Brendan Loughnane Explains Love for PFL Season Format, Cutting Weight

Brendan Loughnane is one who embraces the grind of the Professional Fighters League season.

The format isn’t for everyone, but the 34-year-old Manchester native keeps coming back. He’ll begin his fourth season with the promotion when he faces Pedro Carvalho at PFL 3 on Friday night at Wintrust Arena in Chicago.

“I am a fighter to my core,” Loughnane said during a PFL media event on Wednesday. “I love fighting. I love cutting weight. I love, I love training. I love competition. iIt's what gets me up in the morning — it's the spark, and that means more to me than money or any belt.

“[It] gives me purpose, and I absolutely love this s—t. I choose to do this. I made some good investments, now got a belt [but] I am choosing to be here and still fight the best guys in the world in the hardest tournament in the world because I love it.”

One thing that stands out among Loughnane’s comments is his enjoyment of cutting weight, a process that is typically dreaded by professional fighters. For Loughnane, it’s a matter of perspective.

“I actually do love cutting weight. I'm gonna tell you why: Because when I get close to a fight and the food and the water gets taken away and everything, it makes you double hungry, double focused,” he said. “ I feel like when you get to this close and all your calories go down and stuff and you know there's other people in the world who don't have food to hand all the time, you get a little feeling of what it's like to be hungry, and you're like, what the hell is going on? I know I know maybe I'm a bit lost in the head with it, but I do enjoy it.”

After winning a PFL title at featherweight in 2022, Loughnane’s 2023 season ended in suprising fashion when he was knocked out by eventual winner Jesus Pinedo. It doesn’t currently appear that Loughnane will get to avenge that defeat, because Pinedo is not part of the 145-pound field this year. Pinedo was supposed to face Patricio Freire at the PFL vs. Bellator event in February before withdrawing from the card.

“I was wondering what actually happened with that,” Loughnane said of Pinedo. “I was like, you know, he's supposed to fight in Saudi, then something happened and then I thought [he’d] be in a regular season. I mean, I think the only guy to actually go through with it all was Impa [Kasanganay]. Impa won the season, did Saudi and now he's back in the season. It's gangster, it is really gangster what Impa's doing because it ain't easy to fight straight after the season and back in it. And that means he's having to fight in a regular season. You're talking five or six competitions a year. It's absolutely insane.

“So I don't blame Jesus Pinedo for running off to Peru with a million dollars. Like, who cares? Like, well done lad. He's probably worth about 25 million over there, [isn’t he?]”

Because Loughnane enjoys all aspects of what he does, it makes it easier to maintain a positive attitude.

“This is the life I choose. I choose to fight people. I choose to train. If you don't like it, go and get a job elsewhere,” he said. “I'm sure there's other things that people can do. What is the point in being negative? Yeah, I've got to go and cut weight today, but guess what? I'm going to get paid and I'm going to get to do what I love and paint a picture. I think as myself as an artist and on Friday night I get to paint another canvas.

“Sometimes it goes your way, sometimes it doesn't. I've had enough fights now. Now I’m like I say, the most experienced in my division. So I'm looking forward to just getting in there and having fun. I enjoy fighting. I like it. I like the ups and downs the struggles and everything that comes with it.”