UFC star Caolan Loughran on online abuse: 'There will always be some d***head giving you s***'

Caolan Loughran takes a philosophical approach when it comes to people giving him abuse on social media. For the Tyrone UFC star, it is 'part and parcel' of life as an elite fighter.

"If you are tearing into me, then you are leaving someone else alone. That's how I look at it," he smiles.

Loughran went from blasting everyone out of sight in the amateurs to claiming the Cage Warriors bantamweight title.

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He made the high-profile switch to the UFC last year, but his debut ended in defeat in Paris following a late change in opponent and other "variables" during the fight week.

Loughran accepts he probably teed himself up for some abuse following that loss after "bigging myself up".

But the 27-year-old puts it all down to experience at this fledgling stage of his UFC career.

He told Belfast Live: "I am big into stoic philosophy, and it talks about external factors being out of your control. It is part and parcel of the game.

"It is a fickle, fickle business. I went from winning amateur titles to never losing a professional round in Cage Warriors, and just receiving praise upon praise.

"Then I took a loss on my UFC debut, and I had bigged myself up in Paris. But if you are tearing into me, then you are leaving someone else alone.

"I can take it. It is part and parcel of the sport. Even one of my favourite fighters of all time, Alexander Volkanovski, is taking heat after the career he has had. people are mocking him.

"If you are in this game, you just have to accept that you will never please everyone. It will never just be positive feedback.

"No matter what you do there will always be some d***head giving you s***."

Loughran got his UFC account up and running at the second attempt last month in Atlantic City. He claimed an impressive unanimous points win over Angel Pacheco at Boardwalk Hall.

The trademark swagger was on show on his American debut, an in-built belief Loughran says he has harnessed since he was a boy.

"Fighting has been my thing. As an amateur I remember fighting in the Ulster Hall and the BBC did a feature on me," he said.

"That had never happened before then. The BBC covered the fight and it was nuts inside the Ulster Hall that night. Fighting is my thing, I love to do it.

"It is just something I have had since I was young. I am just good at fighting, lad. Since I came into MMA I just got good at it pretty quickly. I was getting opponents with 10 years' experience to tap out and submit.

"I was a novice at the time, but then I got good at it. And I became obsessed with it. And the more success you have in the gym, your confidence grows inside and outside the cage.

"I started MMA at 16, and from 15 to 17 I was probably two completely different lads. It changes you. And then you start competing in fights, and it's the same with my little brother As kids, we were talking a big game but winning fights.

"We were getting thrown in with grown men, and now when we fight other grown men, it isn't a big deal. You are used to it."

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