Brendan Locknain is one who enjoys the rigors of the Professional Fighters League season.
The format isn’t for everyone, but the 34-year-old from Manchester keeps coming back. He will begin his fourth season with the promotion Friday night against Pedro Carvalho in PFL 3 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago.
“I’m a fighter at heart,” Loughnane said at a PFL media event Wednesday. “I love fighting. I love losing weight. I love it, I love training. I love competition. It’s what gets me up in the morning. It’s the spark, it’s what I It means more to me than money or belts.
“[It] It gives me purpose and I really love this piece. I choose to do this.I made a good investment and got the belt. [but] I chose to be here and compete against the best players in the world in the toughest tournament in the world because I love it. ”
What stands out in Loughnane’s comments is that he enjoys the weight loss process that professional fighters usually fear. For Loughnane, it’s a matter of perspective.
“Actually, I love losing weight. I’ll tell you why. When a fight approaches and you’re deprived of everything, including food and water, your hunger and concentration are doubled,” he says. said. “When you get this close and you lose all your calories and you realize that there are always people out there who don’t have food, you kind of understand what that feels like.” is happening? I know I might be a little crazy, but I’m having fun. ”
After winning the PFL title at featherweight in 2022, Loughnane’s 2023 season ended in surprising fashion as he was knocked out by eventual winner Jesus Pinedo. Pinedo isn’t a 145-pound contender this year, so it doesn’t look like Loughnane will be able to avenge that loss at this point. Pinedo was scheduled to face Patricio Freire at a PFL vs. Bellator event in February before bowing out of the card.
“I was wondering what actually happened,” Locknane said of Pinedo. “I thought he was going to fight in Saudi Arabia, but then something happened and I thought, “He’s going to fight in Saudi Arabia.” [he’d] Must be during the regular season.I mean, I think Impa was the only guy who actually did it all. [Kasanganay]. Impa came back this season having won the season as well as Saudi Arabia. It’s not easy to fight right after a season and then come back for another season, so what Impa does is gangster, really gangster. That means he has to compete in the regular season. In a year he will have 5-6 contests. This is completely insane.
“So I don’t blame Jesus Pinedo for running away to Peru with $1 million. Who cares? Good job. It’s probably worth like $25 million over there. [isn’t he?]”
Roughnane enjoys every aspect of what he does, so it is easy for him to maintain a positive attitude.
“This is the life I have chosen. I choose to fight with people. I choose to train. If you don’t like it, look for work elsewhere,” he said. “There’s got to be other things that people can do. What’s the point of being negative? Yeah, I have to lose weight today, but what’s going to happen? I’m going to get paid. I can do whatever I want and paint. I think of myself as an artist and every Friday night I’ll be painting on another canvas.
“Sometimes things go your way and sometimes they don’t. I’ve had enough fights. I’m, as I say, the most experienced person in my division right now. So I’m looking forward to getting in there and having fun. I enjoy fighting. I like the ups and downs and the struggles and everything that comes with it.
