Brendan Loughnane achieved his dream of becoming PFL champion.
The veteran fighter won the PFL featherweight title and the $1 million prize after stopping Bubba Jenkins (19-6) in a fourth-round TKO on Friday night in New York at 2022 PFL Championships. Loughnane (26-4) envisioned this moment since he signed with the promotion in 2019.
“That’s why I was so emotional when I finished him, I was just like, ‘Wow, it’s over – the goal I’ve had,'” Loughnane told reporters at the post-fight press conference (via MMA Sucka). “I’ve had this up on my wall since I joined the PFL. That’s how serious I was about this sh*t. I didn’t come here to play around. You just watched a young lad achieve his dream.”
Loughnane is confident the victory cements him as one of the best featherweights today.
“There’s f*king plenty left in the tank,” Loughnane said. “What a performance, what a performance. It’s going to take someone very f*cking good to beat me. … Look what I just did to him. Let’s be honest about something here, I’m one of the best 145ers on planet earth in any organization.
“Anyone that thinks they can just come in and wrestle me and hold me down, good luck. And if you want to strike, good luck with that too.”
Of course, it’s hard to forget the time Loughnane was on the verge of signing with the UFC. Loughnane competed on Dana White’s Contender Series and looked good, picking up a win over Bill Algeo in 2019.
Yet, UFC president Dana White criticized Loughnane for going for a takedown in the last seconds of the fight, and named that the main reason why Loughnane did not get a contract. Loughnane has little to say looking back at that moment in time.
“I remember an interview that was done like, ‘If I’m wrong about this kid, then show me.’ There you go. There you go,” Loughnane said. “What more can I say on that?”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for 2022 PFL Championships.
