Brendan Loughnane Explained

Brendan Loughnane
Birth Date:5 December 1989
Birth Place:Manchester, England, United Kingdom
Weight Lb:145
Weight Class:Featherweight
Lightweight
Reach:70 in[1]
Stance:Switch
Fighting Out Of:Manchester, England
Team:Manchester Predators
Years Active:2010–present
Mma Kowin:17
Mma Subwin:1
Mma Decwin:11
Mma Koloss:1
Mma Decloss:4
Sherdog:44417

Brendan Loughnane (born December 5, 1989) is a British professional mixed martial artist. He competes in the Featherweight division of the Professional Fighters League (PFL). Loughnane has been a professional competitor since 2010, and competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Absolute Championship Akhmat (ACB) and BAMMA.

Background

Born in Manchester, England, and growing up in Withington, Brendan attended The Barlow RC High School in Didsbury as an energetic, athletic, and football-loving teenager. Loughnane grew up around sports, having played football at a junior level for Stockport County F.C. He also lived close to Jesse Lingard and would occasionally go to his house to play football.[2] [3] One of his neighbors introduced him to mixed martial arts (MMA) and took him to the gym for training. Brendan quickly fell in love with the sport and, after only three months of training, he had his first amateur fight at the age of 18. He was thrilled to earn £150 for the fight and celebrated with his friends at a local casino.[4] Brendan went on to win his first five amateur fights before turning professional in 2010. Although he had recently completed a BTEC in mechanical engineering at North Trafford College, he decided to pursue a career in MMA. In order to train, Brendan used a football cage at Platt Fields Park in Fallowfield as a makeshift gym, which attracted the attention of those passing by.[5] [6] [7] [8]

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Loughnane made his amateur debut in 2008 where he went 5–0 with 4 first round finishes, before making his professional debut in June 2010 at X-Treme Kombat with a second round knockout win over Jordan Desborough.[9] He then amassed a record of 6–0 in various regional promotions before going on The Ultimate Fighter.

The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes

Loughnane appeared on in 2012 joining Team UK in the lightweight bracket after replacing Michael Pastou who suffered an injury in episode two which left him unable to compete. Loughnane started the tournament off well with a unanimous decision victory over Patrick Iodice.[10] However he would later lose to Norman Parke via unanimous decision in episode ten.[11]

Loughnane lost to Mike Wilkinson by unanimous decision on 15 December 2012 at ultimately missing out on the opportunity to win a UFC contract.[12]

Post TUF Smashes

In 2013 Loughnane joined Full Contact Contender (FCC) where he became the FCC Lightweight Champion after defeating Jason Cooledge via unanimous decision shortly later. He defended the title once with a win over Ali Maclean.

In 2014 Loughnane signed with BAMMA where he competed at Featherweight. After going 2–0 in the promotion Loughnane faced Tom Duquesnoy for the BAMMA Featherweight Championship where he lost via a controversial split decision[13]

He returned in 2016 and reclaimed the FCC Lightweight title with a knockout win over David Lee, making him a two-time champion and would go on to collect two stoppage victories under the Tanko FC banner against Eden Newton and Paul Cook.

Loughnane signed with Absolute Championship Akhmat and made his debut on 11 March 2017 at ACB 53 with a knockout win over Mike Wilkinson whom he had previously lost to on his UFC debut. This fight earned him Knockout of the Night.[14]

Loughnane faced Pat Healy on July 22, 2017, at ACB 65: Silva vs. Agnaev.[15] He lost the back-and-forth fight via split decision.[16]

Loughnane faced Paata Tsxapelia on November 25, 2017, at ACB 75: Gadzhidaudov vs. Zieliński, winning the bout via head kick knockout in the third round.[17]

After picking up a win over Amaury Junion at Celtic Gladiator 22, stopping him with leg kicks in the second round, he was invited to Dana White's Contender Series 17, where despite beating Bill Algeo via unanimous decision, he was not given a contract due to Dana White being upset that he went for a takedown in the last minute of a bout he was dominating.[18]

Professional Fighters League

Loughnane made his PFL debut against Matt Wagy on October 7, 2019, at PFL 7, winning the bout via unanimous decision.[19]

In his sophomore performance, Loughnane would face David Valente on December 31, 2019, at PFL 10, picking up his second straight unanimous decision victory under the PFL banner.[20]

2021 Season

Loughnane faced Sheymon Moraes on April 23, 2021, at PFL 1.[21] He won the bout via KO in the first round, picking up his first stoppage victory in PFL.[22]

Returning at PFL 4 on June 10, 2021, Loughnane had a hard-fought close bout with Tyler Diamond, winning the bout via majority decision and securing a spot in the PFL playoffs.[23]

In the semi-finals of the 2021 Featherweight tournament, Loughnane faced Movlid Khaybulaev at PFL 9 on August 27, 2021, losing a close bout via split decision.[24]

2022 Season

Returning for another season, Loughnane faced Ryoji Kudo on February 21, 2022, at PFL 2, winning the bout via technical unanimous decision after an accidental clash of heads opened a cut on Kudo and rendered him unable to continue.[25]

Loughnane was initially scheduled to face Boston Salmon on June 24, 2022, at PFL 5, however Salmon was forced to pull out due to unknown reasons and was replaced by Ago Huskić.[26] He won the bout via unanimous decision and secured a spot in the playoffs for the second year running.[27]

Loughnane faced Chris Wade in the Semifinals of the Featherweight tournament on August 20, 2022, at PFL 9.[28] He won the bout via unanimous decision to advance to the final.[29]

Loughnane faced Bubba Jenkins in the finals of the Featherweight tournament on November 25, 2022, at PFL 10.[30] He won the bout via TKO stoppage in the fourth round to win the $1 million collective tournament pool.[31]

2023 Season

Loughnane started the 2023 season against Marlon Moraes on April 1, 2023, at PFL 1.[32] He won the bout in the second round, after a barrage of leg kicks left Moraes unable to continue to fight.[33]

Loughnane faced Jesus Pinedo on June 8, 2023, at PFL 4.[34] He lost the fight via knockout early into the first round, the first stoppage of his MMA career.[35]

2024 Season

Loughnane faced Pedro Carvalho on April 19, 2024 at PFL 3 (2024).[36] He won the fight via TKO in the first round.[37]

Loughnane next faced Justin Gonzales at PFL 6 (2024) on June 28, 2024. He won the fight via TKO due to a doctor stoppage due to a cut in round 2.[38]

Loughnane is scheduled to face Kai Kamaka III in the semifinals of the 2024 Featherweight tournament on August 23, 2024 at PFL 9.[39]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts record

|-||align=center||Kai Kamaka III||PFL 9 (2024)||align=center||align=center||Washington, D.C., United States ||-|Win|align=center|29–5|Justin Gonzales|TKO (doctor stoppage)|PFL 6 (2024)||align=center|2|align=center|3:34|Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States||-|Win|align=center|28–5|Pedro Carvalho|TKO (punches)|PFL 3 (2024)||align=center|1|align=center|1:26|Chicago, Illinois, United States||-|Loss|align=center|27–5|Jesus Pinedo|KO (knee and punches)|PFL 4 (2023)||align=center|1|align=center|1:34|Atlanta, Georgia, United States||-|Win|align=center|27–4|Marlon Moraes|TKO (leg kicks)|PFL 1 (2023)||align=center|2|align=center|1:11|Las Vegas, Nevada, United States||-|Win|align=center|26–4|Bubba Jenkins|TKO (punches)|PFL 10 (2022)||align=center|4|align=center|2:38|New York City, New York, United States||-|Win|align=center|25–4|Chris Wade|Decision (unanimous)|PFL 9 (2022)||align=center|3|align=center|5:00|London, England||-|Win|align=center|24–4|Ago Huskić|Decision (unanimous)|PFL 5 (2022) | |align=center|3|align=center|5:00|Atlanta, Georgia, United States||-|Win|align=center|23–4|Ryoji Kudo|Technical Decision (unanimous)|PFL 2 (2022) | |align=center|3|align=center|3:00|Arlington, Texas, United States||-|Loss|align=center|22–4|Movlid Khaybulaev|Decision (split)|PFL 9 (2021) | |align=center|3|align=center|5:00|Hollywood, Florida, United States||-|Win|align=center|22–3|Tyler Diamond|Decision (majority)|PFL 4 (2021) | |align=center|3|align=center|5:00|Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States||-|Win|align=center|21–3|Sheymon Moraes|KO (punches)|PFL 1 (2021) ||align=center|1|align=center|2:55|Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States||-|Win|align=center|20–3|David Valente|Decision (unanimous)|PFL 10 (2019) | |align=center|3|align=center|5:00|New York City, New York, United States||-|Win|align=center|19–3|Matt Wagy|Decision (unanimous)|PFL 7 (2019) | |align=center|3|align=center|5:00|Las Vegas, Nevada, United States||-|Win|align=center|18–3|Bill Algeo|Decision (unanimous)|Dana White's Contender Series 17||align=center|3|align=center|5:00|Las Vegas, Nevada, United States||-|Win|align=center|17–3|Amaury Junior|KO (leg kicks)|Celtic Gladiator 22| |align=center|2|align=center|0:44|Manchester, England||-|Win|align=center|16–3|Paata Tsxapelia|KO (head kick)|ACB 75: Gadzhidaudov vs. Zieliński||align=center|3|align=center|3:40|Stuttgart, Germany||-|Loss|align=center|15–3|Pat Healy|Decision (split)|ACB 65: Silva vs. Agnaev||align=center| 3|align=center| 5:00|Sheffield, England||-|Win|align=center|15–2|Mike Wilkinson|KO (knee)|ACB 54: Supersonic||align=center|1|align=center|2:30|Manchester, England||-|Win|align=center|14–2|Paul Cook|TKO (punches)|Tankō FC 2| |align=center|3|align=center|3:16|Manchester, England||-|Win|align=center|13–2|Eden Newton|TKO (elbows)|Tankō FC 1| |align=center|2|align=center|4:07|Manchester, England||-|Win|align=center|12–2|David Lee|KO (punches)|Full Contact Contender 15| |align=center|1|align=center|1:31|Bolton, England||-|Loss|align=center|11–2|Tom Duquesnoy|Decision (split)|BAMMA 22||align=center| 3|align=center| 5:00|Dublin, Ireland| |-|Win|align=center|11–1|Steve Polifonte|Decision (unanimous)|BAMMA 19| |align=center|3|align=center|5:00|Blackpool, England||-|Win|align=center|10–1|Florian Rousseau|TKO (punches)|BAMMA 17| |align=center|1|align=center|4:48|Manchester, England||-|Win|align=center|9–1|Ali Maclean|TKO (punches)|Full Contact Contender 11| |align=center|2|align=center|0:55|Bolton, England||-|Win|align=center|8–1|Jason Cooledge|Decision (unanimous)|Full Contact Contender 9| |align=center|3|align=center|5:00|Bolton, England||-|Win|align=center|7–1|Tim Close|Decision (unanimous)|Full Contact Contender 7| |align=center|3|align=center|5:00|Bolton, England||-|Loss|align=center|6–1|Mike Wilkinson|Decision (unanimous)|UFC on FX: Sotiropoulos vs. Pearson||align=center|3|align=center|5:00|Gold Coast, Australia||-|Win|align=center|6–0|Danny Welsh|Submission (rear-naked choke)|UCC 11| |align=center|1|align=center|1:36|Manchester, England||-|Win|align=center|5–0|Jordan Miller|Decision (unanimous)|UFA 1| |align=center|3|align=center|5:00|Knutsford, England||-|Win|align=center|4–0|Dave Straughton|TKO (submission to punches)|Cage Conflict 8| |align=center|1|align=center|0:51|Blackburn, England||-|Win|align=center|3–0|Shaun Law|TKO (corner stoppage)|UCC 3 | |align=center|1|align=center|1:01|Blackpool, England||-|Win|align=center|2–0|Manos Skoulas|TKO (punches)|Greece Regional Show| |align=center|1|align=center|N/A|Malia, Greece||-|Win|align=center|1–0|Jordan Desborough|TKO (punches)|X-Treme Kombat 2| |align=center|2|align=center|1:18|Ulverston, England|[40]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Stats UFC. ufcstats.com.
  2. News: Ward . Thomas . 23 April 2021 . Meet Brendan Loughnane, the MMA fighter who is best mates with Lingard and Rashford . GIVEMESPORT.com . 7 June 2021.
  3. Web site: George . Thomas . 2022-12-03 . Meet Brendan Loughnane - Manchester's newest millionaire . 2022-12-30 . Manchester Evening News . en.
  4. News: 'I risked it all to chase a dream that came true' . en-GB . BBC Sport . 2022-12-30.
  5. News: Evans. Ryan. Brendan Loughnane: From Ultimate Fighter to lowest point to brink of UFC return? . . 9 January 2019 . 7 June 2021.
  6. Web site: George . Thomas . 2022-12-03 . Meet Brendan Loughnane - Manchester's newest millionaire . 2022-12-26 . Manchester Evening News . en.
  7. News: 'I give up everything for this sport' . en-GB . BBC Sport . 2022-12-30.
  8. Web site: 2022-12-22 . ‘For $1m, I was willing to die’: Brendan Loughnane on life-changing title win . 2022-12-30 . The Independent . en.
  9. Web site: Brendan Loughnane. Sherdog. 7 June 2021.
  10. News: Loughnane wins for Team UK in TUF Smashes . ESPN . October 25, 2012. 7 June 2021.
  11. News: TUF SMASHES EPISODE 10 RECAP . UFC. November 21, 2012. 7 June 2021.
  12. News: Brendan Loughnane on six-year road back to UFC: ‘It’s been a long time coming’ . MMAFighting. May 26, 2019. 7 June 2021.
  13. Web site: Sherdog.com . Tom Duquesnoy Retains Featherweight Crown in Controversial BAMMA 22 Main Event . 2022-12-26 . Sherdog . en.
  14. Web site: ACB 54 Supersonic Results: Khalidov Crushes Barnatt, Loughnane Tops Wilkinson . 2022-12-30 . Combat Press . en-US.
  15. News: King . John . 2017-06-21 . Brendan Loughnane to face Pat Healy at ACB 65 - The Sprawl MMA . en-GB . The Sprawl MMA . 2018-01-14.
  16. Web site: Carroll . Peter . 2017-07-22 . ACB 65 results: Agnaev finishes Thiago Silva, Healy edges Loughnane . 2022-12-30 . MMA Fighting . en.
  17. Web site: Carroll . Peter . 2017-11-25 . Video: Brendan Loughnane scores head kick KO over Paata Tsxapelia at ACB 75 . 2022-12-30 . MMA Fighting . en.
  18. Web site: Fuentes . Jon . 2019-06-19 . Dana White's Contender Series 17 Results: Two Fighters Earn Contracts . 2021-05-22 . LowKickMMA.com . en-US.
  19. Web site: McClory . Mike . 2019-10-11 . PFL 7 2019 Results: Brendan Loughnane Out-Strikes Matt Wagy in Promotional Debut . 2022-12-26 . Cageside Press . en-US.
  20. Web site: Lee . Alexander K. . 2019-12-31 . PFL 10 results: Kayla Harrison dominates, Ray Cooper III punches way to $1M prize . 2022-12-26 . MMA Fighting . en.
  21. Web site: Head . Simon . Anthony Pettis vs. Clay Collard to headline PFL 2021 season opener . 23 February 2021 . mmajunkie.usatoday.com.
  22. Web site: Staff . 2021-04-23 . PFL 1: Pettis vs. Collard Results . 2021-04-24 . Cageside Press . en-US.
  23. Web site: 2021-06-11 . 2021 PFL 4 results: Brendan Loughnane secures playoff spot with tough win over Tyler Diamond . 2022-12-26 . MMA Junkie . en-US.
  24. Web site: Marrocco . Steven . 2021-08-28 . PFL 9 results: Movlid Khaybulaev grinds out Brendan Loughnane, Chris Wade makes finals on third try . 2022-12-26 . MMA Fighting . en.
  25. Web site: Anderson . Jay . 2022-04-28 . PFL 2 2022: Brendan Loughnane Gets by Ryoji Kudo, Accidental Headbutt Leads to Technical Decision . 2022-12-26 . Cageside Press . en-US.
  26. Web site: Critchfield . Tristen . PFL 5 Card Updated with Five New Preliminary Matchups, Including Juan Adams Debut . 2022-06-21 . Sherdog . en.
  27. Web site: Meshew . Jed . 2022-06-25 . PFL 5 results: Mattheus Scheffel upsets Bruno Cappelozza, Stevie Ray taps Anthony Pettis with twister . 2022-12-26 . MMA Fighting . en.
  28. Web site: Hannoun . Farah . 2022-05-24 . 2022 PFL playoff schedule includes U.K. doubleheader, promotion's first international shows . 2022-07-02 . MMA Junkie . en-US.
  29. Web site: Segura . Danny . 2022-08-20 . 2022 PFL Playoffs 3 results: Brendan Loughnane puts striking clinic on Chris Wade en route to final . 2022-08-24 . MMA Junkie . en-US.
  30. Web site: 2022-09-28 . 2022 PFL Championships lineup set for Thanksgiving week pay-per-view, includes 6 title fights and more . 2022-09-29 . MMA Junkie . en-US.
  31. Web site: Martin . Damon . 2022-11-25 . PFL Championship 2022 results: Brendan Loughnane punishes Bubba Jenkins before earning fourth-round stoppage . 2022-11-26 . MMA Fighting . en.
  32. Web site: 2023-02-02 . Loughnane-Moraes to kick off 2023 PFL season . 2023-02-03 . ESPN.com . en.
  33. Web site: Anderson . Jay . 2023-04-01 . PFL 1 2023: Brendan Loughnane Unleashes Devastating Leg Kicks Against Marlon Moraes . 2023-04-02 . Cageside Press . en-US.
  34. Web site: 2023-04-26 . 2023 PFL 4 lineup set: Brendan Loughnane, Robert Wilkinson, Thiago Santos return to action June 8 . 2023-04-27 . MMA Junkie . en-US.
  35. News: PFL 4 results: Jesus Pinedo stuns Brendan Loughnane with first-round knockout . MMAFighting. June 9, 2023. June 9, 2023.
  36. Web site: Cruz . Guilherme . 2024-03-11 . PFL announces full line-ups for first 3 season events, 8 ex-Bellator champions debut . 2024-04-20 . MMA Fighting . en.
  37. Web site: Meshew . Jed . 2024-04-20 . PFL 3 Results: Magomed Umalatov remains unbeaten, Brendan Loughnane gets back on track with quick win . 2024-04-20 . MMA Fighting . en.
  38. Web site: 2024-06-29 . 2024 PFL 6 results: Brendan Loughnane carves giant cut on Justin Gonzales' forehead for TKO . 2024-08-05 . MMA Junkie . en-US.
  39. Web site: Staff . 2024-07-09 . Main Cards Announced for All Three 2024 PFL Playoff Events . 2024-08-05 . Cageside Press . en-US.
  40. Web site: Jailton "Malhadinho" Almeida. 2022-06-16. Sherdog.