Tag: Leah McCourt

Bellator 300 video: Leah McCourt pounds on Sara McMann for first-round TKO win

What a heck of a way for Leah McCourt to earn the biggest win of her career at Bellator 300.

SAN DIEGO – That’s one way to pick up the biggest win of your career.

[autotag]Leah McCourt[/autotag] made a statement with her performance at Bellator 300 as she beat up former UFC title challenger [autotag]Sara McMann[/autotag] to earn a first-round TKO victory Saturday night at Pechanga Arena.

The fight got off to a fast, back-and-forth start, but once McCourt (8-3 MMA, 7-2 BMMA) secured top position late in the first round, she took full advantage of it by raining down punches on McMann (14-7 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) near the fence. With McMann trapped and barely able to defend herself, McCourt switched to some hard elbows, which prompted referee Jason Herzog to step in.

You can watch the finish in the video below:

The victory was a big rebound for McCourt, who was coming off a tough unanimous decision loss to women’s featherweight title challenger Cat Zingano in a five-round main event this past March.

It’s the first loss for McMann in Bellator after she debuted with the promotion this past April by beating former two-time title challenger Arlene Blencowe.

Up-to-the-minute Bellator 300 results include:

  • Leah McCourt def. Sara McMann via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 4:30
  • Sergio Cossio def. Jesse Roberts via submission (triangle choke) –Round 3, 4:05
  • Kai Kamaka def. Henry Corrales via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
  • Slim Trabelsi def. Davion Franklin via technical submission – Round 1, 3:09
  • Doveltdzhan Yagshimuradov def. Maciej Rozanski via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Mukhamed Berkhamov def. Herman Terrado via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Grant Neal def. Romero Cotton via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)
  • Jena Bishop vs. Ilara Joanne submission (armbar) – Round 1, 2:45
  • Josh Hokit def. Spencer Smith via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 3, 3:12

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

Sara McMann expects title shot with Leah McCourt win at Bellator 300: ‘I don’t know who else I’d have to fight’

Sara McMann thinks a win over Leah McCourt should guarantee her a Bellator title shot.

SAN DIEGO – [autotag]Sara McMann[/autotag] thinks a win over [autotag]Leah McCourt[/autotag] should guarantee her a Bellator title shot.

McMann (14-6 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) meets McCourt (7-3 MMA, 6-2 BMMA) at Saturday’s Bellator 300 event at Pechanga Arena. The main card, which features three title fights, airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

In the night’s co-headliner, featherweight champion Cris Cyborg defends her belt against Cat Zingano, and McMann wants next if she can get past McCourt.

“I would hope so,” McMann told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a pre-fight news conference Thursday. “I mean, I don’t know who else I’d have to fight. It just would seem redundant to fight whoever (loses) between Cat and Cris.”

McMann, a former UFC title challenger, defeated Arlene Blencowe in what was her promotional and featherweight debuts at Bellator 294. Based on her accolades and resume, she believes that should have been enough for a title shot.

“I would assume I’d be next in line,” McMann said. “I just don’t know what else I would have to do. I mean, coming into the promotion – not to take anything away, but I really feel like Arlene was like one of the best fighters in this promotion.

“And to fight her right out of the gates at a new weight class, I shouldn’t have to fight another fight to be a title contender because of my history in the UFC and the way that fight went. She’s really, really tough. She beats 99 percent of the girls at 145, and that was a big win for me.”

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

Leah McCourt: Sara McMann’s wrestling a concern, but handleable at Bellator 300

Ahead of Bellator 300, Leah McCourt breaks down former UFC title challenger Sara McMann and the keys to victory.

SAN DIEGO – The odds are [autotag]Sara McMann[/autotag] will try to take the fight to the ground at Bellator 300 and her opponent [autotag]Leah McCourt[/autotag] knows it.

In a shallow division, McCourt (7-3 MMA, 6-2 BMMA) has the opportunity to make her case to be next for a title shot should she defeat the former UFC title challenger and Olympian McMann (14-6 MMA, 1-0 BMMA).

“It’s an exciting style matchup,” McCourt told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a pre-fight news conference Thursday at the host hotel. “Obviously, she’s a high-level wrestler and I have a black belt in judo. It’s going to be probably into the clinch quite quickly, to see. It’s going to be a lot of scrambles. I’m used to that type of tough, grindy fight. I had it with Cat (Zingano), so it’s good to have that experience. She’s a good wrestler, as well, and I feel like I dealt with that well in my last fight, so, yeah.”

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McCourt, 31, most recently competed in March when she lost a unanimous decision to Cat Zingano at Bellator 293. Despite the defeat, McCourt said she mentally and emotionally strengthened as a result of the fight.

“We prepare correctly in camp,” McCourt said. “We train. We look a lot at my opponent and my last fight and what I need to do to improve and what areas of my game I need to always work on. It’s not really doing anything differently. We’re doing the same thing and just getting better and improving. … I don’t feel like I’ve ever really shown my true potential yet. I think it just comes down to believing in myself. I got a lot of belief from that last fight, and confidence from it. I hope to show that on Saturday.”

Should she win Saturday, McCourt has no doubt it’ll align her nicely somewhere in the vicinity of a title shot.

“Yes,” she said when asked if a title shot was on the line.

The world will find out if the prediction mirrors reality Saturday at Pechanga Arena.

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

Bellator 300 pre-event facts: Strong stats behind title-fight triple header

Check out all the facts and figures about Bellator 300, which takes place Saturday and features three championship bouts.

Perhaps the final monumental event in Bellator history takes place Saturday with Bellator 300, which goes down at Pechanga Arena in San Diego with a main card that airs on Showtime following prelims streamed on MMA Junkie.

Three championship fights will top the bill, with the lightweight, women’s featherweight and women’s flyweight belts all on the line in what the promotion is dubbing as a “triple main event.”

For more on the numbers behind each bout, as well as other notable bouts on the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts about Bellator 300.

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Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Aug. 21-27)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements 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 or Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Aug. 21-27.

Leah McCourt vs. Sara McMann joins Bellator 300 lineup

A pivotal women’s featherweight clash between Leah McCourt and Sara McMann is headed to Bellator 300.

A pivotal women’s featherweight clash is headed to Bellator 300.

[autotag]Leah McCourt[/autotag] takes on [autotag]Sara McMann[/autotag] on Oct. 7 at Pechanga Arena in San Diego. The main card will air on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie after an initial report by Severe MMA on Tuesday.

McCourt (7-3 MMA, 6-2 BMMA) will look to rebound from her unanimous decision loss to Cat Zingano at Bellator 293 in March. Prior to that, the 31-year-old picked up a decision win over Dayana Silva last October in Dublin.

McMann (14-6 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) made good in her Bellator debut when she defeated Arlene Blencowe at Bellator 294 in April – in what was also her featherweight debut. McMann has won three of her past four with the only loss in that stretch coming to former UFC bantamweight champion Julianna Peña.

With the addition, the current Bellator 300 includes:

  • Ryan Bader vs. Linton Vassell – for heavyweight title
  • Cris Cyborg vs. Cat Zingano – for featherweight title
  • Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Brent Primus – for lightweight title
  • Liz Carmouche vs. Ilima-Lei Macfarlane – for flyweight title
  • Leah McCourt vs. Sara McMann

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

Bellator 293 post-event facts: Unbeaten fighters fall on upset-heavy card

Check out all the facts and figures from Bellator 293, which featured a number of upsets, including a loss by a 16-1 favorite.

Bellator closed its March schedule Saturday with Bellator 293, which took place at Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, Calif.

The main event saw the late career success of [autotag]Daniel James[/autotag] (15-6-1 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) continue. He added to his case as a potential heavyweight contender to watch when he beat [autotag]Marcelo Golm[/autotag] (10-4 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) by third-round knockout.

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from Bellator 293.

Cat Zingano def. Leah McCourt at Bellator 293: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Cat Zingano’s unanimous decision win over Leah McCourt at Bellator 293.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Cat Zingano[/autotag]’s unanimous decision win over [autotag]Leah McCourt[/autotag] at Bellator 293 at Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, Calif. (Photos by Lucas Noonan, Bellator)

Bellator 293 salaries: Cat Zingano, Daniel James lead the pack with six-figure disclosed paydays

Check out the disclosed pay for all 30 fighters on Bellator 293, according to the California State Athletic Commission.

Thirty fighters competed Friday at Bellator 293 with [autotag]Cat Zingano[/autotag] and [autotag]Daniel James[/autotag] leading all disclosed payouts.

California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) executive director Andy Foster released a full list of fighter payouts Friday to MMA Junkie. The amounts reflect the disclosed payouts only and do not include any off-contract bonuses, sponsor payments, or discretionary bonuses.

The main event and co-main event winners were the only two fighters to pocket six-figure disclosed paydays as a result of their performances Friday. Former UFC bantamweight title challenger Zingano (14-4 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) earned $100,000 flat for her unanimous decision win over [autotag]Leah McCourt[/autotag] (7-2 MMA, 6-2 BMMA) in the co-main event. Then, main event winner James (15-6-1 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) earned to $50,000 show and a $50,000 win bonus for his victory over [autotag]Marcelo Golm[/autotag] (10-3 MMA, 1-3 BMMA).

Scroll below to see what the 30 fighters on Bellator 293 were paid – disclosed amounts only.

Bellator 293 results: Cat Zingano wins grueling decision over Leah McCourt in entertaining scrap

Cat Zingano and Leah McCourt put on one of the most entertaining, back-and-forth women’s fights of 2023 at Bellator 293.

TEMECULA, Calif. – [autotag]Cat Zingano[/autotag] and [autotag]Leah McCourt[/autotag] put on one of the most entertaining, back-and-forth female fights of 2023 on Friday night at Bellator 293, but one thing made the clear difference.

Damage.

That belonged to Zingano, who came away with a unanimous decision by scores of 29-28, 30-27, 29-28, much to the delight of the heavily supportive crowd at Pechanga Resort Casino.

The fight was full of transitional sequences on the mat. Zingano (14-4 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) and McCourt (7-3 MMA, 6-2 BMMA) each controlled and hurt the other at various points. But Zingano was more punishing, which underscored by a huge knee to McCourt’s face in the third round that caused a bloody gash on her forehead.

“I’m hard to keep on my back. I’ve heard that before,” Zingano said afterward. “She’s really tall and really strong and a lot of body. I’m not used to that, still, at this weight class. Yeah, I knew it was going to be a tussle with her, and it was going to be a lot of work. What I do know is I know how to cause damage and a lot of it. I think the damage made up for some of the transitional periods, and here we are.”

Zingano, a former UFC women’s bantamweight title challenger, now finds herself in the driver’s seat of a Bellator featherweight title shot against, presumably, Cris Cyborg, who remains champion but hasn’t re-signed with the promotion since she fought out her contract in April 2022.

“I mean, right now, it sounds like it’s a vacant belt half the time,” Zingano said.

Up-to-the-minute Bellator 293 results:

  • Cat Zingano def. Leah McCourt via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)
  • John Salter def. Aaron Jeffery via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Luke Trainer def. Sullivan Cauley via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:58
  • Rakim Cleveland def. Christian Edwards via submission (standing guillotine choke) – Round 3, 3:55
  • Mike Hamel def. Nick Browne via TKO (head kick, punches) – Round 1, 0:42
  • Adam Piccolotti def. Mandel Nallo via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 4:26
  • Sara Collins def. Pam Sorenson via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 2:43
  • Jeff Creighton def. Joey Davis via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
  • Lucas Brennan def. Josh San Diego via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:14
  • Vladimir Tokov def. Lance Gibson Jr. via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 1:02
  • Randi Field def. Ashley Cummins via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Bryce Meredith def. Brandon Carrillo via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 3:11
  • Mackenzie Stiller def. Maria Henderson via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 3:17

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 293.