Dave Donnelly reports live from the 3Arena
Sinead Kavanagh overcame an early knee injury to beat Belfast’s Leah McCourt by unanimous decision at Bellator 275 at the 3Arena.
Number four and number five in the featherweight division met in an all-Ireland clash that lived up to its billing on the main event card.
It went right down to the wire as Kavanagh’s knee, having twice buckled in the second round, looked set to give way as McCourt went for broke in the last.
Kavanagh was a stationary target by then and it was good a chance as McCourt would have to pick up the biggest win of her career and set up a meeting with champ Cris Cyborg.
Instead, it will be Kavanagh who faces the Brazilian for the second time, having been knocked out in the first round when the pair met in Florida in November.
When, and where, that fight will take place is anybody’s guess as Kavanagh will face a nervous wait over the extent of what looked a badly twisted knee.
About 20 minutes earlier, a rapturous reception greeted the Inchicore fighter as she walked out wrapped in a tricolour, McCourt watching eagerly from inside the Octagon, and Conor McGregor cheering from ringside.
The Belfast fighter’s arrival moments earlier was met with a mixture of support and booing as a large contingent had made the trip down the M1 to support the challenger.
The fight was billed, not least by the fighters themselves, as a clash of styles, with striker Kavanagh up against the judo specialist McCourt.
So it proved right from the off as Kavanagh went on the attack, tagging McCourt with a headshot but her follow-up would see McCourt reel her in.
The Belfast fighter stepped back and forced Kavanagh to overstretch, allowing her to wrap up Kavanagh and take her down inside the opening 40 seconds.
She leaned her weight down on Kavanagh for two minutes straight but couldn’t find the opening for a submission.
Kavanagh reversed the hold and locked on tight to McCourt’s left arm, twisting it backwards in a bid to submit but, despite looking in trouble, McCourt wriggled out.
A slip from Kavanagh early in the second round offered an opportunity for McCourt to get on top but, despite pinning her opponent to the cage, she couldn’t complete the takedown.
McCourt came into the game on a six-fight winning streak, lasting three-and-a-half years, but seemed surprised by the strength of her former sparring partner’s grappling game.
Kavanagh has rarely needed to show off her grappling game, such is the strength of her striking game, but with a busted knee she was forced to show how well she can improvise.
The answer to that question was: very well. Pinned to the cage by McCourt, Kavanagh got her opponent to the ground and rained a series of vicious elbows on her head.
McCourt tried to desperately cover up as Kavanagh mixed hard punches with elbows. A desperate kick forced Kavanagh off-balance and the knee seemed to go once more.
Now it was all McCourt and, with Kavanagh unable to stand, she looked to strike with seconds remaining in round two. Somehow, Kavanagh was able to fend her off with one leg.
With Kavanagh unable to put much weight on her left knee, and therefore unable to load up her shots, this was as good a chance as McCourt would get.
McCourt led with some early kicks to the knee before pressing Kavanagh to the cage, trying to force all her bodyweight in and down on that left leg.
Kavanagh was forced to the ground but, for someone whose ground game was questioned, she showed remarkable skill to finish on top, raining blows down on McCourt’s head.
It went down to the judge’s scorecards but there was resignation on the face of McCourt. 29-28, 29-28, 30-27. All in favour of the hometown fighter. Kavanagh-Cyborg II awaits.
