Brendan Loughnane: A True Contender

Brendan Loughnane: A True Contender

By Jonny Rashman

Standing in the octagon with the scars of battle embedded on his face and body, hands raised in the air after being declared the victor in a high paced battle of attrition “a dog fight” as UFC president Dana White stated. Manchester MMA fighter Brendan Loughnane surely thought 7 years of gut-wrenching hard work, sacrifice and dedication, since his first foray under the UFC lights, had finally come to fruition to earn him a long overdue UFC Contract. How wrong he was.

The stage was Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series. A concept of 5 fights per show, with the fighters who impressive White the most gaining a UFC contract. What does it mean to impress White? that is the Million Dollar question. The bizarre aspect to this show is there are no definite guidelines in how to be successful, a win or fight of the night doesn’t necessarily guarantee a contract.

The stakes were as high as they come for the Manchester native. 7 years of hard work all hinged on 3 rounds of action against Ring of Combat Champion Bill Algeo.

A Ferocious battle erupted between both men, with the Manchester man unbale to secure the KO, despite his right hand regularly crushing against his opponents jaw with pinpoint accuracy.

The last 10 seconds of the contest has been hotly debated throughout the MMA Community. With both men wildly standing and trading bombs, Loughnane showed the evolvement of his game by successfully taking his opponent down to solidify the victory. Impressive right? Apparently not.

Loughnane was shockingly overlooked by the UFC president and declined a contract. White stated:

“When you come onto this show, unlike any other show you would fight in or whatever, I’m looking for killers. If you get in there and you make it to this show and you want to get into the UFC, show me. Don’t double leg when you’ve got 10 seconds left in the fight. If he f***ing wung it out at the end of the 10 seconds, I probably would have picked him.

These words have had many respected fighters and broadcasters equally as dumbfounded. Yes, we as fans want exciting battles, no, we don’t want one man laying on his opponent for 5 rounds, however, we need to remember what sport we are tuning in to, its mixed martial arts, the key word being mixed.

The UFC supremo is setting a dangerous precedent by openly criticizing a fighter for completing a successful take down and to suggest he would of give Loughnane a contract if he continued to trade widely for the last ten seconds is bordering on insanity. Does the previous 14 minutes and 50 seconds of work not count?

The UFC’s own commentary team response to the contest proves what the other 99.9% of people watching the fight thought:

“You can see the determination from Loughnane man, he wants this finish This a UFC fight here. This could be on any card the UFC has till the end of the summer and you will be like wow that was an impressive featherweight battle. He went for it, Loughnane really went for it. He was trying to get that finish. It’s not for the lack of trying, it just shows Algero toughness.” The words speak for them self.

What sets the Mancunian apart from any other prospect vying for a UFC contract is the word prospect. Take your mind back 2012, at just 22 years of age and as raw as they come, he was given an unlikely shot on the UFC flagship show the Ultimate Fighter, despite being classed a second reserve. He was sent into a shark tank on the other side of the world against legitimate prospects, all with more experience, all in fight condition. Reigning UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker was testament to the caliber of fighters competing on the show that year

Showing and iron mentality, Loughnane made a credible account of himself, with a win, a loss against eventually winner Norman Parke and a contentious decision loss in the finale (which he later avenged) gaining invaluable experience and boosting his profile in the process.

To get as far as appearing in TUF is the pinnacle for a lot of fighters. After the show few fighters go on to have successful MMA careers, some re-invent themselves in other promotions, while many simply pale into insignificance.

After having a glimpse of what being a UFC fighter entailed, Loughnane decided he was going to sacrifice everything in order to make it as full time UFC combatant. With the exposure he got from appearing in TUF, he captured the attention of Manchester entrepreneur Jamie Alaise, which would open more doors commercially.

A full-time trainer in the talented Tony Mousah, surrounded by a team of killers such as One Championship star Panicos Yusurf and Bellator athlete Kane “The Danger Mousah meant the Loughnane UFC train was in full momentum.

A record of 12 wins and 2 losses in the best promotional outlets in Europe proved just how far the Brit had come. The 2 losses were extremely tight, debatable, split decisions against former UFC fighters Pat “Bam Bam” Healy and Tom Duquesnoy.

Did the timing and manner of these defeats subconsciously play a part in his decision to take Algeo down on DWTNCS? Would a takedown in the final few seconds of those 2 losses change the judges mind?

It’s not just the fights, the wins and the experience that has been accrued since TUF that’s needs to be put into context. It’s the sacrifice of relocating for months at a time, to train with the best fighters in the world in Thailand and the USA. This shows the true hallmark of a man, who lives and breathes the sport. Gyms such as the world-famous Wild Card Boxing Club and Alliance MMA have all being used.

Former UFC Bantamweight Champion Dominik Cruz has seen the type of potential, skill and desire Loughnane possess. A close friendship has been created, with Cruz being a mentor figure to the Manchester man. A strong and loyal fanbase has increased that boasts the likes of Manchester United players, Marcus Rashford, Jessie Lingard and boxing superstars Tyson Fury and Anthony Crolla. Influential figures are now in the Loughnane corner.

A power vacuum has been created in British MMA, with Michael Bisping, Brad Picket and Jimmy Manuwa all recently retiring. Can he reach the heights of his predecessors? Maybe.

2012 was a lifetime ago, the world was a different place. The fact Loughnane has not been given an opportunity in the UFC since then is an injustice. Far less talented fighters have all been given their shot in the world’s best MMA promotion.

We live in a world where one man’s bad luck is another man’s fortune. Hard work, dedication and of course talent must count for something, otherwise what is the point of trying to achieve a goal? In this case all the above has been overlooked by a man who has lived an extraordinary privileged lifestyle for the past 10 plus years. Has he lost sight of the values that’s made him the best promoter the fight game has ever seen?

The word fighter has all sorts of meanings to it. There are very few people on this planet that can lay claimant to this title. Brendan Loughnane is the true embodiment of an ultimate fighter.

A man born in one of Manchester’s toughest cities, who’s worked his backside off to acquire the skills to succeed as an MMA prizefighter. After all the setbacks he has encountered in his career, he has continued to evolve his game and dedicate his life to the sport. This man has the skill and work ethic to be a UFC star, given the chance.