By now we should all be familiar with Dana White's controversial decision to deny Brendan Loughnane a UFC contract. Loughnane (19-3) is widely regarded as one of the best talents to come out of the UK MMA scene and has built up an impressive 5-fight-win-streak since his last loss to UFC vet Pat Healy at ACB 65.
When Loughnane got the call to fight on DWTNCS back in June 2019 against Bill Algeo (then 12-3) many of us fans believed it was the Englishman's time to shine. Following an impressive 3 round performance, Loughnane emerged victorious via unanimous decision and many presumed he had clearly done enough to earn his shot in the UFC. However, the Brit's decision to secure a takedown in the last 10 seconds didn't go down too well with Dana White. Not only did White express his displeasure in Loughnane's gameplan, he decided to not offer a contract to the UK star and even told ESPN "If I'm wrong, he's a free agent. Somebody else can pick him up...".
Over a year has passed since Loughnane's rejection and he's positively bounced back by signing a contract with PFL and picking up back-to-back wins in his last two fights. I'm happy for Brendan Loughnane, and I hope he continues to represent the UK by putting on more great performances. The kick in the teeth for Loughnane came when the man he dominated in front of Dana White, Bill Algeo (13-4), was drafted in as a replacement for the injured Ryan Hall to face Ricardo Lamas at UFC Fight Night 175. Surely Bill Algeo must have secured a few back-to-back finishes to earn his shot at the big time? Right? Wrong. In fact, Algeo picked up a Decision victory at CFFC 83 a little over two weeks ago.
I have nothing against Bill Algeo, and although I do think he'll have his work cut out against the more experienced Lamas, I wish him all the best. I just can't help thinking Dana White and the UFC let a huge talent in Brendan Loughnane slip through their fingers. Hopefully 30-year-old Loughnane continues to string wins together and we can see him fight in the UFC before it's too late.
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