It is no exaggeration to say that the vast majority of humanity has never been knocked out.
Brendan Loughnane could once say that, but this is notable considering he has been a professional fighter since 2010 and won the PFL featherweight season and its $1 million prize in 2022. worth it.
But after losing to eventual 2023 champion Jesús Pinedo last June, Loughnane joined the minority and said after a pause that the experience had been “interesting.” .
“I didn’t even know where I was for about 15 minutes. I was like, ‘What the hell just happened?’ I really didn’t know. It was a weird feeling,” Locknane told the Post during a recent video call. “But I can finally say I’ve really seen what MMA is all about. I beat 15 guys. I got knocked out. I lost a decision that I should have won. I won a decision. …Champion. There’s not much in this game that I haven’t seen in the last 18 years, I’ll tell you that.
The loss gave Pinedo six points in the PFL season standings and finished in the first round, while Lochnane missed out on a spot in the semifinals and lost his chance to repeat his million-dollar year in the cage.
But Loughnane (27-5, 16 finishes) will begin his journey back to the top of the PFL on Friday against Pedro Carvalho in Chicago, but he credits the timing of the setback with a recovery that will take nearly a year.
“It’s been 10 months since my last fight. I was fighting every six to eight weeks,” Locknane said. “So I took the time, I healed my brain, I healed my body, and now I’m fully here, fully back and ready to win another belt.”
To do that, he will need to navigate a field he claims is the “best” ever in the PFL featherweight division following the organization’s acquisition of rival promotion Bellator last November. , claimed that last year’s 10-man roster was “insufficient.” It’s also very strong. ”
In fact, with the influx of top-30 talents Timur Valiev and Adam Borix as part of the Bellator sale, as well as UFC veterans Enrique Barzola, Brett Johns, and Kai Kamaka III, this season’s 145-pound division is more attractive than ever.
Loughnane’s first opponent, Carvalho (13-8, 8 finishes), previously challenged for the Bellator featherweight title but has lost five of his past seven fights, including against Patricio “Pitbull” Freire. This includes the failure of the championship fight.
All in all, while Carvalho has fought almost exclusively against the best featherweights outside of the UFC roster over the past four years — including against Loughnane in this spot — the 34-year-old from Manchester is set to face the first of 2024. I respect the strength of my enemies. Difficult.
“He just lost to elite competition like I did; [Aaron] Pico and Pitbull and the best guys,” Loughnane said. “…He comes from a great coach, John Kavanaugh, who I know very well. So I know he’s going to come with a solid game plan. But I’m ready. What I’m ready no matter what.”
Loughnane’s attention is focused on this season’s debut, and any thoughts of wondering who will be in front of him in the fall for the 2024 championship are gone.
You could call this a lesson learned from 2023, when he experienced his first violent separation from consciousness.
“I think that was my mistake last year, looking around at people, looking at the past, and just counting money,” Loughnane said. “All I can see this year is Pedro on April 19th, but I’m not going to make that mistake this year. He’s a very serious threat. I’ve been practicing hard and I’m looking forward to putting on a show. .”
