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Greg Loughran Fired Up For Berto
21 Feb 2010
By Dean Parr
On April 3rd, Northern Ireland's Greg Loughran (21-12) will take on the dangerous Edson Berto (15-8-1) on Art of Fighting's 'Pay Day' bill. Loughran can't wait to get in the cage.
"I'm really excited for this," he beamed. "I love getting away from home and training with different people, and I've also made a lot of good friends in Orlando and Gracie Barra."
While he is evidently looking forward to it, he did admit that his fight will be no walkover. "Edson is a tough opponent, and he's fought some of the top guys in the world," Loughran reasoned. "He comes from a good boxing and wrestling pedigree. Every fighter has their weaknesses though; it's all about being able to sit down and watch footage to see those weaknesses and exploit them."
So how does the veteran think the fight will go? "I don't like making predictions, but I want to do myself justice this time," declared Greg. "My last two performances have been poor."
Indeed, it could be argued that Loughran is being harsh on himself here. After all, his least two fights were against Eddie Alvarez, who is scheduled to face Josh Neer in the coming months, and Bellator veteran Eric Reynolds. Furthermore, it should be said that Greg has faced some of the best Britain has to offer in MMA, registering wins over the likes of Rob Sinclair and Andre Winner.
"To be honest, I don't think I got the recognition I deserved [for his work on the Brit scene]," said the Ballyronan fighter. Whether it's because I'm not loud, I don't know? I had worked myself to number four in the UK rankings, and the guys above me were signed up. I'm getting the right fights now though, and getting the opportunity to put my name out there."
After being in the cage with such a comprehensive list of names, Loughran has a clear idea of who the best he's been in with is. "The best fighter I've fought has to be Eddie Alvarez because of him being ranked third in the world alone," he admitted. "If you make one mistake against a guy like that it's over!"
Supposing he wins his upcoming bout, Greg would like to have a crack at life as a 170 pounder. He asserted, "I'm honestly not looking beyond this fight for now, but maybe I'd like to have a crack at one or two welterweight fights to see if I could hold my own at that weight."
To finish up, Loughran had some appreciative 'thank-yous' to make. "I'd just like to thank yourselves for the interview," he started, "Tommy Gleeson, Ian Dean and Warrior Promotions for getting me this fight, my sponsor back home which is Patrick Scullion of Oakleaf Contracts, my coach David Patterson and my friends Rodney Moore and Liam Shannon for all their help with my training. Thanks a lot!"
For more info on this show, visit http://www.artoffighting.tv
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