Brendan Loughnane expecting “a high-level technical kickboxing match” against Marlon Moraes at PFL 1: “My pressure will be too much for him”

Brendan Loughnane was excited when he found out he would be fighting Marlon Moraes in the 2023 PFL season opener.

Loughnane is the reigning PFL featherweight champion and is back for season 2023 as he looks to repeat as champion. When Loughnane won the title last year, he said it was surreal as years of hard work had finally paid off.

“It’s indescribable, it really is,” Loughnane said on Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com. “It was the best feeling in the world, I’m so happy to finally call myself a world champion and have a very, very fat bank account.”

Once Loughnane knew he would be back in the 2023 season, he still wasn’t sure who he would be fighting in his tournament debut. But when he found it would be Marlon Moraes he was definitely excited, this despite the two having trained with one another in the past.

“I’ll fight anyone who they put in front of me,” Loughnane explained. “But it’s a good legacy name, it’s somebody I get good name value out of, so I was happy to take the challenge… Marlon came out to Thailand for two of his camps, so we kind of gelled a bit out there, Bubba was my friend as well and we fought. I can put my friendship to the side.”

Entering the PFL 1 main event, Marlon Moraes is on a five-fight losing skid and has been knocked out in all five of those losses. However, even though Moraes has lost five straight, Brendan Loughnane knows the Brazilian is still a high-level fighter and thinks it’s just a matter of him getting caught.

“He won the whole fight and just got caught,” Loughnane said. “He’s been very unlucky in his last few performances. He’s been wiping the floor with guys and then just getting caught. He’s had a tough run, but that’s just the nature of the beast we are in.”

With Loughnane knowing Moraes is still dangerous, he won’t rush anything at PFL 1. Yet, the Brit is confident his pressure will be too much, and he will finish the Brazilian.

“I think it will be a high-level technical kickboxing match. I don’t think he will be able to take me down and if he does, I will be able to get to my feet,” Loughnane concluded. “My pressure will be too much for him. I’ll be going for the finish from start to finish, you can bet your bottom dollar on that one.”

Do you think Brendan Loughnane will beat Marlon Moraes at 2023 PFL 1?