Could Sinead Kavanagh do the (seemingly) impossible at Bellator 271 on Friday night?
That was the question heading into the Hollywood, Florida-based card, where the Irish featherweight was challenging the dominant Cris Cyborg.
The short answer was no.
Outside of Amanda Nunes, no one had defeated Cyborg for a decade or so. She reminded just about everyone why in the opening moments of the Bellator 271 main event. The Brazilian champ unleashed some heavy punches, backing Kavanagh up against the cage then looking for a takedown.
To the Irish fighter’s credit, she hung in there, at least initially. Fought off the takedown. But when they found a little space and began trading again, it was Cyborg landing a pair of right hands that ended Kavanagh’s night early. The first blow put Kavanagh on her heels, the second one put her out, crashing to the canvas only to be awoken by a hammer fist before the ref moved in for the save.
.@CrisCyborg leaves no doubt as to her championship status.
She is now 4️⃣ & 0️⃣ inside the #Bellator cage.#Bellator271 pic.twitter.com/TcwYl57kPC
— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) November 13, 2021
Ahead of the fight, Kavanagh had said she wasn’t afraid of Cyborg. A little more fear might have been healthy, as getting into a firefight with the champion was clearly a bad idea.
Official Result: Cris Cyborg def. Sinead Kavanagh by KO, Round 1, 1:32
