The shouts declaring Patrick Habirora as PFL’s next superstar will become roars if he dispatches freshly released UFC veteran Kevin Jousset on Saturday in Lyon, France.
In two years as a professional, he’s amassed an undefeated record of 7-0. His first headline bout for the promotion took place five months ago in his native Belgium, where a spellbinding knockout of UFC veteran Danny Roberts prompted a frenzied reaction from his flare-wielding fanbase.
Advertisement
An exciting prospect to say the least, Habirora could be well on his way to becoming the next Dakota Ditcheva or Paul Hughes. The catch is, he really doesn’t want to be compared to anyone, because, well, he finds mixed martial artists to be quite mundane.
“I find fighters boring,” Habirora told Uncrowned.
“I don’t like the MMA-sphere. I’d rather be friends with football players, rappers. I’d rather be friends with actors or musicians. I find them really different. Fighters are all the same, saying all the same sentences. ‘I’m gonna do this, I’m gonna do that … I’m never scared’ … stop lying, everyone is scared.
“I’m scared every day, I’m scared of every fight,” he added.
Advertisement
A glance at the 22-year-old’s Instagram account provides more context.
Whether it’s training with the great George St-Pierre, cutting promos with football icon Zinedine Zidane or receiving an ovation from a crowd of 80,000 people at Belgian music festival, Les Ardentes, it’s fair to say that Habirora’s life differs from that of the average two-year pro.
I knew he was special the first time I laid eyes on him. Only Cedric Doubé received a more rousing reception than the 1-0 pro as he made his way to the cage for his promotional debut at Accor Arena last March. Billed alongside a strong French cast central Paris, it was hard not to be blown away by the support the Belgian boasted.
Advertisement
“I was the first French-speaking champion in IMMAF,” he explains, citing his decorated amateur career.
“I was winning by knockout. Most IMMAF champions are crazy wrestlers. I hold the record for winning the title with four knockouts over four days. People were waiting to see what I would do when I went pro. When I heard about Doumbé vs. Baki, I’m a pirate, so when I see something I want I’ve got to take it. I sent a message on Instagram to Dan Hardy and he didn’t respond. But then, because the amount of messages PFL received saying ‘put Patrick on the card’, they gave me the opportunity.”
The support “The Belgian Bomber” garners in France makes his looming showdown with Jousset all the more intriguing. Last July, the French fighter received a hero’s return to his homeland before he wound up on the wrong end of a Bryan Battle stoppage, prompting the American to deliver one of the great post-fight interviews in recent memory.
Habirora believes he has as many fans in France as he does in his motherland, so who will be the spectators sweetheart on Saturday?
Advertisement
He isn’t bothered.
“Maybe [they will cheer for me], maybe not. We will have to wait for the fans to answer this question on Saturday. My only goal is to win. Even if they’re shouting against me, which has happened many times in my career, my goal is to win.”
Although he usually plies his trade as a lightweight, the young Belgian moved up recently to make a point by decimating former UFC welterweights. Roberts was the first of such fighters to be on the receiving end of Habirora’s signature “Flash-ball” knockout.
“Flash-ball” has become central to Habirora’s lore, much like Alex Pereira’s “Chama”, a descriptor he stumbled upon in an interview years ago.
Advertisement
“It comes from the streets where I’m from,” he says. “Back in the day when there was trouble with the cops, they would shoot people with flash-ball. One time I was trying to explain what I wanted to hit a guy with and the first thing that came to my mind was, ‘I’m trying to hit him with the flash-ball.’ I said it once and everyone took it and ran with it.”
On a card that boasts Vadim Nemkov and Renan Ferreira competing for PFL’s vacant heavyweight title and the long awaited return of Cris Cyborg, it appears all the stars will be out in Lyon.
Just don’t be surprised if Habirora shines the brightest.
Advertisement
Although Jousset certainly represents his toughest challenge to date and believes victory can pave the way for a UFC return, something tells me his counterpart is excited by the test ahead.
“I like being underestimated,” Habirora declares. “Every time it’s like this, they’re saying this, they’re saying that. ‘He’s got no experience, he’s too young.’ Then the referee wakes them up.”
