Conor McGregor’s Sparring Partner-PFL’s Millionaire Champ Exposes How Dana White Rejected Him Off UFC- “Indescribable Feeling”

Jan 2, 2024 | 1:13 PM EST

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When tempers flare, Dana White makes big decisions. He’s done it before and never shied away from a hit. Perhaps one of the lesser memorable occasions of him being mad was when he outright rejected Brendan Loughnane even after he secured a win at the UFC’s Contender Series.

Loughnane won, but at what cost? It all came as a surprise. There was nothing too dubious about his win, nothing too unorthodox that would catch the regular viewer’s eye. However, the UFC boss had seen enough. Now Loughnane is a PFL champion and an overnight millionaire. Here’s what he said about the infamous event from his past.

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Brendan Loughnane was beyond shocked because of Dana White

Brendan Loughnane is a brilliant fighter, and he’s proven so time and time again. He won the PFL’s featherweight title back in 2023 after beating Bubba Jenkins in a brilliant showdown. This also made him a millionaire in no time. However, it’s not all he has achieved.

Loughnane was also seen sparring with Dana White’s favorite showman, Conor McGregor. In fact, this is recent news. As McGregor prepared for his comeback in 2024, he took up Loughnane as a sparring partner in the UFC’s Dubai gym. Sadly, even though Loughnane is allowed in the gym, he’s not quite friends with Dana White.

Why? Because White wasn’t happy that Loughnane went for a last-minute takedown during his contender series fight against Bill Algeo in 2019. “Dana comes on the screen, yeah the Brendan’s good on that but I’ll tell you what you don’t do don’t ever come to my show and fight like that ever again,” Loughnane said in a recent interview about White. “‘You’re not in the UFC’ (said White).”

And the moment clearly stuck with him. “That moment there was the most indescribable feeling that I could ever like imagine”. White would also go on to urge other promotions to take Loughnane in instead because he clearly wasn’t interested. And that’s just what the PFL did. Now, the fighter can look back and laugh at it all. But he’s always up for a challenge.

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Loughnane tried Tyson Fury’s punching machine after the interview

The fighter gave the interview and was quickly shown to Tyson Fury’s punching machine. The aim? Shoot it above the 900 mark to make it to a top-three list dominated by some of the best in the business. Loughnane laughed it off as he went at it, attempt after attempt.

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However, it all came down to those last few digits. He was able to come up to 899, but that was just about it. Loughnane would later go for a brilliant kick, but it’s called a punching machine for a reason. Either way, he’s a million dollars richer with the PFL and living his best life. Perhaps the refusal from Dana White was, after all, a blessing in disguise.

Also Read: Conor McGregor Finally Confirms Opponent and Next Fight Will Be Revealed on This Exact Date