Bellator Targeting Leah McCourt vs Sinéad Kavanagh for Dublin in February

A featherweight fight between Leah McCourt (6-1) and Sinéad Kavanagh (7-5) is being targeted by Bellator for their recently-announced Dublin show on Friday 25th Febuary in 3Arena. Multiple sources with knowledge of the matchmaking confirmed the news to Severe MMA on Friday afternoon. Peter Carroll first reported the news this evening.

The pairing will come as a shock to Irish fans, with two compatriots set to be pitted against each other. Though McCourt and Kavanagh do not directly train together, they have supported one another in their respective MMA journeys, and both have represented the SBG brand.

However, a fight between the “The Curse” and “KO” was perhaps inevitable. The Irishwomen are both vying for Bellator glory, and just one spot separates McCourt and Kavanagh in the featherweight divisional rankings. Currently occupying the no.4 position, Leah McCourt has put together an undefeated five-fight winning streak since joining the promotion in 2019. It was another successful year in 2021 for the former IMMAF world champion too, scoring a comeback submission victory over Janay Harding (6-4) in May, before besting Jessica Borga (3-3) over three rounds in October.

A recent title contender, Sinéad Kavanagh will be looking to return to the win column after suffering a 1st-round KO to MMA legend Cris Cyborg at Bellator 271 last month. A decorated amateur boxer, this fight presents an intriguing style matchup, with McCourt bringing a strong grappling game to the table.

Simply put, this is an insane matchup between two Irish fighters, that has emerged somewhat out of the blue. Adding to the fact that Gegard Mousasi will defend his middleweight title versus Austin Vanderford, and Peter Queally is set to face Kane Mousah on the night, Bellator Dublin is set to be a massive night of fights in the Irish capital!