Sinead Kavanagh went the distance with former Invcita FC title contender Katharina Lehner at Bellator Europe 9 on Saturday. It wasn’t the finish she’d hoped for, but a unanimous decision gave the Irish featherweight her second straight win. Which puts her in a good spot in the 145lb division.
“I could have pushed it another 20%. I was just a bit stuck in the mud,” Kavanagh told media outlets including Cageside Press following the event. “There’s always room to improve.”
Outside of that, Kavanagh was satisfied with her efforts. “I got the win. I’m happy with that,” said “KO,” who improved to 7-4 with the victory. And she was even more happy to learn Cris Cyborg had turned up in the comments section on Youtube during her fight, suggesting the pair might throw down soon.
“Woop woop! Ain’t that great,” exclaimed Kavanagh. “I would love to fight Cris [Cyborg]. I have a lot of respect for Cris, she’s a legend. I want to be in that cage. Because I think I’m good enough.”
“I’m a diamond in the rough. I may not be the prettiest, but I sure am the meanest in this division,” Kavanagh added.
Kavanagh has now defeated two title-level opponents in her last two fights, the other being Olga Rubin, who previously challenged Julia Budd for gold. It certainly can’t hurt the SBG Ireland fighter’s confidence. “As I said, I’m a diamond in the rough, and I’m starting to shine now, and take names. It feels great,” Kavanagh said of the level of competition she’s been seeing.
She also believes that a title shot could have come her way already. That’s something she has missed out on by the slimmest of margins. “I should have fought Julia [Budd] before. I fought Arelene [Blencowe, in 2017] and I really thought I won that. Many people thought I won that. And then she fought Julia,” Kavanagh explained. “And then I should have fought Olga Rubin [in early 2019], and then I should have fought Julia again. That fight with the champ, it’s always there, but I’m chasing, chasing, chasing. Hopefully I get that soon.”
Clearly, she has the new champ’s eye. Cyborg defends her 145lb title against Arlene Blencowe later this month. While Budd, Cat Zingano, and Leslie Smith are all in the mix, Kavanagh seems to have the champ’s attention.
Watch the full Bellator Europe 9 post-fight press scrum with Sinead Kavanagh above.
