrestling base to control the clinch and mat work, taking Poclit away from his submission comfort zone.
  2. Apply relentless forward pressure and ground-and-pound to force a finish before Poclit's technical grappling can be deployed.
  3. Feed off the home crowd energy and impose a fast pace that exposes any rust from Poclit's extended layoff.

Luca Poclit

  1. Use his SBG grappling system to intercept Abaev's takedown entries and convert them into submission attempts.
  2. Control the tempo strategically to ensure his cardio and technical precision carry him through rounds against Abaev's aggression.
  3. Establish cage control early and use his experience to neutralise Abaev's power while working for fight-ending submissions.

Last 5 fights

Khamzat Abaev

  1. L Chequina Noso Pedro Decision · R3 5:00 · 5 JUL 2025
  2. W Marcelo Yuri KO · R1 1:01 · 7 JUN 2025
  3. W Marcelo Yuri KO · R1 0:40 · 29 NOV 2024
  4. W Joakim Jankovic KO · R3 4:03 · 20 MAY 2023
  5. W Fares Aroudj KO · R1 0:20 · 5 MAR 2023

Luca Poclit

  1. L Logan Storley Decision · R3 5:00 · 28 JUN 2024
  2. W Roman Faraldo Submission · R1 2:18 · 23 SEPT 2023
  3. W Oliver Enkamp Decision · R3 5:00 · 12 MAY 2023
  4. W Dante Schiro Submission · R2 4:27 · 23 SEPT 2022
  5. W Dragan Pesic Submission · R1 0:22 · 2 JUL 2022

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

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