PFL World Championship 2022: Brendan Loughnane wins $1m title
- Published
Loughnane became champion in his second season with PFL
Britain's Brendan Loughnane expertly dismantled Bubba Jenkins to win the featherweight title and $1m (£840,000) at the Professional Fighters League World Championship in New York.
Loughnane, 32, wore American Jenkins down with strikes before earning a fourth-round TKO.
The Mancunian becomes the first British PFL champion in history.
He is also only the fourth Briton to win a title in a major MMA promotion.
He follows UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards, former UFC middleweight title holder Michael Bisping and ex-Bellator light-heavyweight champion Liam McGeary.
Loughnane's victory comes three months after Edwards' title win, capping a fine year for British MMA.
Loughnane was once on the fringes of the UFC but was not offered a contract, but he has forged a successful career in the PFL.
He can now add a world title to a fine resume showing 26 wins and four defeats.
'I'm one of the best in the world'
The event at Madison Square Garden's Hulu Theatre, described by the PFL as the "richest night in MMA", saw six world title fights, each with a winner-takes-all $1m prize.
A number of UFC stars were cageside to watch the event, including former two-division champion Georges St-Pierre, bantamweight title holder Aljamain Sterling and Khamzat Chimaev.
Round one was a sign of things to come as Loughnane attacked Jenkins' lead leg with calf kicks, while denying a number of takedown attempts from the 34-year-old.
As the fight wore on Jenkins' shin swelled, slowing his movement, which allowed Loughane to increase the pressure and land a number of combinations.
In the fourth round Loughnane dropped Jenkins with a straight right before the referee stopped the fight after a series of follow-up punches on the ground.
Loughane fell to his knees in tears following the victory.
"Forget the belt, forget the million, it's about the performance," he said.
"I believe I'm one of the best featherweights in the world in any organisation and I proved that tonight."
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Loughnane earned £150 for his first amateur fight in 2008.
During his post-fight interview he was joined in the cage by his mother.
"This woman here is my rock. She spurred me on when we didn't have a pound in the back and now look at what we've got," said Loughnane.
"That's why I'm crying. I'm emotional. Thank you PFL and to all these people who spent their money to come here tonight. Times are hard. Covid just ended. Everyone here, thank you."
Scotland's Ray comes up short
Ray has won 25 of his professional fights, losing 11
In the lightweight title fight, Stevie Ray failed in his attempt to become the first Scottish champion in a major MMA promotion as he lost to Canada's Olivier Aubin-Mercier.
Ray, 32, was floored by a swift right hook towards the end of the second round, causing the referee to step in and end the contest.
Former UFC star Ray was so stunned by the strike, he asked former training partner Aubin-Mercier what knocked him out.
Despite defeat, Ray can look back on a productive season, securing two victories over former UFC champion Anthony Pettis to reach the final, when two years ago he was retired from the sport.
Ray retired after parting ways with the UFC in 2020 when injuries and the coronavirus pandemic coincided, resulting in a lack of fight opportunities, but rebuilt his career when the PFL offered him an opportunity this year.
Harrison suffers shock defeat
In the main event, Brazil's Larissa Pacheco stunned two-time PFL champion Kayla Harrison as she earned a unanimous decision win to secure the women's lightweight title.
Pacheco, 28, was a huge underdog going into the bout with America's Harrison, 32, whom she has lost to twice previously, but edged a back-and-forth contest to convince all three judges of victory.
The defeat was the first of Harrison's 16-fight career and ended her quest to become the first three-time champion in PFL history.
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Britain's Dakota Ditcheva continued the impressive start to her career as she knocked out Katherine Corogenes in the first round.
Ditcheva, 24, landed a right hand which dropped America's Corogenes, causing the referee to wave off the fight for her second win in the PFL, extending her unbeaten record to seven.
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