Tag: Leah McCourt

Leah McCourt hopes Bellator London win truly does make her No. 1 contender to fight Cris Cyborg

Leah McCourt was lined up for a title fight against Cris Cyborg, but the PFL had other plans.

[autotag]Leah McCourt[/autotag] was reminded during Bellator Champions Series: London media day that her bout with Sara Collins is billed as a No. 1 contender fight. All she could do was roll her eyes – not literally, but you could hear it in her voice.

“Again,” McCourt said with a smirk Wednesday.

McCourt established herself as the women’s featherweight No. 1 contender last October when she finished Sara McMann by first-round TKO at Bellator 300. A few hours later that night, 145-pound champion Cris Cyborg steamrolled past Cat Zingano to retain her title. Afterward, McCourt was brought in the cage for a faceoff to make it official – or perhaps “official” (air quotes).

Because here we are almost a year later, and Cyborg is preparing to meet PFL champion Larissa Pacheco on Oct. 19 in a pay-per-view superfight as the co-main event to the “Battle of the Giants” betweem Francis Ngannou and Renan Fereira.

“Who knows what I’ll have to do?” McCourt said. “I already faced off against her. It was meant to happen so many times, so unless I’m in the cage with her, that’s when I’ll believe it’s happening.”

With the Cyborg fight still just a dream, McCourt (8-3) is focused on undefeated Collins (5-0), whom she meets Saturday in the Bellator London main event. The fight was elevated to headline the card after the middleweight title fight between Johnny Eblen and Fabian Edwards was scrapped last week.

“It’s obviously an honor, because two females are headlining the card at Wembley,” McCourt said.

When she breaks down Collins, whose five career wins include Bellator victories over Pam Sorenson and Sinead Kavanagh, McCourt believes the experience factor plays out in her favor and should give her an edge on fight night.

“I think the experience of always being thrown into the deep end, always being pushed on the card, main event definitely helps,” McCourt said. “I don’t know how she deals with pressure or how she handles it, but I definitely feel the benefit this week because it just feels like business as usual.”

McCourt continued, “She’s extremely tough. She’s shown that she can hang with different styles of fighters, but I think she’s not used to the kind of pace or pressure I bring. A lot of my fights are quite high-paced. I think it’s different to her, especially on fight night when you’re waiting around as the main event. It’s extra pressure that’ll play into my hands.”

McCourt wants nothing more than to fight for the women’s featherweight title. Assuming a victory on Saturday does, indeed, truly and officially make her the No. 1 contender, she hopes that opportunity will come against Cyborg, who’s facing a tough task in Pacheco next month.

“Ideally if I was fighting for the title, it would be against Cyborg,” McCourt said. “She’s the best of all time. She’s the biggest name. She’s fought everyone. She’s won all the belts. I just always believe there’s a way to beat anyone you’re up against. I believe my team and my training partners, we’d find a way to win.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator Champions Series: London.

Bellator Champions Series: London loses Johnny Eblen vs. Fabian Edwards title-fight headliner

Bellator Championship Series: London event will be without a title fight as Leah McCourt vs. Sara Collins becomes the new headliner.

Bellator Champions Series: London has lost its main event.

The middleweight championship rematch between [autotag]Johnny Eblen[/autotag] and [autotag]Fabian Edwards[/autotag] has been removed from the card, the promotion announced Tuesday. No reason was given for the cancellation. A new date for Eblen (15-0) vs. Edwards (13-3) is expected to be announced in the coming days.

With the removal, the women’s featherweight bout pitting [autotag]Leah McCourt[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Sara Collins[/autotag], which was set as the co-main event, has been elevated to top billing.

BCS: London takes place Sept. 14 at OVO Arena in London, England.

McCourt (8-3) looks to build off her win over former UFC title challenger Sara McMann back in October. Meanwhile, Collins (5-0), who also hasn’t fought since 2023, is in search of her third Bellator win.

With the cancellation, here’s the BCS: London lineup:

MAIN CARD (Max, noon ET)

  • Leah McCourt vs. Sara Collins
  • Simeon Powell vs. Rafael Xavier
  • Luke Trainer vs. Laurynas Urbonavicius
  • Marc Diakiese vs. Tim Wilde
  • Archie Colgan vs. Manoel Sousa
  • Eslam Abdel Baset vs. Mike Shipman
  • Steven Hill vs. Joseph Luciano
  • Ciaran Clarke vs. Zebenzui Ruiz
  • Dmytri Hrytsenko vs. Darragh Kelly
  • Eman Almudhaf vs. Daiane Da Silva

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator Champions Series: London.

Leah McCourt’s muscle ‘ripped from the bone’, causes ‘devastating’ Bellator Champions Series withdrawal

One of the best MMA fighters in Northern Ireland’s history is devastated she will no longer be competing in Belfast.

[autotag]Leah McCourt[/autotag] waited patiently for PFL’s acquisition of Bellator to get rebooked, and now she’ll unfortunately have to wait even longer to step back into the cage.

Tuesday, McCourt (8-3) confirmed on social media that she is off the Bellator Champions Series event March 22 in Belfast, Northern Ireland due to multiple injuries. The cancellation was first reported by Severe MMA.

McCourt was expected to face Sinead Kavanagh (9-6) in a featherweight rematch.

“Devastated to have to write this and let you know during a sparring accident I sustained a broken rib & torn oblique,” McCourt wrote. “I cannot get medically cleared to fight nor could I physically be able to fight in Belfast. This may require surgery and will know more in the next few weeks. The muscle has been ripped from the bone and the pain is excruciating. When I didn’t get the title fight I was asked what fight I wanted it was this so especially disappointed.”

Adding insult to injury, McCourt is a Belfast native. Premier MMA organizations seldom grace her home country with live events, so McCourt had intended to make it a career highlight.

“I don’t understand the heartbreak and pain of circumstances of everything that’s happened so far this year but I trust God’s plan that all these things are part of something big and better ahead. I have fought with torn ligaments, Blown out knees … everything and this the first time an injury has been too serious to be able to fight as I warned the break could puncture an organ if I don’t do as surgeon has requested and have total rest. I will do everything I can to return as soon as possible.

“… After fighting around the world in so many amazing cities all I ever wanted to do was have the chance to fight in Belfast so this is especially devastating.”

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McCourt, 31, was aligned for a title shot against Bellator women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg. The two fighters even had an in-cage square-off at Bellator 299 in September.

Following the merger, however, McCourt was booked vs. Kavanagh instead, as the PFL-Bellator regime and Cyborg’s team work to get on the same page.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator Champions Series: Belfast.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC, PFL, Bellator fights announced in the past week (Feb. 5-11)

Check out the UFC, PFL, and Bellator fights that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC, PFL, and Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Feb. 5-11.

Conor McGregor, Irish MMA community rally around pro fighter Ryan Curtis after severe spinal injury

A GoFundMe has been launched as flyweight Ryan Curtis has no movement in his arms and legs after an injury in training.

The Irish MMA community is coming together to rally around one of its own, in need of great medical and financial assistance.

Pro flyweight [autotag]Ryan Curtis[/autotag] recently suffered a broken back, broken neck, and dislocated spine in training and has lost the use of his arms and legs, according to a GoFundMe account set up in his name.

“The road ahead is unknown and will involve at least 5 months of him in hospital, followed by a further period of time with a specialist spinal team,” a statement on the fundraiser page reads. “There is no exact end date to when this treatment will be complete.

“… Understandably he is distressed at present, we have limited access to see him. He is in ICU and hopefully being moved to spinal ward when conditions improve. He is still showing his positive outlook, his determination and mindset to overcome yet another challenge that life has presented.”

Curtis, 31, is a 10-fight veteran, including appearances in Bellator, Brave CF and Cage Warriors.

Curtis’s accident caught the attention of many in the small, yet tight-knit and powerful Irish MMA community with stars like former UFC champion [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag], SBG Ireland head coach John Kavanagh and top Bellator featherweight [autotag]Leah McCourt[/autotag] spreading awareness for donations on social media.

McGregor is listed as having donated $25,000. Bellator executive Mike Kogan donated $1,500 and Dillon Danis and boxer Michael Conlan each are listed for $1,000 donations. At the time of initial publication of this story, the fundraiser was about 90 percent toward its $100,000 goal.

“Ryan will be out of work for the foreseeable future and we are trying to take any additional load or stress of Ryan’s family and daughter by creating a page to raise some funds to help towards rehabilitation, vital treatment, recovery and supporting his family,” the fundraiser page says.

Scroll below to see the messages of support for Curtis.

Leah McCourt hopes PFL acquisition doesn’t throw monkey wrench into Bellator title shot vs. Cris Cyborg

Before PFL purchased Bellator, Leah McCourt and Cris Cyborg squared off in the cage as the next title fight.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Leah McCourt[/autotag] was all squared away to finally get a crack at Bellator gold after years and years of grinding. She even had a faceoff with champion [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] in the cage earlier in the year.

However, as things sit in December, with the recent PFL acquisition of Bellator, McCourt (8-3 MMA, 7-2 BMMA) is uncertain what her next bout will be.

PFL has announced plans to have Bellator champions go head-to-head with 2023 PFL champions in an event in early 2024. This would mean McCourt would either have to sit out and wait for Cyborg (27-2 MMA, 6-1 BMMA), or take another fight in the meantime.

“We haven’t been told too much, I don’t think. The acquisition has only just happened. There’s not a lot of plans in place, which is definitely frustrating for the current Bellator roster. I am a little bit frustrated. I feel like I deserve the Cyborg fight next. I’m the No. 1 contender. But other names have been mentioned next. We’ll see what’s next.

“… For me, I’ve been fighting for 10 years. I’ve worked toward the biggest fight of my life, which is against Cris Cyborg. She’s not going to be around for a long time. I feel like I deserve that fight and that’s what should’ve been for me next. I’ve faced off against her in the cage. It’s out of my control. I’ve done what I need to do to get here. I just need to wait and see what they decide.”

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Bellator 300 gains: What all 32 fighters weighed on fight night

Find out how much weight all 32 fighters at Bellator 300 gained from the Friday morning official weigh-ins to Saturday night fights.

In California, fighters have their weights checked on the day of competition – not just when they have to hit their marks on the scale.

In 2017, the California State Athletic Commission put a plan in place to try to cut back on excessive weight cutting. Within those rules was a cap on how much a fighter could gain from the official weigh-ins to the fight.

If a fighter gained more than 10 percent back before the bout, the commission then could make a recommendation that he or she move to a higher weight class. If a fighter gained more than 15 percent, the commission had plans in place to potentially cancel fights.

At Bellator 300, which took place this past Saturday in San Diego, 14 of the 32 fighters on the card gained more than 10 percent of their weight back. Three of those 14 exceeded the 15 percent threshold. MMA Junkie obtained a list of fight-night weights Monday from the CSAC.

Check out the weight gains and percentages for all 32 fighters on the card at Pechanga Arena.

Pressure fueled Leah McCourt’s statement win over Sara McMann at Bellator 300

Leah McCourt knew she had to make a statement at Bellator 300, which she did with a dominant performance – and now she gets a shot at Cris Cyborg’s title.

SAN DIEGO – [autotag]Leah McCourt[/autotag] is getting her wish.

McCourt will challenge women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg next – and that’s because she took care of business by finishing Sara McMann with vicious ground-and-pound in the first round of their bout this past Saturday at Bellator 300.

Shortly after McCourt’s victory, Cyborg retained her title with a beatdown of Cat Zingano. Following the first-round TKO, McCourt (8-3 MMA, 7-2 BMMA) stepped back in the cage to face off with Cyborg.

Coming off a tough loss to Zingano this past March, McCourt looked impressive against McMann, which is just what she was aiming for.

“After my last fight, I just knew I had to come and get a big win, make a statement, and I’m just finally glad I was able to do that,” McCourt told reporters, including MMA Junkie, backstage at Pechanga Arena. “… I think it was because a lot of people felt I won that last fight, and the female featherweight title fight was tonight. I had kind of a chip on my shoulder. It should’ve been me fighting (Cyborg for the title). I did have pressure, but I think I finally believed in myself.”

McCourt explained that while she felt pressure to perform at a high level in hopes of earning a title shot, pressure just comes with the territory every time she steps in the cage given her situation.

“Every fight is a lot,” McCourt said. “It’s a lot of pressure and expectation from me, and I have to juggle being a mom. I have to leave my daughter for months on end and do two flights a week to get to camp. I just don’t want to let people down – my team down, my family down, my daughter down. I think that’s the biggest thing. I just want to come out here and make them proud.”

With the biggest win of her career behind her, McCourt will face an even bigger challenge in Cyborg, who’s looked all but unstoppable since joining Bellator in January 2020. No question, beating Cyborg might feel like an insurmountable task, but McCourt is confident she and her team can shock the MMA world.

“We’ll come up with a correct formula to win that fight,” McCourt said. “I don’t see why not. Anybody can be beaten. If we just prepare correctly, we can do it.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 300.

Bellator 300 post-event facts: Cris Cyborg upgrades already legendary resume

Check out all the facts and figures from Bellator 300, which saw Usman Nurmagomedov, Cris Cyborg and Liz Carmouche exit as champs.

The landmark Bellator 300 event took place Saturday at Pechanga Arena in San Diego, and all three champions who entered the event left with the belts around their waists.

[autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (18-0 MMA, 7-0 BMMA) retained his lightweight belt in the main event and advanced to the grand prix final, [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag]’s (27-2 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) continued her dominant legacy to retain women’s featherweight gold in the co-headliner, and women’s flyweight champion [autotag]Liz Carmouche[/autotag]’s (20-7 MMA, 7-0 BMMA) scored a stoppage in the main card opener.

For more on the numbers to come out of the event, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from Bellator 300.