BRENDAN LOUGHNANE dreams of bringing his Mancunian fan army to Las Vegas - much like Ricky Hatton, the boxing legend.
British legend Hatton could easily have sold out Sin City's most prestigious venues four times during his golden age.
Brendan Loughnane, Professional Fighters League star
Former two-weight world champion, now 43 years old, packed Manchester arenas the same way Anthony Crolla (35).
This is the type of fanfare Professional Fighters League featherweight Loughnane wants to see - and he would like to bring it Stateside.
SunSport spoke with Loughnane (32), who said that she has had it in the hundreds in Vegas as well as other parts of the United States.
"The goal is to reach the thousands of men who did it like them. That's the goal.
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"I'm good friends with Anthony Crolla and he used do the same at Manchester Arena. He sold out with roaring Mancunians.
"That's always the goal. Of course that's the goal. If I can achieve half of what they had, it would be a miracle."
Loughnane signed last year with PFL, and entered their winner take-all season. The winner will receive a $1million cash prize.
The PFL is MMA’s only league format. It spans over a regular season as well as play-offs.
Eight weight classes of fighters are allowed to participate in the regular season, where they will compete for the right to move on to the play-offs.
This consists of a quarter-final round and a semi-final round in three rounds. The winner advances to the championship final.
Loughnane defeated Tyler Diamond and Sheymon Moraes last season but was beaten by Movlid Khaybulaev, the eventual winner.
The Brit lost narrowly by split-decision, and he is determined to correct the mistake this time.
Loughnane stated: "Last Year I missed it by one whisker. I went with a Russian 19-0, I went into there with one hand. I was told to get out of there."
"Everyone said I should pull out, but I went ahead and gave a great account of myself.
"So, I believe this year I've already fought some of the most difficult guys PFL has to offer.
"And I'm 100 percent healthy, I don’t think anyone can beat me this year."
Loughnane will join the featherweights once again and will begin his season against Japan's Ryojikudo tomorrow Texas on Channel 4.
With only four fights in the way of his $1m life-changing check, the bouts are coming thick and fast.
Loughnane stated: "Fighting every 6 weeks brings its own challenges. It's really hard, last year it was extremely difficult to adjust to.
"I feel ready to go into this season. I'm well-prepared for it. It takes some preparation.
"I can see why most of the winners are ex-seasoned men who have done it before. It takes a lot from you."
Loughnane believes now is the right time to win the belt and the mega-bucks after coming so close to winning last season.
He said, "I feel like my body has reached its peak physical condition and is in the best shape of my athletic career at 32."
"I believe now is the right time to win the title and the million dollars."
