It’s been a long road but Brendan Loughnane can proudly call himself a champion after claiming the featherweight title with a stellar performance to stop Bubba Jenkins in the co-main event at the PFL Championship card.
Remembered as a fighter UFC president Dana White passed on signing after his appearance on The Contender Series three years ago, the 32-year-old fighter from Manchester, England made good on his second season with the PFL while putting on his best show to date.
Loughnane worked tirelessly all night, ripping down Jenkins early with leg kicks and then distributing more and more punishment to his head each round. Finally in the fourth, Loughnane continued to dish out punches in punches until he wobbled Jenkins with a well time shot and he swarmed on the former NCAA wrestling champion until the referee saw enough to stop the contest.
The end came at 2:38 in the fourth round.
BRENDAN LOUGHNANE HAS DONE THIS! HE IS THE 2022 PFL FEATHERWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPION!!!!!! #ANDNOW
[#PFLWorldChampionship | BUY NOW https://t.co/9tors6rrKk | LIVE ON ESPN+ PPV] pic.twitter.com/vyEH5jPlus
— PFL (@PFLMMA) November 26, 2022
” Forget about the million and the belt. It’s all about performance,” Loughnane stated afterwards. “I’m trying to prove how good I am. It is a hard grind. This is the toughest competition in sport. I’m emotional. Just thank you to everybody.”
While Jenkins was relentless in his fight, Loughnane was calm and methodical. He found the right place for his greatest strikes every time while shutting down any attempt by his opponent to slow down the fight.
Loughnane utilized leg kicks to stop Jenkins from moving quickly after he noticed his leading leg swelling up due to the severe punishments he had been subjected.
Finally, as Jenkins began to slow down, Loughnane took advantage of the situation with a combination of punches and knocked Jenkins out. Loughnane had to hammer away with a few more shots on the ground but the fight was essentially already over as he celebrated an incredible run through the 2022 season.
Loughnane has gone 8-1 overall in the PFL but most importantly he’s now the featherweight champion in 2022 with a $1 million prize as his reward.
Source: https://www.mmafighting.com/2022/11/25/23478759/pfl-championship-2022-results-brendan-loughnane-punishes-bubba-jenkins-earning-fourth-round-stoppage?rand=96749