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Conor McGregor knows a thing or two about knockouts, so it comes as no surprise that he lent his assistance to former PFL featherweight champion Brendan Loughnane. The Englishman was riding the wave of a five-fight win streak but suffered a stunning first-round knockout to Jesus Pinedo.
The loss was crushing, marking just the fifth time Loughnane has lost in 32 professional fights. However, Loughnane was able to determine the state of his chin based on a sparring session with McGregor, where the legendary Irishman's blows helped him realize he was fine enough to take a shot. Speaking in an interview with The Allstar, Loughnane said:
"I took my sign. That was my sign to take some time off. Took the adequate time off for somebody that's been knocked out. And then obviously, I got a call off Conor McGregor, 'Do you want to spar?' And I was like, 'Okay, well, I guess I'm back training again,' and we started sparring, took a few backhands off Conor McGregor, and I thought, 'Okay, the chin's alright then.'"
Check out Brendan Loughlnane talk about the pair's sparring session (11:21):
McGregor has been engaged in several sparring sessions ever since his recovery from his broken leg. Unfortunately, he is yet to make his octagon return, despite expressing his willingness to fight on multiple occasions. During this time, he took the opportunity to help other fighters, while also using them to get back into fight shape.
It is worth noting that despite their sparring session together, Loughnane and McGregor are not teammates. The Englishman trains at Manchester Predators, while McGregor trains at Straight Blast Gym Ireland.
Conor McGregor was previously rumored to headline UFC 300
Before UFC CEO Dana White completely dismissed the idea, MMA fans were expecting Conor McGregor to headline UFC 300. After all, it is the promotion's marquee pay-per-view of the year and a sensible option for the Irishman's octagon return.
However, despite fan expectations and McGregor's own interest in fighting at UFC 300, be it against Michael Chandler or Nate Diaz in a trilogy bout, his return was pushed back and is now expected to take place during the summer at an unspecified event.
