In one of the most anticipated all-Irish MMA fights of the last decade, Sinead Kavanagh claimed the biggest win of her career on Friday night at the 3 Arena in overcoming a knee injury to earn a decision win over Leah McCourt.
Following the victory, Bellator announced that Kavanagh would get a second shot at featherweight champion, Cris "Cyborg" Justino, following her defeat to the Brazilian last November.
Despite world renowned Gegard Mousasi defending his middleweight title in the main event against Austin Vanderford, it was the meeting of Belfast's McCourt and Dubliner Kavanagh in the co-main event that stole all the intrigue.
The infamous Irish fans were very involved from the first bell, throwing each punch and kick with the two fighters over the 15-minute affair.
The bout saw roles reversed with the heavy-handed Dubliner coming close to submitting grappling ace McCourt in the opening round.
After her strong first stanza, Kavanagh appeared to injure her knee, dropping to the ground twice as the knee gave way, but still managed to land powerful shots on McCourt from top position.
McCourt targeted the knee in the final round, but Kavanagh remained in the fray and finished the fight landing big blows on McCourt, to the delight of the Irish crowd.
"I couldn’t even stand," said Kavanagh in her post-fight interview.
"I went into a dog fight and I told you I was good with the ground game. I thought I was finished, I thought I was done, but I gritted my teeth and I got the win."
Following the co-main event, Mousasi made short work of Vanderford to defend his 185-pound crown. After stunning the American in a striking exchange, he finished the fight with heavy ground and pound midway through the first round.
Main card
Throughout the event, the Irish charges were roared on by two-time UFC champion Conor McGregor who was on site from the first bout of the night.
'The Notorious' watched on as Drogheda’s Ciaran Clarke continued his stellar run with the US promotion, improving to 5-0.
The SBG Ireland youngster is fast becoming one of the biggest fan favourites on Bellator’s Irish roster. He sent the crowd to fever pitch when he overcame a torrid grappling onslaught before his opponent, Abou Tounkara, retired on his stool before the start of the second round.
Highly touted Russian prospect Khasan Magomedsharipov - brother of estranged UFC fighter Zabit Magomedsharipov - was also in action on the main card, claiming his second win in as many Bellator bouts with a one-sided decision nod over Jose Sanchez.
Opening the main card, Irish veteran Brian Moore came up short after forcing ninth-ranked Jomel Lugo to the judges’ scorecards in a razor-close encounter.
The Wexford bantamweight knocked Lugo down in the first round and suffered two fouls - a low blow and an eye poke - in the second stanza, as Lugo found his range. Moore was briefly introduced to the canvas in the third round, but rallied to see the bout through until the final bell.
Earlier Action
Several standout talents from SBG Ireland made their Bellator debuts on the night.
Highly touted Donegal lightweight Darragh Kelly scored a first round submission win over Junior Morgan. Dublin’s Nathan Kelly got off to winning ways with the promotion with a decision win over Scott Pederson.
In the opening fight of the night, Lee Hammond - one of the most promising amateurs the country has seen in recent years - increased his pro record to 2-0 with a stunning first round stoppage of Jamie Hay.
There were two losses for the John Kavanagh gym on the preliminary portion of the card.
Previously undefeated straw weight Danni McCormack tasted defeat for the first time in professional career when she succumbed to the strikes of Stephanie Page in the first round of their clash.
Dublin-based Italian Daniele Scatizzi also left the 3 Arena without a win when he lost a decision to Russia’s Vladimir Tokov, who boasted the presence of an all-time great, Fedor Emelianenko, in his corner.
In the feature bout of the preliminary card, former UFC fighter and Welsh fan favourite Brett John got back into the win column with a suffocating display against previously undefeated Khurshed Kakhorov, who was waved out of the contest in the final round.
