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EXCLUSIVE | Caolan Loughran talks Cage Warriors 154, UFC future and PFL offer
There are few fighters brimming with the level of confidence found in Caolan Loughran. The Co. Tyrone native is set for his first crack at the Cage Warriors bantamweight championship after just eight pro fights, but there are no doubts in his mind that this opportunity has come at the right time.
Speaking on the subject, Loughran said, “I knew after my last fight. I knew going into it that the consensus was that the winner was getting a title shot. Floyd Mayweather always used to say that everything is about timing and that’s one thing that my coach is very aware of. He’s not just a martial arts instructor; he’s been in the fight game for forty-odd years.
“I could’ve signed with Cage Warriors in the middle of COVID,” he continued. “I genuienly believe that if I had’ve signed with Cage Warriors around the same time that Ian [Machado-Garry] was going through, it would’ve been exactly the same as it’s been. I would’ve run through it. I would’ve been the Cage Warriors champion two years ago. I would’ve been in the UFC by now. I thought that COVID was fucking me, but it wasn’t. It was the best thing ever, because now – at this age, with how physically strong I am, with where my skills are at, with the amount of pro fights that I’ve had now – it just feels like the right time to win a Cage Warriors title.”
The journey to Rome will see Loughran take on Dylan Hazan, an Italian grappler boasting a 9-0 record coming into the bout. For as much praise as Loughran has for his adversary, however, he feels that he has Hazan figured out already.
“I know exactly what he does. He fights the same way every single time. He’s an elite-level wrestler that’s been competing in wrestler and judo since he was like ten years of age. Wrestled internationally for Italy in the Greco-Roman style in the junior champioships. He’s really, really high level and really, really accomplished outside of MMA. He’s come into MMA and he’s kind of ragdolled everybody. He kinda fights with a set pattern. He’s only got one way of fighting. He’s absolutely dogshit at everything else, but no one’s been even remotely close enough to deviate him from what he’s good at. That’s the challenge: taking him away from his ABCs because he’s fucking good at them.”
“I’m too strong for his style,” said Loughran. “My hips are too good. I’m too well-coached, too well-trained to beat wrestlers […] I think he is, by far, the toughest fight in the division. But I’m gonna make him look very amateur.”
When I posed the question of bringing a Cage Warriors title defense to Dublin at the end of the year, Loughran made it clear that he is bound for the UFC, with a win. In fact, he’s been turning down offers from rival organisations.
“I have no intention of being anywhere near Cage Warriors by December. No way. Not in a million years. They’re an unbelieveable promotion. They’ve been so good to me. They’ve changed my whole career. The PFL tried to buy me out of a contract in January. They offered me a lot of big dough, but it never crossed my mind, because my goal has been this: win a Cage Warriors title and then sign with the UFC. That’s been the goal for ten years. That’s what I’m gonna do.
“I firmly believe that the way in which I’ve been doing it – I’ve said this in interviews before; I’ve literally been going around patting my opponents heads in the cage. I’ve been playing with them. I’ve been literally fucking playing with them – and the way I talk, the way I create hype around myself; I think the UFC are gonna jump in. Maybe a Contender Series fight. I need to talk it over with Colin Heron because I know [Contender Series] can fuck people over contractually sometimes, but I’d do it. I’d back myself to finish anyone.”
With fighters from all sides of the island of Ireland continuing to steal headlines and taking charge in leading promotions, I asked Caolan about whether he not we were in the midst of a second coming of ‘The Takeover’. He feels that Irish fighters are on the cusp of a truly blossoming, but there’s still work to be done at the highest level.
“I think people in Ireland need to slow it down. They’re saying that Irish MMA is booming and Irish MMA is flying, but I think we’re on the precipice of big things. We’ve got one guy who’s actually active in the UFC at the minute, that’s Ian [Machado-Garry]. So, how ‘flying’ are we? Look at Georgia: there’s a Georgian population of one or two million people, something like that. They’ve got like eight guys that are all flying. That wee Merab [Dvalishvili] cunt is flying. [Ilia] Topuria is flying. Giga Chikadze, [Guram] Kutateladze – these boys are all flying.
“We’ve only really got Ian [Machado-Garry]. Obviously, Conor [McGregor] is coming back. I expect Paul [Hughes] to be signed very soon. I expect me to be signed very soon. Rhys [McKee] is a Cage Warriors champion. If he beats ‘Judo Jimmy’ [Wallhead], I expect him to probably get a contract. We’re close, I think. But I think people in Ireland are getting a wee bit ahead of themselves over what’s happening at the minute. What are regional titles, at the end of the day? It’s about what’s happening at the top. By the end of this year, I think it’s gonna be in a very good position. It’s very exciting to be a part of it.”
Loughran’s fight against Dylan Hazan for the Cage Warriors bantamweight title goes down on May 6th. A win would make him the tenth man from Ireland to hold a belt in the promotion, including reigning champs Rhys McKee and Paul Hughes.
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Are you excited for Cage Warriors 153? Do you want to see Loughran in the UFC at the end of the year? Let us know in the comments!
It seems Alex Pereira is on a lot of minds of late. His former nemesis ‘Stylebender’ Israel Adesanya has been speaking about him this week and, rather surprisingly, heaped praise on the Brazilian.
The pair have shared an intense rivalry throughout their respective kickboxing and mixed martial arts careers, with Pereira beating Adesanya three times before ‘The Last Stylebender’ finally got the edge over ‘Poatan’ in their last meeting a year ago.
Pereira won their first meeting in the kickboxing ring by decision back in 2016 and then knocked out Adesanya in a rematch eleven months later.
He then finished Adesanya in the fifth round at UFC 281 to claim the middleweight title in only his sixth professional MMA bout, before Adesanya reclaimed the belt a few months later with a devastating right hook.
Adesanya went on to lose the belt to Sean Strickland and has since been on a self imposed sabbatical from the sport. He was an interested spectator as Pereira moved up to the light heavyweight division, before winning and then defending the belt in that division too.
Speaking with former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson on his YouTube channel this week, Adesanya had nothing but praise for Pereira, and insists the Brazilian brings out the best in him:
“He’s a special fighter” said Adesanya. “He’s a special human being. What he’s done in this game, in fighting, and for his life as well, I’ll always respect him. I’m grateful for those moments because, for me, it taught me so much about myself and where I can go”.
Despite losing the first three fights in their series, Adesanya insists the fights were closer than that record suggests:
“First fight in China, I thought I won. These casuals don’t. These plebs don’t. I thought I won. Even he thought I won until he got his hand raised. Second fight, I’m beating his ass and he gets me. Again in New Your (UFC 281) I’m beating him. Rocked him, took him down, held him down, beat him and he gets me…I just knew that I can beat this guy”.
With Adesanya rumoured to be coming back to challenge Dricus Du Plessis for the 185lb title, and Alex Pereira seemingly looking upwards toward the heavyweight division for his next challenge, it seems the pair are out of each other’s crosshairs…for now at least.
Despite being just two weeks removed from his defeat to Alex Pereira in the main event at UFC 300, Jamahal Hill is climbing straight back on the horse and already has his next fight lined up. ‘Sweet Dreams’ is scheduled to face Khalil Roundtree Jr at UFC 303 on June 29th.
The card will be headlined by the long-awaited return of ‘The Notorious’ Conor McGregor, and Hill has elected to step straight back into fight camp rather than sit on the sidelines and recover from the devastating first round knockout he suffered at the hands of Pereira.
Rountree will be coming into this bout on a five-fight winning streak and has finished seven of his 9 UFC victories by knockout. Sitting at #8 in the UFC’s light heavyweight rankings, Rountree will surely see a victory over a former champion like Hill as a short cut to a title shot.
Given that Hill will likely have received a 60-day medical suspension from the Nevada State Athletic Commission, and there are only 77 days separating UFCs 300 and 303, there are certainly questions to be raised about the decision of Hill and his team to take this fight.
Hill explained in an interview with The Schmo that he sees the proximity of the two fights being a positive for his physical preparations, and that he is focused on avenging the loss to Pereira:
“I’m already in good shape” he explained. “I’m feeling good, heading into another camp just makes sense, I get to go into a camp in shape instead of going into camp off a layoff so I think that’ll be a huge plus and will help me go out and put on the performance I need to against Khalil Rountree to put myself back in position to get that Alex Pereira fight back.
“It’s about getting back to that fight, I want to fight Alex again just because of the narrative surrounding it ”
Hill originally won the 205lb title after defeating Pereira’s coach Glover Teixeira over five rounds at UFC 283 in January of 2023. He then ruptured his Achilles tendon last July and vacated the belt which Pereira won by beating Jiri Prochazka at UFC 295 in November.
After much deliberation, striking veterans Liam Harrison and Seksan Or Kwanmuang have finally found a date for their highly anticipated clash.
The pair will meet in a 140-pound catchweight Muay Thai contest when ONE Championship returns to the U.S. for ONE 168: Denver on Saturday, 7th September.
The event inside Denver, Colorado’s Ball Arena is already stacking up to be one of the biggest cards of the year for the world’s largest martial arts organization, and the addition of this matchup will only increase the hype among martial arts fans.
Harrison has been on the sidelines for some time now. He suffered a worrying knee injury when he challenged former ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Nong-O Hama for the gold at ONE on Prime Video 1 in August 2022, and he had to overcome further complications before thinking about a return to action.
The British striking legend will have a chance to shake off the cobwebs before colliding with Seksan, however, as he is scheduled to make his way back to ONE for a battle with Katsuki Kitano at ONE 167: Stamp vs. Zamboanga on 8th June.
“Hitman” will need all the preparation he can get for his match with Seksan. The former Rajadamnern Stadium and WBC Muay Thai World Champion has built a fearsome reputation in ONE Championship over the last 15 months, given that he amassed eight consecutive wins after his debut last January.
Seksan appeared unstoppable in the promotion until he met Japanese star Yutaro Asashi at ONE Friday Fights 58 earlier this month.
After three thrilling rounds of Muay Thai, the Thai veteran fell to a unanimous decision loss, which means he’ll be charged up for a triumphant return to form against Harrison.
And with “Hitman” keen to find his way back to the top in ONE, their clash in Denver on 7th September is all but guaranteed to be a barnburner.
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