After scoring his first-career knockout win, Chris Wade is done playing it safe.
Wade (19-6) cinched a playoff spot when he knocked out Arman Ospanov in the second round at 2021 PFL 4 and is awaiting to see who he’ll face in the first round of this year’s playoffs.
But one fighter Wade hopes to cross paths with at the end is top seed Brendan Loughnane (21-3), who’s arguably been the promotion’s most impressive fighter yet. Loughnane made quick work of Sheymon Moraes, followed by a barnburner with Tyler Diamond, but Wade doesn’t think Loughnane would be able to outlast him.
“I’ve been third twice, and I basically was on the ropes of no longer being really welcome at lightweight, so it’s not enough to just be floating around at the top,” Wade told MMA Junkie. “It’s time to dominate people like I know that I can. It’s more for my pride and my legacy at this point. I want to get in, like, real dog fights with guys who say they’re tough. I want to have a war with the guy Brendan from the U.K.
“I see myself fighting him in the final. He talks all about how he’s ready for war and on and on. I saw his last fight; Tyler’s a tough dude, but I don’t really think Tyler tested him one time, except him getting a little tired just trying to beat the guy up, and he was still gassed and, like, almost quitting. So what’s gonna happen when I’m really putting hurt on him? It’s a five-rounder, the final, right? Let’s go. It’s time to melt people.”
In two previous PFL playoff stints, Wade didn’t reach the finals. He was eliminated in the semifinals both times, and although he made a decent amount of money, it’s no longer a consolation prize for him.
“I’m not here for $200,000 – I’m here for $1 million,” Wade said. “I’ve been there twice and that’s part of the bullsh*t that I told myself the first time when I lost to (Natan) Schulte by split decision, I was like, ‘Well, I made a lot of money this year,’ and it kind of made me content.”
He continued, “I’ve taken the money part sort of out. I’m more like chasing the belt for my legacy. That’s where I’ve refocused this. It’s not about money because when you let the money part trap you, when you fight for money – like some people do fight for money, but when you fight for money, you could get soft.”
To hear the full interview with Wade, check out the video below.
