The UFC has faced several controversies this year alone. However, nothing has come close to what just happened at PFL Brussels. MMA veteran Joe Schilling was facing Donegi Abena at the ING Arena in Belgium. In the very first round, Schilling and Abena started exchanging. But then, Schilling clinched Abena, and the chaos began.
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The American fell to his back with Abena on top of him in his guard. That’s when the Suriname fighter decided to commit a blatant foul by headbutting Schilling. This is a clear illegal move as per the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts, which the Professional Fighting League appears to follow in their fights.
Naturally, veteran referee Mike Beltran immediately brought the fight to a pause. Despite the illegal move, Schilling didn’t appear to have been hit cleanly by the shot. He wasn’t bleeding, and there didn’t appear to be a cut. But because of the nature of the move, the American quickly started complaining about the blatant foul.
Clearly fuming, Schilling started pacing back and forth inside the cage as he shouted at Abena. The illegal move got Abena a point deduction. Schilling then tried to wave off the fight, as the referee warned him that he would lose the fight. At this point, the American appeared to have calmed down a little bit as they tried to restart the bout on the ground.
Joe Schilling 100% justified. You throw a headbutt you lose a point and the position. You don’t put him back in the same position instead of a neutral position where he can throw another haedbutt again. Love Beltran but this was a bad call #PFLBrussels pic.twitter.com/9oVCMamzMn
— Jay Henry (@jay_h3nry) May 23, 2026
However, Schilling wasn’t happy about being placed in the same position as when the foul occurred. So, he stood up again and called the fight off for good this time. The American walked off the cage, and Abena was gifted a TKO win due to retirement. According to the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts, referee Mike Beltran didn’t make any mistake.
Although he could have disqualified Abena, he didn’t choose to. The moment quickly started trending on X as fans expressed utter disbelief. While Abena may have gotten away with the blatant move, not everyone is that lucky.
UFC fighter was disqualified for headbutting an opponent
Back in May 2024, one UFC fighter learned the hard way that headbutts have no place inside the Octagon. During UFC Vegas 92, strawweight contender Piera Rodríguez was disqualified after delivering two illegal headbutts against Ariane Carnelossi in the second round of their bout.
The incident occurred while the fighters were grappling on the canvas. Rodríguez held the top position inside Carnelossi’s guard when she suddenly drove her head into her opponent’s forehead. Referee Mark Smith immediately warned Rodríguez to be careful with her head movement, but the warning did not stop the Venezuelan fighter.
Seconds later, Rodríguez landed another headbutt, this time with even more force. Smith instantly halted the contest as Carnelossi struggled to recover from the illegal strikes. Although the Brazilian fighter was given time to continue, cageside officials ruled her unable to proceed, awarding her the victory by disqualification.
While this case somewhat mirrors what happened in PFL tonight, it’s important to note that Rodríguez had landed two headbutts in the same round, leading to her disqualification.
It’s a moral quandary. Clearly, Abena’s headbutt was intentional, even if it did not land cleanly. But from the referee’s perspective, it warranted only a warning at that moment. Had he repeated the illegal move, there’s little doubt that a disqualification would have followed. So, do you agree with the referee’s decision in this case?
