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!