Brendan Loughnane suffered a shock first round KO defeat, ending his hopes of becoming a two-time world champion.
The Mixed Martial Arts fighter became a millionaire in November when he won the Professional Fighters League (PFL) featherweight tournament in New York. Loughnane, 33, came through three fights in the promotion’s tournament format before hitting the jackpot and winning a world title with a fourth round TKO of Bubba Jenkins.
Loughnane’s fighting spirit saw him re-enter the PFL this year in the hopes of retaining his belt and the Mancunian made a promising start with a stoppage win over UFC veteran Marlon Moraes. However, his dreams of becoming a double champion were dashed by a dramatic KO loss in the early hours of Friday morning.
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Due to the PFL’s unique scoring system, Loughnane’s opponent Jesus Pinedo knew he needed an early first round finish in order to qualify for the semi-finals. The Peruvian came out swinging from the opening bell and caught Loughnane with an unusual strike, simultaneously connecting with a knee to the head and kick to the liver, which signalled the end of the fight after just 94 seconds.
Taking to social media in the aftermath, Loughnane praised his opponent for handing him his first-ever stoppage loss: “Congrats champ. Took your opportunity and got me good. In 44 fights that’s the first time I’ve been stopped. Warrior.”
“High level sport is crazy,” Loughnane added. “I’ll be back.”
The format of the PFL sees fighters initially enter into a league format for two fights each, with first round finishes being awarded six points, as opposed to three for a decision win. The timing of Pinedo’s victory saw him leap into the top four play-off places and eliminate Loughnane in the process.
However, Loughnane has been handed several setbacks throughout his career, most notably falling at the semi-final hurdle in the 2021 PFL tournament and controversially being denied a UFC contract after winning on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2019. On both occasions, Loughnane bounced back in emphatic style and will look to do the same once again.
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