It was when Brendan woke up in his New York hotel room that he realized what had happened.
He opened his eyes and was greeted by a world title and a million dollar cheque on the bed next to him.
The first British champion in the history of the Professional Fighters League was crowned the night before.
A 16-year career marked by ups and downs, but typified by his command of the sport and drive to reach the top, typified by his crowning moment at the event.
I thought I was dreaming when I saw the belt on the bed. He said that he did it.
It's a success story, it's a story of perseverance and resilience, and I'm so happy to finally get it in front of me."
"Imagine you've worked so hard your entire life and then, in a moment, that's it, it's done, you've got it, and that's why I was so overwhelmed."
He describes himself as a typical young English boy who liked to play football.
His neighbour introduced him to MMA at the age of 15 after taking him to the local gym in his car.
He decided to train for his first amateur fight in order to pursue a career in MMA.
There was some resistance to this.
Back then, MMA was a thing. The UFC was not called MMA. The people didn't know what the sport was.
People were against cage fighting and they were like, "oh, you don't do that?"
There wasn't a place to go. It was new and I had to give up everything but I knew I was good at it.
The gamble paid off for Loughnane because he became a millionaire after beating AmericanJenkins.
Liam McGeary is the only British champion from a major MMA promotion in the history of the sport.
This is just a piece of metal, right? He said that it meant the absolute world.
Money is a piece of paper, it comes and goes, but this symbolises everything that I've been through.
Loughnane has won 26 of his 30 fights.
The most difficult time of his career was in the months before he signed with the PFL, when he was at a crossroads.
After winning a fight against Bill Algeo, Dana White decided not to offer a contract to him.
"I worked my whole life to get to the UFC, and went out there and earned it, then got told it wasn't good enough, so I had to really restart and rethink again."
I would be a multi-millionaire, but I can't tell you what it is, I can't put a price on it. I don't give up and I'm determined.
A key figure in Loughnane's career, who has been there throughout his high and lows, has been his striking coach.
He says he was taught to hit.
He's been an important part of my life. You don't get that in sport, someone has been with someone from the beginning, do you? This is a special thing.
After everything we've been through, it was nice for me to give him the title and wrap it around his waist.
A road trip down Route 66 in America was the first purchase by Loughnane.
While on the journey across the US, Loughnane had a lot of time to reflect on his accomplishments.
He will sit down with his team in January to make a decision on what to do next.
There are a lot of choices on the table. "I think I'm the name on everyone's lips right now."
There are a lot of fights I would love to see. I'd like to fight Yair Rodriguez. Everyone wants to see that fight, so I'm happy that the PFL signed it.
I want to show how good I am. I'm looking forward to the next one because the better they are, the better I do.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
