PFL featherweight king Brendan Loughnane is all set to begin the new season, and this time the Manc is eager to compete against new high-profile names instead of the same opposition he’s faced in the past.
Loughnane kickstarts his campaign against former UFC veteran Marlon Moraes in the main event this weekend. The featherweight fight will occur at the Virgin Hotels Theatre in Las Vegas. The matchup is a contest that motivates Loughnane out of bed in the morning, as Moraes is a well-established name. Despite tearing through his opponents in 2022 to earn the million-dollar cheque, Loughnane has no desire to run it back with any of his past opponents.
“I think featherweight’s the most stacked. It was last year,” Loughnane told MMA Junkie Radio. “This year, I think they only signed two guys. … I would have been happy if they got a few more, to be honest. I don’t want to have a season of rematches. I really don’t, because I’ve beat (Ryoji) Kudo, I beat (Chris) Wade, I beat Bubba (Jenkins), beat Sheymon (Moraes)– like, I don’t really want to do that.
“I’d like to fight the newer guys. This year, I want name value. I don’t want to fight unknown guys with no following, but they’re dangerous. I’d rather have guys like Marlon who everybody knows, and they’re like, ‘Oh sh*t, he’s fighting Marlon.’ Rather than random guys.”
Brendan Loughnane on PFL 2023 Campaign
Although Loughnane suffered heavy wear and tear on the body due to competing every few months under the PFL, in the end, it was all worth it to have achieved a lifelong dream. In the end, the 33-year-old defeated Ryoji Kudo, Ago Huskic, Chris Wade and Bubba Jenkins to catapult his career to a new level.
It was far from an easy road to attaining the success he did at Maddison Square Garden last November, with setbacks and injuries to deal with along the way. Still, with a bulletproof mindset and a work ethic like no other, Loughnane could say he did it proudly.
“There’s not many champions that could say they went through what I went through to get the belt, there’s really not,” Loughnane said. “Every one of them four fights last year, I was injured – pretty badly as well. I had to push through them, because if you miss a date, you’re out. Like, if you’re a champion and you have an injury, you just phone up whatever organization and say, ‘Can you push it back two months?’ This has happened. Whereas if I phone up the PFL, you’re out the tournament.
“To get this belt, people have no idea, and I really like that PFL is growing now and they’re signing all these people from other organizations so they can realize.”
The Rematch Loughnane Wants
Although expressing no interest in re-matching his past opponents from previous campaigns, there is one fight Loughnane would like to revisit. The last time Loughnane tasted defeat was to Movlid Khaybulaev in 2021. The split decision loss ended Loughnane’s seven-fight unbeaten streak and cost him a place in the 2021 final.
“Obviously, we all know it’s no secret: I want to fight Movlid again, and I want to beat him over five rounds for the belt this year, and hopefully do it in Manchester,” Loughnane said. “Why not?”
Quotes via MMA Junkie
Can Brendan Loughnane become a two-time PFL featherweight champion in 2023? Let us know in the comments!
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
