SAN DIEGO – Leah McCourt is getting her wish.
McCourt will challenge women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg next – and that’s because she took care of business by finishing Sara McMann with vicious ground-and-pound in the first round of their bout this past Saturday at Bellator 300.
Shortly after McCourt’s victory, Cyborg retained her title with a beatdown of Cat Zingano. Following the first-round TKO, McCourt (8-3 MMA, 7-2 BMMA) stepped back in the cage to face off with Cyborg.
Coming off a tough loss to Zingano this past March, McCourt looked impressive against McMann, which is just what she was aiming for.
“After my last fight, I just knew I had to come and get a big win, make a statement, and I’m just finally glad I was able to do that,” McCourt told reporters, including MMA Junkie, backstage at Pechanga Arena. “… I think it was because a lot of people felt I won that last fight, and the female featherweight title fight was tonight. I had kind of a chip on my shoulder. It should’ve been me fighting (Cyborg for the title). I did have pressure, but I think I finally believed in myself.”
McCourt explained that while she felt pressure to perform at a high level in hopes of earning a title shot, pressure just comes with the territory every time she steps in the cage given her situation.
“Every fight is a lot,” McCourt said. “It’s a lot of pressure and expectation from me, and I have to juggle being a mom. I have to leave my daughter for months on end and do two flights a week to get to camp. I just don’t want to let people down – my team down, my family down, my daughter down. I think that’s the biggest thing. I just want to come out here and make them proud.”
With the biggest win of her career behind her, McCourt will face an even bigger challenge in Cyborg, who’s looked all but unstoppable since joining Bellator in January 2020. No question, beating Cyborg might feel like an insurmountable task, but McCourt is confident she and her team can shock the MMA world.
“We’ll come up with a correct formula to win that fight,” McCourt said. “I don’t see why not. Anybody can be beaten. If we just prepare correctly, we can do it.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 300.
