Bellator is set to return to Dublin for a third time in less than a year this September as Sinead Kavanagh gets a chance to build on her epic win over Leah McCourt in her hometown, Dublin Live can reveal.
The Inchicore fighter, who has called for a rematch with the pound-for-pound queen Cris Cyborg, will once again fight in front of her hometown fans at the 3Arena on September 23.
Kavanagh, who is trained by Conor McGregor 's coach John Kavanagh, scored a unanimous win over Belfast’s McCourt in the biggest all-Irish MMA fight of all time at Bellator 275 on February 25.
It's the third event the promotion will host in the space of ten months following Bellator 270 in November and last month's showcase event in front of a packed crowd.
Despite injuring knee ligaments in the first round, for which she will undergo surgery next month, Kavanagh fought through the pain to take the win on all judges’ scorecards.
“It was an Irish women's showdown, an All-Ireland showdown, and we got the most hype.” Kavanagh tells Dublin Live.
“We showed why because we gave it our all and it was the best fight of the night. We gave it everything and we left our soul in the cage.”
The Dubliner fought immediately before the lead main event that saw Gegard Mouassi defend his middleweight crown by knocking out Austin Vanderford inside 90 seconds.
Peter Queally, who was forced to pull out of his co-headliner with Kane Mousah at the same event after breaking his rib, will also feature as he eyes a lightweight title bid.
The Waterford man was due to co-headline last month’s event in Dublin but an awkward fall in sparring meant he couldn’t take part.
Queally, who beat current Bellator champion Patricky Pitbull last May before being knocked out by the Brazilian at the 3Arena in November, expects to fight a higher-ranked opponent.
As an observer at Bellator 275, Queally says he was full of pride watching two of his friends, Kavanagh and McCourt, put on an Irish MMA classic.
“That was the highlight of the night by quite a distance, and that's a night when there's a world title fight,” he says.
“That's quite a compliment to give the girls. It was really exciting and I was stressed out of my mind. I like both girls. I'm friends with both of them
“It was so dramatic and, with the nature of the injury to Sinead's knee, it was a brilliant fight. They rose to the occasion on a night you needed someone to give the crowd a spectacle.”
Tickets for Bellator Dublin go on sale Friday, March 25 , and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.ie
and Bellator.com
