Tag: Sara McMann

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.

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.

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.

UFC veterans in MMA action Oct. 4-7

Check out which veterans of the UFC are competing in combat sports across the globe this weekend.

This week, the UFC returns to action with UFC Fight Night 229 in Las Vegas.

Last week, the promotion took a week off after 17 consecutive weekends with a fight card. At the UFC Apex, lightweights [autotag]Grant Dawson[/autotag] and [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag] will collide in the main event.

Elsewhere, many other combat sports events are taking place that feature a number of familiar names that have competed under the UFC banner.

Check out which veterans of the global MMA leader are competing in MMA Oct. 4-7.

Check out the names and details about their bouts below.

Upcoming event information from Tapology.

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.

Sara McMann wants Cris Cyborg Bellator featherweight title fight, but won’t wait: ‘I’m not 22, I’m 42’

Sara McMann would love to face Cris Cyborg for the Bellator featherweight title, but would rather the division move on than wait.

HONOLULU – Former UFC title challenger [autotag]Sara McMann[/autotag] has her eyes on the Bellator women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg, but won’t wait around for her return.

At Bellator 294, McMann (14-6 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) had a successful promotional debut in a featherweight victory over former title challenger Arlene Blencowe. It was a dominant display that earned a pair of 10-8 scores from the official cageside judges, as McMann cruised to a unanimous decision. It was the first time in her professional career to compete at 145 pounds, and McMann performed phenomenally.

“I can say not dehydrating absolutely made a difference,” McMann told MMA Junkie and other reporters at the post-fight news conference. “Not in my mindset, because in the third round of every fight, I’m like, ‘We gotta go.’ But when you’re hydrated, I’ll tell my body, ‘We gotta go,’ and then it just freakin’ went. So, that’s a huge difference, and to me, maybe I should have made this decision earlier, I don’t know.

“I always felt good at 135 (pounds), but now that I’m at ’45, I know that I’m strong enough to handle the difference in their weight. I just stay where I feel the best. I probably weigh 146 right now.”

Now that she has arrived in Bellator, and made a statement in her debut, McMann is ready to accomplish her championship aspirations. The current champion of the divsion is Cyborg (26-2 MMA, 5-0 BMMA), but hasn’t defended her title since defeating Blencowe a year ago.

McMann would love to challenge who she considers one of the “top 3 or top 5” female fighters of all time, but time isn’t on her side, and won’t sit around for too long hoping that dream matchup to come together.

“I think that it would be great to beat Cyborg to be the Bellator champion,” McMann said. “When I came to this division, that is what I set my heart on. That, to me, is such a worthy accomplishment, you know? I have total respect for her, and I still want to beat her. But if she’s making different decisions as far as financially or what direction, I can’t sit around and wait.

“I’m not 22, I’m 42. I’m going to fight who they put in front of me, and the division shouldn’t wait for her forever. She’s a dominant champion, but they should have a real belt after a certain period of time, and then she should have to come back and earn the belt. For me, I think of it as, ‘I’ll fight her sooner, or I’ll fight her later.'”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 294.