Contracts

Beef

Biggest all-British MMA Fight Ever?

Twenty minutes away from the Manchester Arena, which hosts UFC 204 tomorrow night, Brendan Loughnane has just finished a sparring session with Ross Pearson and Lerone Murphy, as All Powers coach Tony Mousah looks on.Although he must be frustrated by not getting a spot on his hometown card, Loughnane has the conciliation of being one of the most talked about fighters on the UK scene at the moment.His social media beef with Paddy Pimblett and Cage Warriors CEO Graham Boylan has captured the attention of the masses, but the fact that the fight is unlikely to happen is clearly bothering Loughnane.The matchup would undoubtedly be one of the biggest all-British MMA fights ever. With both fighters seemingly on the cusp of UFC contracts and Pimblett's captivating manner, fans are disgruntled the negotiations for the fight have broken down.Despite being contracted to Tanko FC, the promotion was willing to let the lightweight crossover to Cage Warriors given the enormity of the occasion.According to Loughnane, the contract offer he received would have tied him to Cage Warriors, which he did not believe was part of the stipulationwhen he agreed to the fight."Paddy was out of contract when we first started talking about the fight," Loughnane explained as he sat on the edge of the matted area. "We offered him a lot of money to come and do the fight on Tanko, he refused and then he signed for Cage Warriors, which was fine. After that, I said that I would go over to Cage Warriors and fight him."I agreed to everything -- his weight, his date, and the fight was going to be at the Echo Arena."Then the contract came through and it said that if I beat Paddy Pimblett, which I would have, I would have to defend the belt three times before I could even negotiate again. The money was only a third of what I'm getting paid anyway, it didn't make sense in the first place but I was willing to do that for the fight. They were just taking the piss with the contract."Loughnane maintains that even though the offer was far from what he wanted, he still tried to compromise with Cage Warriors, but despite the evident interest in the fight, they were not willing to alter their stance with the contract."I tried to compromise and say that I would do the title fight and if I won the belt I would defend it once," Loughnane said. "Then I asked them if I signed the deal they offered would I be able to fight for Tanko as well, but they wouldn't budge on anything."Boylan's position is understandable given the risk that would come along with the bout. If Loughnane won the title from Pimblett, Cage Warriors would have hindered the surging trajectory of their biggest star.Loughnane recognized that the title may have been forcing the stumbling block in the back and forth and claims he suggested a lightweight super-fight instead."I asked to see if they would be interested in a one off super fight at 155 too. Paddy has missed weight a lot and that way he would've been able to keep his belt. That way everybody would be happy but they said no to that as well."One of the big talking points that came out of the incident was Graham Boylan's lambasting of Loughnane on Twitter. Although he is adamant that he wants the Pimblett fight more than anything in the world, Boylan's public dressing down of the Manchester fighter has left a sour taste in his mouth."It's so unprofessional for him to speak to me like that on Twitter," Loughnane said. "He was trying to get me to fight for his organization and then he started to tweet that I was on the way down. If I was that bad why would he want to sign me for four fights?"I'm at a the stage now where I really want that fight with Paddy Pimblett, but I'm not willing to sign that kind of a contract. Honestly, I don't know anyone who would."I think he just wants me to sign because he knows how close I am to getting to the UFC, and then he would make money off me if they had to sign me out of the Cage Warriors deal. This is all a business move."Even the discussion surrounding the potential fight proves how big it would be on the UK scene. Since Loughnane and Pimblett posted videos on Instagram to vent their frustration with the situation, over 70 thousand people have viewed their thoughts on the matter.The rivalry between Manchester and Liverpool adds intensity to the situation with the comments in Loughnane's video post speaking volumes as to how passionately the rival cities feel about each other."I've had hundreds of comments of people saying I'm scared to fight Paddy Pimblett," Loughnane said. "I've fought the number one pound-for pound-fighter in Europe, Tom Duquesnoy. I've fought Norman Parke, Mike Wilkinson, and Ali McClean -- why the f**k would I be afraid to fight Paddy Pimblett?"Honestly, they'd need armed police in the Echo Arena if that fight did happen. When I beat Paddy I would need a helicopter to lift me straight out of the cage and back to Manchester. It would be the only safe way to get out of there."Initially, when the potential of the bout was broached, Pimblett and Loughnane's mutual respect was evident from their exchanges on Twitter. Loughnane is clearly still fond of Pimblett, but he believes that "big wigs" have caused the friction that now exists between them.Photo Credit: Dolly Clew/ Cage Warriors"He's a cool guy. Everything was great. We were messaging each other and we were both looking forward to making this happen. It's turned nasty now for no reason and it's because of the big wigs that are involved."I know that Paddy would fight me tomorrow and he knows that I'd fight him tomorrow."Loughnane has not completely ruled out the possibility of fighting Pimblett yet, and hopes that Boylan will renegotiate a deal for what he thinks will be 'the biggest fight in UK MMA ever'."I still want the Paddy fight. I'll take a third of what I'm getting from Tanko. I'd fight Paddy for free, to be honest. Honestly, if they gave me the right contract I would do it for free because I know a win over him would be so valuable."As well as that, this is the fight that everyone wants to see and I would love to give that to the fans. I don't understand why they can't make this happen. This is the biggest fight in UK MMA ever, of course, I want to be involved in this."