Gladiator Caolan Loughran fights in Rome for Cage Warriors title

Following his meeting with fellow undefeated prospect Dylan Hazan tonight, Caolan Loughran expects to leave Rome as Cage Warriors' bantamweight champion and begin to reap the rewards of the fight game.

Earlier in his professional career, 'The Don' was labeled a mouthpiece by many on the Irish scene due to his record being supplemented by wins over unknown opposition. However, since joining the Cage Warriors ranks, and particularly after his stoppage win over former champion Luke Shanks, he’s been heralded as one of the best prospects in Europe.

Having trained alongside the likes of celebrated UFC stars Darren Till and Tom Aspinall at Team Kaobon in Liverpool, his lifestyle appears glamorous to those peering in from the outside. Yet, to even make it this far in his career - "it’s only the beginning", as he constantly reminds himself - Loughran’s story has been one of grit and sacrifice.

In 2018, Ali Maclean, a veteran fighter who moved to Liverpool many years before, reached out to Loughran following a loss he suffered at amateur level. Team Kaobon was at the centre of the MMA world at the time with Till fighting Tyron Woodley for UFC welterweight gold.

Maclean was adamant that Loughran could round out his game under the tutelage of commonwealth wrestler and UFC featherweight Mike Grundy, as well as celebrated head coach Colin Heron.

"The gym I was in was only training two times a week, whereas I was training two times a day," Loughran recalled. "I was wrecked all the time. I’d be training in Belfast once a day, that’s up and down from Tyrone, and then I’d be in Dublin too. One week I had clocked up 880 miles training around Ireland. That was the week I got onto Ali and told him I was coming."

For the guts of a year, Loughran’s