Undefeated welterweight Patrick Habirora has his next assignment. The PFL announced Monday that the No. 4-ranked Belgian will face No. 5 Omar El Dafrawy in the co-main event of PFL Dubai on Saturday, November 14 at Coca-Cola Arena.
https://x.com/PFLMMA/status/2102020027322954003It’s the first fight for Habirora (9-0) since he knocked out Benson Henderson in 20 seconds in front of his home crowd at PFL Brussels on May 23. A left hand dropped the former UFC and WEC champion, and a few follow-up shots ended it.
That finish made it eight knockouts in nine pro wins for the 25-year-old, seven of them in the first round.
El Dafrawy (16-6) is a different kind of test. Henderson was 42 and hadn’t competed in MMA since 2023. The 2024 PFL MENA welterweight tournament winner arrives on a two-fight win streak, starting with a 72-second knockout of James Vake at PFL Chicago in April. He followed it with a unanimous decision over Jonathan Piersma in a 175-pound catchweight bout at PFL New York on July 31.
He also knows the building. El Dafrawy’s last trip to Coca-Cola Arena ended in a unanimous decision loss to Florim Zendeli in October 2025, the most recent defeat on his record.
Welterweight Title Picture
The winner stays in the mix in a division ruled by another unbeaten fighter. Thad Jean (12-0) survived a scare from Ernesto Rodriguez to win the vacant welterweight title at PFL Washington DC in July.
Shamil Musaev, Magomed Umalatov and Abdoul Abdouraguimov hold the top three spots behind Jean in the PFL’s most recent official rankings, released August 21.
PFL Dubai Card
Habirora vs. El Dafrawy sits beneath the main event, where Vadim Nemkov (c) defends the PFL Heavyweight World Championship against No. 3 Sergei Bilostenniy. Both heavyweights come out of the Team Fedor camp and have trained together in the past.
The card is the PFL’s first in Dubai since its merger with Most Valuable Promotions. It streams live in the U.S. on the ESPN app and on STARZPLAY across 25 territories in the Middle East and North Africa.
