Bellator London adds Leah McCourt vs Janay Harding

Leah McCourt working for mount on Judith Ruis | Bellator MMA/Lee Hamilton-Cooper

McCourt is making a quick turnaround after her victory in Dublin to take on Harding as part of the main card at SSE Arena, Wembley. Leah McCourt’s wish of co…

Leah McCourt working for mount on Judith Ruis | Bellator MMA/Lee Hamilton-Cooper

McCourt is making a quick turnaround after her victory in Dublin to take on Harding as part of the main card at SSE Arena, Wembley.

Leah McCourt’s wish of competing in London after her recent victory has been granted.

She is scheduled to return to the Bellator cage less than three months since she last fought and will be taking on New Zealand born, Janay Harding. The promotion announced the booking in a press release on Friday morning. Bellator London takes place on Saturday, May 16 and will be aired live on Channel 5 in the UK, whereas viewers in the US will be able to watch on Bellator MMA’s YouTube channel.

McCourt (4-1) is an IMMAF world champion and has been one of the major beneficiaries of Bellator’s push into the European market. She is riding a four-fight winning streak and is fresh from a unanimous decision victory over Judith Ruis in the most high-profile spot of her career so far. The SBG Charlestown product works under head coach, Owen Roddy, and is beginning to make mainstream headlines over in Ireland.

Harding (5-4) suffered a loss in her last outing at the hands of hard-hitting featherweight, Amanda Bell, so will be looking to get back into the win column. She is based in Australia and this upcoming bout will see her compete in Bellator for the fifth time. The 25-year-old owns a victory over fellow SBG member, Sinead Kavanagh, and has finished 4 of her 5 victories due to strikes.

With this announcement, the current Bellator London lineup is as follows:-

Bantamweight Main Event – James Gallagher (10-1) v Cal Ellenor (8-2)

Middleweight – Fabian Edwards (9-0) v Costello van Steenis (12-2)

Heavyweight – James Haskell (0-0) v TBC

Women’s Featherweight – Leah McCourt (4-1) v Janay Harding (5-4)