Brendan Loughnane will return to the PFL Smart Cage with a point to prove.
Loughnane is one of eight Featherweights of whom will partake in the 2024 PFL Regular Season. Alongside the Brit, athletes from all over the globe will compete, looking to become the 2024 PFL Featherweight champion and collect a cool $1 million prize pot in the process. This years tournament features both fresh faces, such as Brett Johns and Adam Borics, as well as fellow returning athletes Bubba Jenkins and Gabriel Braga.
The last time 34-year-old was in the Smart Cage, he was handed fifth professional defeat in shocking style against Jesus Pinedo. In the very first round of the bout, Loughnane was caught with a knee, which was followed up by numerous hammer fists from the Peruvian and the referee stepped in and waved the contest over- the stoppage marked the first time Loughnane had been knocked out in his career.
Reflecting on the loss, with Adam Catterall on TalkSPORT’s MMA YouTube channel, the Manchester man revealed he had contemplated ended his career but a call from ‘The Notorious’ Conor McGregor quickly helped relight the fire under him.
“I am going to stick by the old saying stay in the shower long enough, you're going to get wet. 50 plus fights, never been knocked out.
“Right? And it happened. And it's like listen, it happened now. What are you, just some coward that's going to get knocked out and just walk away and like, soon as the first bit of adversity comes in your career, you're going to turn your back and walk off. Which, don't get me wrong, I contemplated a few times and then I thought to myself, You know what Brendan, there’s still plenty of miles in you yet, you've just got to get over it.
“And then that's when I was in Dubai, still contemplating what I want to do. And then Conor McGregor rings and said, ‘Do you want to spar?’ and there's nothing like a Conor McGregor backhand to check your chin to see if it still works and apparently it still operates.”
In his first assignment of the 2024 Regular Season, Loughnane will face SBG Ireland’s Pedro Carvalho. After 11 fights under the Bellator banner, the Portuguese native becomes one of a number of fighters to switch into the PFL season following their acquisition of Bellator late last year.
Although on a two fight skid, Loughnane knows just how dangerous his upcoming opponent is and doesn’t take a great deal from his recent form, with the losses coming to two of Bellator’s elite.
“He has lost to Pitbull and Aaron Pico. Pico might be one of the best 45ers, definitely top 5, 45ers in the world you know to have Golden Glove level boxing and Olympic level wrestling and be 28 you just don’t here of it. So Aaron Pico, very dangerous, finished Pedro and Pitbull I mean you know his record stands for itself so they're the type of losses that Pedro is having. My losses are only to champions, Movlid and Pinedo, guys like that. So we both lost to the elite of the elite. So I feel like we are both in a similar position.”
Heading into the tournament, Loughnane is eyeing his second PFL title and feels more ready than ever to take the PFL crown once more.
“You've got to be in it to win it. I've looked up and down the Tapology stats. I'm the highest ranked. I have the most experience, I have the most finishes in my division. So if I was a betting man Adam, I would stick a few quid on Brendan this year why not?”
Watch the full podcast, below:
