Leah McCourt’s hopes of earning a shot at women’s Featherweight champion, Cris Cyborg, went up in smoke earlier today (Sat., Sept. 14, 2024) in the main event of Bellator London in London, England after suffering a stunning first-round submission defeat at the hands of Sara Collins.
Collins, a longtime member of the Australian nation judo team, came out of the gates calm-cool and collected, in what was her fourth fight for the promotion. After a feeling out process, Collins landed a few jabs to get McCourt’s attention.
Fighting in a southpaw stance, Collins tagged McCourt with a beautiful short right hand that sent “The Curse” crashing to the canvas just 90 seconds into the fight. Smelling blood, Collins pounced on her foe an unleashed a barrage of strikes looking for the finish. McCourt ate one shot after another while Dan Miragliotta looked on in no hurry to stop the fight.
Check out the shot:
SARA DROPS MCCOURT IN THE FIRST! #BellatorLondon | LIVE NOW on DAZN & MAX pic.twitter.com/IHMi7uRFpL
— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) September 14, 2024
McCourt eventually managed to escape the danger from the strikes, but the end was coming regardless for her. In an attempt to escape the tough position she was in, McCourt gave up her back and Collins was quick to sink in both hooks, setting her up to latch on to an air-tight rear-naked choke that forced the tap halfway through the opening frame.
With the win, Collins improves to 6-0, which includes going 4-0 under the Bellator MMA banner. Now, the 34-year old will sit back to see when matchmakers opt to give her the title shot after Cyborg handles her business against Larissa Pacheco at PFL’s “Battle of the Giants” event on Oct. 19. For McCourt, that is now her third loss in last five fights, failing to win back-to-back contests since 2021.
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