Caolan Loughran has confirmed his move to the PFL, following his release from the UFC despite securing a win in his most recent fight.
The Irish fighter had a contentious four-fight stint in the top MMA promotion, finishing with a 2-2 record after taking multiple bouts on short notice. He struggled to win over UK and French fans and was notably involved in an incident on a bus with Paddy Pimblett prior to UFC 304.
However, as a former Cage Warriors champion with a significant base of Irish supporters, Loughran was a sought-after free agent after his UFC departure was confirmed. Speaking in Belfast on Saturday night, he announced his signing with the PFL.
Loughran on Leaving the UFC and Joining PFL
Caolan Loughran`s PFL signing announcement on Saturday night in Belfast was less grand than planned, partly due to a broadcast issue. The original plan was for commentators Dan Hardy and Sean O’Connell to announce his signing, unless Lewis McGrillen won the co-main event, which would lead to a face-off callout in the cage.
However, after the Manchester native McGrillen won, he chose not to call Loughran out, costing Loughran a prominent moment in his hometown. Speaking to Bloody Elbow, Loughran commented:
I was very cross but then Paul Hughes came out and tonight was Paul’s night. I didn’t want to take that away from him. They asked me to get in the cage after the fight and I said ‘absolutely not this is Paul’s night’.
His signing is now official. He is set to compete in next year’s PFL World tournament after participating in two showcase bouts later this year. Despite winning his final UFC bout, he was not offered a new contract after fulfilling his initial four-fight agreement, a standard practice for many new signees.
I had a four-fight contract with the UFC and I fought that contract out. I came off the back of a big win and I won’t go into too much detail but they were meeting us with a wee bit of pushback and that rubbed me up the wrong way.
Then PFL came in and even today the way that I was treated when I came in I felt really, really, really valued. I thought I made the right decision then after tonight I know for sure that I have made the right decision.
Loughran Settles Score After Pimblett Bus Incident
Last July, Loughran and Pimblett had an exchange on a bus en route to the UFC 304 ceremonial weigh-ins. The interaction stemmed from a long-standing rivalry between their respective gyms, Team Kaobon and Next Gen Liverpool.
During the incident, Pimblett allegedly predicted that Loughran would be knocked out by the undefeated Luke Riley (who was then aiming for Dana White’s Contender Series). He also claimed Loughran had been `schooled` by Nathan Fletcher during an amateur fight.
However, Loughran gained a measure of revenge against Pimblett`s team by defeating Fletcher at UFC London via a split decision. While the result was unpopular with the live crowd, it provided Loughran a victory in his personal feud with the prominent Liverpool fighter.
Gareth Pendleton