Brendan Loughnane: Professional Fighters League champion's story of 'perseverance and success'

It was erstwhile Brendan Loughnane woke up successful his New York edifice country the adjacent greeting that it archetypal sunk in.

Manchester's Loughnane, 33, had beaten Bubba Jenkins the nighttime before for the Professional Fighters League (PFL) featherweight loop and $1m prize, becoming the archetypal British champion successful the promotion's history.

Loughnane's crowning infinitesimal astatine the lawsuit - described arsenic "the richest nighttime successful MMA" - represents a 16-year vocation punctuated by ups and downs, but epitomised by his durability, bid of the athletics and thrust to scope the top.

"I saw the loop and the cheque connected the furniture and I thought it was a dream. But I really did bash it," helium told BBC Sport.

"It's a occurrence story, it's a communicative of perseverance and resilience, and I'm conscionable truthful blessed to yet get it successful beforehand of me.

"Imagine you've worked truthful hard your full beingness and then, successful a moment, that's it, it's done, you've got it, and that's wherefore I was truthful exceptionally overwhelmed."

An 'incredible risk' that paid off

Loughnane describes himself arsenic a "typical young English lad who liked to play football" increasing up.

It was his neighbour who introduced him to MMA astir the property of 15 where, 1 time aft school, helium took Loughnane down to the section warring gym successful his car.

Loughnane felt astatine location successful the athletics and, earlier long, made the determination to bid towards his archetypal amateur combat with a presumption to pursuing MMA arsenic a career.

This was met by immoderate resistance, however.

"MMA was perfectly thing backmost then. It wasn't adjacent called MMA, it was called the UFC. People didn't adjacent cognize the sanction of the sport," said Loughnane.

"It was truly frowned upon and radical were like, 'oh, you don't bash that cage warring bash you?'

"It was an unthinkable risk, determination was obscurity to go. It was marque caller and determination was conscionable the UFC, truthful to springiness up everything and pursuit this happening wherever determination was nary extremity goal, it was truly risky, but I conscionable knew that I loved it and I was bully astatine it."

Loughnane earned £150 for his archetypal amateur combat but the gamble has virtually paid disconnected due to the fact that helium became a millionaire by beating American Jenkins.

Despite the prize money, Loughnane takes arsenic overmuch pridefulness successful becoming lone the 4th British champion from a large MMA promotion successful history, pursuing Michael Bisping and Leon Edwards successful the UFC, and Liam McGeary successful Bellator.

"To beryllium capable to get this belt, this is conscionable a portion of metallic truly isn't it? But to maine it means the implicit world," helium added.

"I look astatine wealth arsenic disposable, a portion of paper, it comes and goes, whereas this symbolises everything that I've been through."

'If I could vessel and merchantability what's wrong me, I'd beryllium a multi-millionaire'

Loughnane has won 8 fights since joining the PFL successful 2019.

Loughnane has ne'er been finished successful his 30-fight career, winning 26 of those bouts.

Despite his exceptional record, determination came a constituent successful 2019 - months earlier signing with the PFL - wherever helium was astatine a "crossroads", which Loughnane describes arsenic the astir hard clip of his career.

After winning a combat against Bill Algeo, UFC president Dana White opted not to connection Loughnane a contract, leaving him without a combat organisation.

"I worked my full beingness to beryllium capable to get to the UFC, and went retired determination and earned it, past got told it wasn't bully enough, truthful I had to truly restart and rethink again," said Loughnane.

"If I could vessel up and merchantability what was wrong maine I'd beryllium a multi-millionaire, not conscionable a millionaire, but I can't archer you what it is, I can't enactment a terms connected it. I'm incredibly determined, resilient and I don't springiness up."

A cardinal fig successful Loughnane's career, who has been determination passim his highs and lows, has been his striking manager Tony Mousah.

He says Mousah taught him to propulsion his precise archetypal punch.

"He's been incredibly instrumental passim my career," added Loughnane. "You don't truly get that successful athletics bash you, idiosyncratic that has been with idiosyncratic from the implicit beginning. It's a peculiar thing.

"It was truly bully for maine to springiness him this rubric and wrapper it astir his waist aft everything that we've been through."

What adjacent for Loughnane?

The archetypal happening Loughnane bought with the $1m was a roadworthy travel down Route 66 successful America.

On the travel crossed the US, Loughnane had a batch of reasoning clip to bespeak connected his achievements, portion looking up to the adjacent chapter.

Seeing himself among the champion featherweights successful the world, helium volition beryllium down with his squad successful January to determine what comes next.

"There's plentifulness of options connected the table. I look to beryllium the sanction connected everyone's lips close now," said Loughnane.

"There's loads of fights retired determination that I'd love. I would emotion to combat [UFC featherweight] Yair Rodriguez. And I'm blessed that the PFL signed Shane Burgos arsenic good - I mean, everyone wants to spot that fight.

"I conscionable privation to beryllium however bully I am. The amended they are, the amended I perform, truthful I'm truly looking guardant to the adjacent one."