There are two types of competitors in every sport. One is a sour loser, while the other is a graceful fallen stallion. And recently, PFL fighter Brendan Loughane chose to be the latter. Continue reading to learn how!
Jesus Pinedo (21-6-1) defeated Loughnane (26-5) in the opening round of the main event of PFL 4 on Thursday at Overtime Elite Arena. Both Loughnane and Pinedo started the fight off hard, moving forward and looking for a place to land their strikes. However, Pinedo quickly achieved victory by remaining active and hitting a few solid right hands. Loughnane attempted to protect himself as a consequence. But it was a mistake since Pinedo sent the defending PFL champion to the ground with a stunning knee in the clinch. After Pinedo pounced on him and delivered a couple of hammer fists, Loughnane unexpectedly suffered his first stoppage loss in his professional career.
The defeat resulted in Loughnane being stopped for the first time in his professional MMA career. Furthermore, it resulted in his elimination from the playoffs.
Pinedo entered the octagon with seemingly very little potential. However, he knocked out 2022 PFL champion Loughnane with a knee to the midsection and finished him with blows. Ultimately, it received the title of one of the most dramatic losses of the year. And even though Loughnane lost the physical fight, he still has a champ mentality. He showcased this with his graceful and positive reaction to the loss.
He tweeted, “Congrats, champ. Took your opportunity and got me good. In 44 fights, that’s the first time I’ve been stopped. Warrior.”
He later tweeted again, “High-level sport is crazy. I’ll be back.”
The way he is handling the loss is commendable, considering what was at stake for him.
Loughnane just needed a victory to go to the playoffs after stopping Marlon Moraes in the first round of their first encounter. On the other hand, Pinedo required an immediate knockout. Now, Pinedo will join the featherweights Gabriel Braga, Movlid Khaybulaev, and Bubba Jenkins, Pinedo, in the postseason.
Jenkins, who defeated Sung Bin Jo in the first round of the 2023 playoffs earlier in the night, will face Pinedo in a fight. Braga, who defeated Moraes, faces Khaybulaev, who beat Tyler Diamond, on the other side of the tournament. Unfortunately, Loughnane can only try to re-capture the featherweight championship after waiting a whole year.
Will the wait do him good? Also, what was your opinion of his performance during the PFL 4 fight? Let us know in the comments.
