Brendan Loughnane: Professional Fighters League champion's story of 'perseverance and success'

It was when Brendan Loughnane woke up in his New York hotel room the next morning that it first sunk in.

He opened his eyes, rolled over and was greeted by a world title and a cheque for $1m (£840,000) on the bed next to him.

Manchester's Loughnane, 33, had beaten Bubba Jenkins the night before for the Professional Fighters League (PFL) featherweight belt and $1m prize, becoming the first British champion in the promotion's history.

Loughnane's crowning moment at the event - described as "the richest night in MMA" - represents a 16-year career punctuated by ups and downs, but epitomised by his durability, command of the sport and drive to reach the top.

"I saw the belt and the cheque on the bed and I thought it was a dream. But I actually did do it," he told BBC Sport.

"It's a success story, it's a story of perseverance and resilience, and I'm just so happy to finally get it in front of me.

"Imagine you've worked so hard your whole life and then, in a moment, that's it, it's done, you've got it, and that's why I was so exceptionally overwhelmed."

An 'incredible risk' that paid off

Loughnane describes himself as a "typical young English lad who liked to play football" growing up.

It was his neighbour who introduced him to MMA around the age of 15 where, one day after school, he took Loughnane down to the local fighting gym in his car.

Loughnane felt at home in the sport and, before long, made the decision to train towards his first amateur fight with a view to pursuing MMA as a career.

This was met by some resistance, however.

"MMA was absolutely nothing back then. It wasn't even called MMA, it was called the UFC. People didn't even know the name of the sport," said Loughnane.

"It was really frowned upon and people were like, 'oh, you don't do that cage fighting do you?'

"It was an incredible risk, there was nowhere to go. It was brand new and there was just the UFC, so to give up everything and chase this thing where there was no end goal, it was really risky, but I just knew that I loved it and I was good at it."

Loughnane earned £150 for his first amateur fight but the gamble has literally paid off because he became a millionaire by beating American Jenkins.

Despite the prize money, Loughnane takes as much pride in becoming only the fourth British champion from a major MMA promotion in history, following Michael Bisping and Leon Edwards in the UFC, and Liam McGeary in Bellator.

"To be able to get this belt, this is just a piece of metal really isn't it? But to me it means the absolute world," he added.

"I look at money as disposable, a piece of paper, it comes and goes, whereas this symbolises everything that I've been through."

'If I could bottle and sell what's inside me, I'd be a multi-millionaire'

Loughnane has won eight fights since joining the PFL in 2019.

Loughnane has never been finished in his 30-fight career, winning 26 of those bouts.

Despite his exceptional record, there came a point in 2019 - months before signing with the PFL - where he was at a "crossroads", which Loughnane describes as the most difficult time of his career.

After winning a fight against Bill Algeo, UFC president Dana White opted not to offer Loughnane a contract, leaving him without a fight organisation.

"I worked my whole life to be able to get to the UFC, and went out there and earned it, then got told it wasn't good enough, so I had to really restart and rethink again," said Loughnane.

"If I could bottle up and sell what was inside me I'd be a multi-millionaire, not just a millionaire, but I can't tell you what it is, I can't put a price on it. I'm incredibly determined, resilient and I don't give up."

A key figure in Loughnane's career, who has been there throughout his highs and lows, has been his striking coach Tony Mousah.

He says Mousah taught him to throw his very first punch.

"He's been incredibly instrumental throughout my career," added Loughnane. "You don't really get that in sport do you, someone that has been with someone from the absolute beginning. It's a special thing.

"It was really nice for me to give him this title and wrap it around his waist after everything that we've been through."

What next for Loughnane?

The first thing Loughnane bought with the $1m was a road trip down Route 66 in America.

On the journey across the US, Loughnane had a lot of thinking time to reflect on his achievements, while looking ahead to the next chapter.

Seeing himself among the best featherweights in the world, he will sit down with his team in January to decide what comes next.

"There's plenty of options on the table. I seem to be the name on everyone's lips right now," said Loughnane.

"There's loads of fights out there that I'd love. I would love to fight [UFC featherweight] Yair Rodriguez. And I'm happy that the PFL signed Shane Burgos as well - I mean, everyone wants to see that fight.

"I just want to prove how good I am. The better they are, the better I perform, so I'm really looking forward to the next one."