Northern Ireland’s Leah McCourt improved her win streak to three with a submission of Kerry Hughes at Bellator 227 on Friday.
On Saturday, Bellator was expected to announce the debut date and opponent for one of the biggest female MMA stars of all time, Cris Cyborg. A day earlier in Dublin at Bellator 227, they hosted the latest scrap in Cyborg’s native featherweight division. That saw Leah McCourt taking on Kerry Hughes, second fight in on the event’s televised main card.
Hughes swung early, while McCourt looked calm under pressure, firing kicks, and answering back with her hands. Hughes would connect with a right, but McCourt ate it and fired back. McCourt looked like the bigger, more athletic girl, and soon enough, she’d land a right of her own. As McCourt initiated thai clinches, she would fire knees; a judo toss by the fence got Hughes down to the mat. From there, McCourt controlled the back, peppering her opponent with strikes. Then the hooks went in — at least one — and so was the rear-naked choke. The ref might have been a little late noticing the tap, but for McCourt, it was a good clean win, her first via submission.
Leah McCourt def. Kerry Hughes by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 2:14
