Northern Ireland’s Leah McCourt finally has her opponent for Bellator 285 this September.
Women’s featherweight McCourt (6-2) will face Brazil’s Dayna Silva (10-7) at the event, set for the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland on September 23, 2022. Bellator MMA officials announced the news in a press release distributed on Monday.
Severe MMA had previously reported the booking, with McCourt’s involvement in the card being known for weeks. Bellator Dublin is set to be headlined by a lightweight contest featuring former UFC champ Benson Henderson taking on recent Bellator title challenger Peter Queally.
McCourt will be looking to bounce back from a loss to Sinead Kavanagh come fight night. The loss marked the first setback of her Bellator career, and was her first loss since her professional debut in 2017.
Silva dropped her first two fights under the Bellator banner, losing to Arlene Blencowe and Julia Budd. She bounced back in her most recent outing, however, winning a unanimous decision against Janay Harding in April.
McCourt is ranked #5 in Bellator’s women’s 145 pound division, while Silva sits at #9. The weight class is currently ruled over by the fearsome Cris Cyborg, who has yet to taste defeat in the promotion.
The Bellator 285 (a.k.a. Bellator Dublin) roster currently shapes up as follows:
- Peter Queally vs. Benson Henderson
- Yoel Romero vs. Melvin Manhoef
- Brett Johns vs. James Gallagher
- Mads Burnell vs. Pedro Carvalho
- Ciaran Clarke vs. Georges Sasu
- Brian Moore vs. Arivaldo Silva
- Georgi Karakhanyan vs. Kane Mousah
- Darragh Kelly vs. Kye Stevens
- Kenny Mokhonoana vs. Alex Bodnar
- Asaël Adjoudj vs. Adam Gustab
- Leah McCourt vs. Dayana Silva
