Brendan Loughnane is no longer the defending PFL lightweight champ, but he’s thrilled to be with the Professional Fighters’ League. Loughnane recently told MMAFighting that he’d rather be where he is than fighting for the UFC.
The UFC might be the bigger organization, with a more recognizable brand, but Loughnane, before he lost to Jesus Pinedo last night, believes he’s in a better place than most fighters on the UFC roster.
Brendan Loughnane Proud To Be With PFL Over UFC
Loughnane was once passed over for a UFC contract when he faced Bill Algeo on Dana White’s Contender Series. Loughnane found himself blasted by White for winning the fight via decision rather than pressing for a finish, but the PFL lightweight feels that he’s wound up better off than Algeo with his UFC contract.
“I think about the guy I fought that night [on The Contender Series] Bill Algeo — he just signed another five-fight deal [with the UFC] and he’s got a few wins he’s put together.
But it’s like who would I rather be right now? Would I rather be me or would I rather be Bill? I’d rather be me. I’m making really, really good money. I’m a champion. I’m getting the respect that I deserve from the sport.”
Loughnane did acknowledge, however, that the UFC remains the premier organization in the sport. “UFC is a machine and they are the premier organization.
They built the sport in a lot of aspects but now Bellator has gotten an incredible roster. PFL has an incredible roster. Any champion from the PFL, any champion from Bellator and any champion from the UFC and even ONE [Championship], they could all fight each other and it would be mixed results. I don’t care what anyone says, it really would be.
I think the world of MMA, everyone is catching up to each other now and it’s getting extremely competitive. It’s a great time to be an MMA fighter. There’s options everywhere now.”
The biggest difference that sets the PFL apart from other MMA promotions is its use of a tournament format rather than the more familiar superfight format. Fighters compete over the course of a season to seek the title, which Loughnane appreciates.
“I go back and forth with this on a daily basis. It was hell thinking about doing it again like ‘f****** tournament again, I don’t want to do it.’ Now that I’m here, I’m happy. I’ve got my schedule, I’ve got my routine. I’ve got my weight under control. My coaching’s good. I feel like I’m a real tournament fighter now. I almost feeling like I would miss this if I wasn’t doing this now.
I’ve got all these paychecks coming around fast. During COVID, I went a year and a half without a paycheck so they come around thick and fast now. PFL is really getting behind me.”
