Brendan Loughnane makes honest admission ahead of MMA return

The British featherweight prima bounced backmost from his daze decision and is present successful contention to prime up a life-changing $1million payday for the 2nd clip successful his career

PFL featherweight prima Brendan Loughnane has revealed helium considered quitting the athletics aft suffering a daze knockout decision to Jesus Pinedo past year.

The 34-year-old is scheduled to marque a instrumentality to the cage aboriginal this week successful the last of the 2024 PFL featherweight tourney and is owed to instrumentality connected undefeated prospect, Timur Khizriev. The Manchester-born prima secured his spot successful the past 2 pursuing a split-decision triumph implicit Kai Kamaka III backmost successful August.

Loughnane - who is widely-regarded arsenic 1 of the biggest talents extracurricular of the UFC - has been a enactment of caller aerial since joining the PFL 5 years agone and has lone suffered 2 defeats successful the promotion. The archetypal came against Movlid Khaybulaev backmost successful 2021, losing via divided decision.

Following the defeat, the British sensation went connected an unthinkable tally which saw him prime up a life-changing payday of $1million aft knocking retired Bubba Jenkins successful the last of the 2022 featherweight tournament. Loughnane followed that up with an awesome triumph implicit UFC legend, Marlon Moraes, but past came the 2nd defeat.

Loughnane crashed retired of the 2023 PFL play aft being brutally knocked retired by underdog Jesus Pinedo. Following the devastating defeat, the Brit told Mirror Fighting helium was 'done' with the sport. Speaking up of his clash with Khizriev, the featherweight prima reflected connected his daze decision past year.

"It was difficult. I didn't truly privation to bash it again," helium said. "I thought 'I'm done with this sport. I've been knocked out, I've got mode implicit $1million successful my account. What americium I doing this for?' I had to reassess everything, but I've travel backmost and I've shown tenacity successful the champion that I am. I've travel backmost and shown everyone that sometimes you get knocked down successful life, oregon knocked retired successful my lawsuit and you've got to travel backmost stronger."

Once again, Loughnane is successful a presumption wherever helium could perchance pouch different affluent sum. With Friday night's paper stacked from apical to bottom, the Brit's showdown with Khizriev tops the bill, thing the 34-year-old is precise arrogant of. "I'm truly blessed that PFL person enactment maine successful that presumption and I cognize wherefore they've enactment maine successful that presumption due to the fact that it's an elite-level combat against an undefeated Russian, against a erstwhile champion. It's a large combat connected paper," helium added.

Seventeen fighters person tried and 17 person failed the Khizriev test. Born successful Makhachkala, Dagestan, Russia, the portion of the federation has produced immoderate apical MMA fighters implicit the years, but Loughnane remains unfazed and isn't intimidated by his upcoming opponent. "I'm gladsome it's him due to the fact that erstwhile I bushed him, it's going to solidify maine successful this athletics and everyone is going to beryllium similar 'wow, helium really bushed that guy', and that's precisely what's going to happen," helium said.

Fans tin ticker Brendan Loughnane astatine the PFL World Championship 2024 vie for the PFL Featherweight World Championship connected 29 November successful the UK unrecorded connected DAZN