Brendan Loughnane isn’t sure why he didn’t get signed to the UFC after his win on Dana White’s Contender Series, but he doesn’t think it was just the takedown he scored with less than 10 seconds left in the fight.
Brendan Loughnane doesn’t believe his late takedown was the only reason he didn’t get a contract last week on Dana White’s Contender Series.
Loughnane, a veteran featherweight from England, put on a striking clinic against Bill Algeo on June 18, winning all three rounds. After the four-fight card wrapped up in Las Vegas, Loughnane seemed to be a favorite to receive a UFC contract. But UFC president Dana White opted against signing him, because he landed a takedown with less than 10 seconds left in the fight.
Loughnane, however, can’t wrap his head around the idea that one takedown cost him a shot in the Octagon.
“I can’t really see it, to be honest,” Loughnane told Bloody Elbow. “There has to be more to the story. Come on. There has to be more to it than just that takedown. There has to be.
“Seeing how the other guy who fought on the card took a guy down for three rounds and then got a contract, it was like, ‘Wow, I took a 10-second takedown and didn’t get one, but you signed a guy that took one for three rounds.’ It’s a bit crazy, a bit of a contradiction.”
While he was in the back with the other three winners waiting to hear his fate, Loughnane wasn’t entirely sure how things would go. But he felt he deserved it more than any of the other fighters who had their hand raised that night, and ultimately emerged surprised he left Las Vegas without a spot on the UFC roster.
“After watching the other fights that night, I feel like mine was the best fight,” Loughnane said. “And I had the toughest opponent. If you were gonna give it to anyone, I felt like I had deserved it more than the rest. But ultimately, Dana didn’t.”
White made it clear after the season 3 premiere of Contender Series that he is looking for “killers” who will put everything on the line in their fights. While Loughnane’s takedown may have put a bad taste in White’s mouth, Loughnane said he believes he still put everything on the line. There isn’t much more he could have done against Algeo—his opponent simply hung tough, he said. Sometimes the finishes just don’t come.
“If you want to give me someone that’s 3-0 to fight, I’ll show you this killer instinct that you’re talking about,” Loughnane said. “But if you give me a someone that’s a seasoned veteran like myself, then fights go like that most of the time. I felt like I had an unfair shot if you look at it from that standpoint.
“I was the most damaged after the fight, I was the most exciting fighter on the card, I felt like I showed the most variety on the card. I literally don’t know what else I could have done apart from piss blood—but I even did that.”
Loughnane added that taking Algeo down at the end of the fight was a smart move; by doing so, he avoided a come-from-behind knockout scenario like in Yair Rodriguez vs. Chan Sung Jung last year. He also wanted to show other areas of his game, as he struck for almost the entire fight.
“British people get slayed all the time for getting into the UFC and getting taken down and held,” Loughnane said. “I wanted to show how diverse my game was.”
Based on his 17-3 record – and the fact that all three of his losses were decisions, all of which took place against UFC veterans – Loughnane isn’t sure what else he has to do to earn a UFC deal.
“I’ve been ranked No. 1 in Europe in not one, but two weight classes for like six years—or at least top five,” Loughnane said. “What else do I have to do at this point?”
Loughnane believes White heavily prioritizing stoppage wins and a go-after-it style on Contender Series is a “weird narrative,” but he doesn’t blame the promotion’s president. He just wishes he knew that’s what he was looking for beforehand.
“If I was told it was a straight boxing match, standing in the pocket,” Loughane said, “I would have done that no problem.”