Having recently transitioned from the UFC to PFL, Irish fighter Caolan Loughran is eager to face high-profile opponents immediately.
The Irish star`s four-fight contract with the UFC concluded, leading him to sign with the Smart Cage promotion. He plans to compete in the PFL World Tournament next season but intends to have at least two preliminary showcase fights before then. One of these initial bouts is potentially against 2024 European champion Lewis McGrillen.
This year`s PFL tournament features Jake Hadley, who defeated Loughran at UFC 304 last summer. Loughran also considers a rematch with Taylor Lapilus, his only other professional loss, who is scheduled to fight Ali Taleb on July 5th in Brussels.
Loughran Sets Sights on Three Major PFL Bouts
Following a 2-2 record during his initial UFC contract, Caolan Loughran aims for a strong start in PFL. Inspired by countryman Paul Hughes`s path, he seeks significant matchups early in his PFL tenure before participating in the tournament next year.
In an exclusive interview with Bloody Elbow, Loughran named his top three desired opponents:
“Sergio Pettis, Raufeon Stots, and Magomed Magomedov are the biggest names I`d target,” he stated. “Pettis is a former Bellator champion, while Magomedov trains with Khabib Nurmagomedov’s team in Dagestan.”
Regarding Stots, Loughran commented:
“Raufeon isn`t widely known, but I consider him one of the world`s top bantamweights. His knockout loss to Patchy Mix was from an unusual knee strike – that can happen. Then Merab Dvalishvili caught him with an insane spinning backfist within five seconds.”
Loughran noted Stots` age, saying:
“He`s approaching 38 now, though. I`ve been following the whole division closely, even before signing. This year`s tournament has been incredibly exciting, apparently the best opening round they`ve had – truly world-class.”
He expressed readiness, stating:
“Look, I’d fight any of them. I`m hoping to make my debut in Brussels on July 5th. I`ve been watching it all, even old fights from Pettis against Patchy and Pitbull and all these guys. I specifically want to fight Sergio.”
Loughran Clarifies UFC Departure Amidst Bidding War
When the UFC Roster Tracker indicated Loughran was no longer with the promotion, he received many supportive messages. Since he had won his last two fights, including the most recent, his sudden removal from the roster seemed surprising.
However, this was a misunderstanding. Loughran had signed a standard four-fight contract after leaving Cage Warriors, bypassing Dana White`s Contender Series. Upon completion of this contract, he became a free agent and received offers from multiple promotions. He chose PFL over a potential, but unconfirmed, new UFC contract.
He clarified:
“Conversations with Sean Shelby were quite positive.” Loughran also mentioned his desire to maintain a good relationship with the UFC because his brother Tiarnan aspires to fight for the promotion in the future.
Then PFL, represented by Dan Hardy, and many other promotions entered the picture. He noted some “crazy” offers, including being asked his price to fight Muhammad Mokaev at an event in Dubai.
Loughran explained his decision:
“The way PFL presented their plans for promoting me and supporting my career quickly solidified my choice.” He added, “It was quite fun for about a week getting all those calls.”
He concluded:
“I`m glad to set the record straight. I had already decided on PFL and was close to signing when the UFC Roster Watch report came out. I received messages from people thinking something terrible had happened, saying things like ‘Hope you`re okay, bro.’ I was like, ‘Everything`s fine!’ It`s just the nature of the fight business; you adapt.”
