A self-proclaimed 'MMA Nomad', Brendan Loughnane looks to kick off his PFL campaign on Thursday in a similar fashion to last year.
Loughnane faces Ryoji Kudo in his first fight of the PFL 2022 season in Arlington, Texas. The Mancunian reached the semi-finals of last year's campaign but was knocked out by Movlid Khaybulaev, who went on to the $1million prize.
The 32-year-old signed for PFL after he was controversially snubbed of a UFC contract after winning his fight on the Contender Series in 2019. Loughnane won his first five PFL fights as his loss to Khaybulaev last August snapped a four-year unbeaten run.
Loughnane, who feels UK MMA is at an all-time high, said of his fight with Kudo: "I'm in the middle of nowhere in Dallas, Texas. I’m an MMA nomad, I’ve been coming out to America for years fighting people in their own back garden no problem whatsoever.
"Not many people are doing that, how many UK fighters are doing that? But I think we are in the golden age, you’ve got myself, Leon Edwards, Arnold Allen, Molly McCann and Paddy Pimblett."
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Kudo, a former Shooto world title challenger, makes his PFL debut on Thursday. Loughnane knows little about his opponent, but has welcomed him to "the big leagues" and promised that his experience will be too much for Kudo.
"I let my coaches watch him, we picked up on a few of his traits that he has in his other fights," he said. "Welcome to the big leagues Kudo, you're coming to the United States to fight last year's semi-finalist. I've got double your fights, experience is going to kick in big time.
Loughnane has spent time in Dubai and Thailand since losing to Khaybulaev. The MMA veteran has been training non-stop for the past six months and was a key part of UFC bantamweight Petr Yan's training camp for his title fight against Aljamain Sterling at UFC 273.
"Thailand is great, it's like my second home," Loughnane added. "I did two months out there and was part of Petr Yan's camp. I feel the Russian guys are a lot more structured, they have a strict regime. They both before each session and shake hands, very respectful. It's old school martial arts."
This season marks Loughnane's second chance to win the PFL featherweight belt and $1million prize money. With PFL's fights now airing exclusively on Channel 4 in the UK, the Brit has promised a top performance to those watching in the early hours of Friday morning.
