London — UFC London bantamweight Caolan Loughran has a fight with Nathan Fletcher lined up this Saturday, but he waded into a bit of controversy with comments directed towards fellow Irish star Conor McGregor earlier this week.
Of course, in terms of star power, McGregor hit the peak of the sport, while Loughran is still early in his career. That didn’t stop him from labeling the former double-champ “bipolar” in an interview with the Irish Mirror however. That after McGregor blasted Bellator’s Paul Hughes as not being Irish, and turned up at the White House for a photo op with Donald Trump (McGregor is now hinting at running for President in Ireland).
In an interview with Cageside Press this week, Loughran explained his thinking behind the comments.
“I just said he’s [McGregor] bi-polar, but he is bi-polar. I actually praised him, but like five minutes into the interview, I said I just came to see him as two people,” Loughran (9-2) stated. “I see the guy I looked up to at 145 pounds, he was an inspiration to me. The guy now, I don’t really care what he says, he’s just f*cking insane. But he’s earned that there.”
“What he said about Ireland and my region and Paul [Hughes] not being Irish, f*ck that. He’s an absolute idiot for saying something like that, but he probably just went out on a limb there if I’m being honest.”
McGregor has frequently commented on Irish political and social issues online, at one point claiming the country was “at war” and fanning the flames of anti-immigration sentiments. Whether his grievances are real or imagined, the comments earned the UFC’s former double-champ a visit by the Gardai (police).
“I just see him as two different people. I just said he’s bi-polar. He definitely is bi-polar. I don’t really care,” finished Loughran.
What Caolan Loughran does care about is Nathan Fletcher, his opponent this Saturday when UFC London kicks off at the O2 Arena. “I think it’s a great match-up for me to be honest with you. If his game plan is to wrestle, I think he’ll find out pretty good – I think it’s a good fight for me. Must-win,” stated Loughran. Must win indeed. “The Don” is 1-2 under the UFC banner to date. A second win would see him stick around the promotion, but a loss could show him the door.
With that in mind, Loughran admits the fight is “huge,” one that he has to win. At the same, time, he added, “I believe I can, but I don’t take it into the cage. I just take it as me versus Nathan. What advantage is there to taking anything external into the cage?”
“It’s me versus Nathan. If I’m on, I can beat Nathan, and I can convincingly beat Nathan. So that’s what I’m thinking, but a big fight of course.” Later, Loughran would express interest in fighting three times this year, before adding a little disclaimer. “I want three, but I’m absolutely not in any way overlooking Nathan on Saturday. This is the be all and end all. There is no tomorrow after Saturday.”
Watch our full interview with UFC London’s Caolan Loughran above.
