Joe
Schilling’s first MMA fight since 2019 ended in controversy. | PFL
MMA
Joe
Schillingâs first mixed martial arts appearance in more than
six years ended in unusual fashion at
PFL Brussels.
Schilling was on his back during a light heavyweight matchup
against Donegi
Abena when his opponent headbutted him while inside guard.
âStitch âEm Upâ was visibly angry as the bout was halted due to the
foul. The fight appeared ready to resume after referee Mike Beltran
took a point from Abena, but Schilling decided to call it quits
when the fighters were repositioned on the canvas. As a result,
Schilling suffered a technical knockout loss due to retirement at
the 36-second mark of Round 1.
đ± C’EST DU JAMAIS VU !
Joe
Schilling met fin au combat aprĂšs avoir pris un coup de tĂȘte de
son adversaire, parce qu’il n’est pas d’accord avec la position
pour reprendre l’action ! pic.twitter.com/hggZdvQlsUâ RMC Sport Combat (@RMCSportCombat)
May 23, 2026
‘One of the Coolest Moments of My Life’
The former Glory Kickboxing standout reacted to the incident in a
post on Instagram.
“One of the coolest moments of my life,” Schilling wrote.
“Everything else is just noise. I know exactly who I am and so does
my family. Most of you talking sât couldnât hold my jock strap. My
opponent also [knows] exactly who he is and thatâs on him. God
Bless.â
Schilling hadnât competed in MMA since Oct. 4, 2019, when he
suffered a 36-second TKO defeat to Tony
Johnson at Bellator 229. The 42-year-old Californian is 4-7 in
MMA overall, with his most notable victory coming via second-round
KO over Melvin
Manhoef in November 2014.
The fight was Abenaâs pro MMA debut.