Undefeated featherweight contender Sara Collins made her case for a shot against Bellator Featherweight Champion Cris Cyborg following a statement win on Saturday night.
Collins showcased dangerous striking and stellar grappling skills this weekend, finishing promotional vet Leah McCourt in the first round. The fight came in the main event of a Bellator card from the OVO Wembley in London, England.
Collins had McCourt in danger early, cracking her with a hard counter right hook for a knockdown. The Australian prospect tried to finish the fight with ground and pound after the big moment, scoring with short hammerfist shots to a hurt McCourt.
After being unable to end the fight with strikes, Collins turned to her grappling. She transitioned from a side control position to the back of McCourt, allowing her to secure a rear naked choke submission just two-and-a-half minutes into the fight.
The win advanced Collins’ record to an undefeated six wins since debuting in 2019. She previously earned a pair of Bellator victories, overcoming Pam Sorenson and Sinead Kavanagh last year.
McCourt, a fighter who has competed under the Bellator banner since 2019, was coming back after scoring a quick finish win over UFC alum Sara McMann last year.
Collins, while admittedly intimidated about the idea of a fight against current Bellator Featherweight Champion Cyborg, insisted that she would face the champ after she takes on Larissa Pacheco at PFL’s October pay-per-view.
“I think Cyborg’s going to win [against Pacheco], and then she’s going to fight me next,” Collins said in her post-fight interview. “I’m a little scared but we’re going to win, train hard.”
The featherweight fight between Collins and McCourt received added attention in the weeks leading up to the show, being moved up to the main event spot after a middleweight title bout between Johnny Eblen and Fabian Edwards was removed from the lineup.
Here’s a rundown of some other headlines from Saturday night:
Simeon Powell bounced back from his first-ever pro loss in the co-main event, but he had to overcome an incredibly tough challenge from Rafael Xavier to get the victory. After a brutal first round, getting stunned at one point by a front kick and quite nearly getting finished by a short left hook in the final second of the frame, Powell was able to rally back with a stand-up performance to secure a split decision victory.
Powell had his nine-fight undefeated record broken last December in the finals of PFL Europe’s light heavyweight tournament, getting stopped by Jakob Nedoh. After his win on Saturday, he stated that he hopes the promotion can keep him active.
Luke Trainer called for a title shot against Bellator Light Heavyweight Champion Corey Anderson after putting away Laurynas Urbonavicius in the first round with a rear naked choke. Trainer’s dominant performance marks the third time since late 2022 that he has finished a fight early via submission.
Long-time UFC talent Marc Diakiese won his Bellator debut, using his wrestling skills to overcome Tim Wilde via unanimous decision. Diakese was coming off a 15-fight UFC run, with Saturday marking his first appearance outside of the promotion since 2016.
In a clash between a pair of rising undefeated lightweights, Archie Colgan got past Manoel Sousa with with a unanimous decision result. Colgan now has an impressive record of 11 wins, including eight in the Bellator cage.
Mike Shipman acquired his first-ever Bellator three-fight winning streak, scoring a knee and a series of punches to stop Eslam Abdul Baset in the second round.
Australia’s Joseph Luciano won his Bellator debut, securing an anaconda choke in the second round against Steven Hill. The result continued a rough year for Hill, who had his undefeated record put to an end in May by Mike Shipman.
Ireland walked away with a pair of wins early in the night, with undefeated prospects Darragh Kelly and Ciaran Clarke scoring wins. Kelly had a gritty three-round war against Dmytrii Hrytsenko in the opening bout of the night, with his strong stand-up performance being aided by a point deduction the Ukrainian fighter suffered late. Clarke moved his record to a stellar 10 wins with a decision over Finnish talent Tuomas Gronvall.
Quick Results
Main Card (1:00PM EDT / 6:00PM BST) (HBO Max)
Bout 9: Sara Collins def. Leah McCourt via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 1, 2:25)
Bout 8: Simeon Powell def. Rafael Xavier via Decision, Split
Bout 7: Luke Trainer def. Laurynas Urbonavicius via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 1, 4:15)
Bout 6: Marc Diakiese def. Tim Wilde via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 5: Archie Colgan def. Manoel Sousa via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 4: Mike Shipman def. Eslam Abdul Baset via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 2:32)
Bout 3: Joseph Luciano def. Steven Hill via Submission, Anaconda Choke (RD 2, 1:22)
Bout 2: Ciaran Clarke def. Tuomas Gronvall via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 1: Darragh Kelly def. Dmytrii Hrytsenko via Decision, Unanimous
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