Caolan Loughran preparing to put bantamweight division 'on notice' as he gears up for UFC debut

Tyrone's Caolan Loughran says he is preparing to make a statement when he makes his UFC debut this weekend in Paris.

The Kildress native will be entering the UFC octagon for the first time when he takes on Yanis Ghemmouri on Saturday.

Speaking to the Courier, the 28-year-old bantamweight says he is raring to go.

“I want to put the division on notice.” Loughran said. “I don't want to have a 50-50 fight with this guy. If I have a 50-50 fight with this kid then I'm not who I say I am.

“The guys at the top of the division are levels and levels above this guy, so if I go in and have a back and forth fight with this guy and really struggle, that's not good enough.

“So I expect that of myself. I hold myself in a high regard. The top guys should smash him, so I should smash him.

“I'm the biggest betting favourite on the card, which is really cool for my debut, and I understand that there's a lot of hype that comes with that. But I don't put any extra pressure on myself because of that, I just expect to put on a performance and show my level in this fight.”

Read the full story in this week's Tyrone Courier, also available online