Brendan Loughanne was admittedly a little nervous when the results of his fight against Kai Kamaka III were read out on Friday at PFL Washington – but when he heard the score 30-27, he knew he had won.
“Very nervous. I’ve been robbed before in splits. I didn’t really know, it’s hard when you’re in the moment,” Loughnane (30-5) told media outlets including Cageside Press at The Anthem in Washington, D.C. “You don’t really know what’s happening, so you’re thinking, ‘Did I win? Did I not win?’ But my coaches were confident.”
“When I heard it was 30-27, I immediately knew they couldn’t have given him the first round, so I just thought, ‘Thank God.'”
The split decision win over Bellator veteran Kamaka puts Loughnane in a final with another Bellator fighter, Timur Khizriev, an undefeated talent from Russia. It’s clear that Loughnane is optimistic going into the matchup while believing he has the skills to meet the challenge.
“Who’s excited for this fight? Khizriev and me? This fight is going to put PFL on the map,” Loughnane explained. “Two real, true elite featherweights, like the best of the best. 30-5 versus 17-0. Sounds tasty on paper, right? Exciting.”
Having trained with a number of Russian fighters in Thailand, “I have the utmost respect for this style, but I know it. I know it, I fought him before, against Movlid (Khaybulaev), and won a split decision with a broken hand.”
“I can beat that style. I’m a nightmare to take down and an even bigger nightmare to hold down. You’ve got to handle me standing up, you’ve got to handle my cardio, you’ve got to handle my experience. Experience, 30-5, man. 30-5 with 16 KOs, that’s a tough night for anybody in the world of mixed martial arts.”
Brendan Loughnane later commented on the situation: One of his teammates, Muhammad Mokaev, was cut from the UFC despite an undefeated record and was recently shunned by the PFL before a manager changed his mind and no longer signed the 23-year-old.
“I see Pete (Murray, CEO of PFL) has done a U-turn and said Muhammad is great,” Loughnane noted. “Listen, let me tell you something about Muhammad Mokaev. I was there when he first walked into an MMA gym. I’ve known that kid since he was little. He’s the nicest person that ever lived. He didn’t deserve what happened to him and I’ll stand by that kid until the end. I love that kid and when he comes here I’m going to be so happy for him.”
Watch the full PFL Washington post-fight press conference with Brendan Loughnane above.
