PFL champion Brendan Loughnane open to UFC move, eyes Alexander Volkanovski fight
Wasting no time after winning PFL gold and the subsequent $1 million, Brendan Loughnane has called for an Alexander Volkanovski clash. He is setting his sights on big-name fights following his recent success.
The Brit finds himself in the form of his life inside the cage, losing just once—with that sole defeat coming by split decision—for over half a decade. His run since joining the PFL has been nothing short of sensational and now the well-rounded athlete has a championship belt and a vast amount of money to show for it.
After landing back in his home country after a wild number of months, Brendan Loughnane discussed the possibility of moving to the UFC to face some of their top talents. He admitted that he has his eye on Alexander Volkanovski:
"PFL is number two in my eyes, so number one is Alexander Volkanovski in my weight. I know Alex, we've trained together. [He's a] great fellow, we share the same wrestling coach, [he's a] lovely guy. I would love to fight him one day... Who wouldn't want to see me and Calvin Kattar, or me and 'Pantera' [Yair Rodriguez], or me and Alexander Volkanovski? There's some amazing fights out there for me... [Fighters in the PFL] they're not on my level. I need somebody that is on my level to push me."
The Northerner did fight in the UFC just once back in 2012 in a bout in which he lost to Mike Wilkinson by decision. The brawler squandered his second chance to make it to the promotion when Dana White refused to offer him a contract despite winning his Contender Series fight.
Check out what Brendan Loughnane had to say about the prospect of fighting in the UFC in the video below.
Alexander Volkanovski's featherweight dilemma
At UFC 284 next year, Alexander Volkanovski has the chance to become a simultaneous two-division champion. He will stand across the octagon from lightweight champion Islam Makhachev.
If he manages to get his hands raised on the night, questions will begin to surface on whether the Australian will in fact keep hold of both titles and attempt to defend his throne in both weight classes.
Although he has already announced his intentions to keep both belts, the pressure of having to almost constantly be in training camp will likely stunt his hopes. This has been the case for many double champions before.