{"id":690095,"date":"2026-05-23T20:14:10","date_gmt":"2026-05-23T20:14:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/690095\/"},"modified":"2026-05-23T20:14:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-23T20:14:10","slug":"joe-schillings-mma-comeback-short-lived-refuses-to-continue-after-headbutt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/690095\/","title":{"rendered":"Joe Schilling’s MMA Comeback Short-Lived, Refuses to Continue After Headbutt"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"JoeJoe Schilling and Donegi Abena, PFL Brussels Credit: PFL<\/p>\n

Joe Schilling made his return to mixed martial arts on Saturday at PFL Brussels, moving to light heavyweight to face Donegi Abena at the ING Arena in Brussels, Belgium.<\/p>\n

The kickboxer\u2019s first MMA fight since 2019 didn\u2019t last long, and ended in controversial fashion when Schilling was left irate after being headbutted on the ground.<\/p>\n

With Abena getting the fight down early, Schilling had a chance to show whether he\u2019d improved his ground game, but soon enough, Abena threw a very blatant headbutt from inside Schilling\u2019s guard. Referee Mike Beltran immediately yelled stop while Schilling called out \u201cheadbutt\u201d and pushed Abena off of him.<\/p>\n

An irate Schilling briefly got in Abena\u2019s face before Beltran ushered him away, with \u201cStitch \u2019em Up\u201d overheard exclaiming \u201cf*ck that, headbutt?!? Fight\u2019s over. Fight\u2019s over!\u201d It was not, however, a DQ, with ref Beltran instead choosing to deduct a point.<\/p>\n

Still fuming, Schilling initially didn\u2019t seem like he was willing to continue, but continued to glare at Abena across the cage and eventually relented. That allowed Beltran to put him back on the ground, with Abena on top, only for Schilling to become upset again when Abena was awarded double overhooks. \u201cF*cking foul and you\u2019re going to give me bad position? F*ck this, fight\u2019s over!\u201d an increasing agitated Schilling said after getting back to his feet.<\/p>\n

That led to Ateba being awarded a TKO victory via Schilling\u2019s retirement from the fight, despite the obvious foul. After briefly getting in Abena\u2019s face again before being separated, Schilling hollered \u201cthat\u2019s your boy, that\u2019s who you sign? PFL that\u2019s your boy?\u201d to promotion officials before the result was announced.<\/p>\n

\"Joe<\/a>2026 PFL 7: Brussels Ceremonial Weigh-Ins at the iconic La Madeleine in Brussels, Belgium. Friday, May 22, 2026. (Matt Ferris \/ PFL)<\/p>\n

Schilling (4-7 MMA), a tournament champion in GLORY in his heyday, hasn\u2019t won a fight in MMA since a decision over Keith Barry in Bellator in 2019. His last action came in Karate Combat, where he was knocked out by Luke Rockhold.<\/p>\n

Donegi Abena, a kickboxer himself, was making his MMA debut in the fight. The win, such as it was, came 37 seconds in.<\/p>\n

Not a fight, clearly, that Joe Schilling will remember fondly.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\ude31 C’EST DU JAMAIS VU ! <\/p>\n

Joe Schilling met fin au combat apr\u00e8s avoir pris un coup de t\u00eate de son adversaire, parce qu’il n’est pas d’accord avec la position pour reprendre l’action ! pic.twitter.com\/hggZdvQlsU<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 RMC Sport Combat (@RMCSportCombat) May 23, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n