Australian featherweight Sara Collins pulled off the upset at Bellator 299 on Saturday, defeating Ireland’s Sinead Kavanagh at the 3Arena in Dublin.
A split decision win for Collins (5-0) didn’t exactly go how she predicted, the 33-year old admitted following the fight.
“No, that wasn’t how I expected it to go. I was planning on taking her down and finishing her on the ground,” Collins said backstage at the 3Arena. “But when we started trading, I felt her out, so I decided to keep it there for a bit.”
Judging being what it is in mixed martial arts, waiting for the scorecards to be read out can often be a anxious moment. Collins, however, was fairly confident she had the win. “I thought I had definitely won the first two rounds. I wasn’t sure about the third, but I thought I did enough in the first two.”
If there was any criticism in Sara Collins maintaining her perfect record on Saturday, it might be that the bout was low-action at times. Collins admitted that the pair were a bit stand-offish, as she put it. “But what can you do? As a fighter, it’s not always about exciting fights. Sometimes you’re just in there to win.”
With her fifth straight win, the Australian is now looking to work her way up the ladder in the women’s featherweight division.
“I want to fight anyone who is ranked above Sinead,” stated Collins. “Even the winner of Leah [McCourt] and Sara [McMann] in two weeks, that would be nice. Or anyone just ranked above Sinead.”
Watch the full Bellator 299 post-fight press conference with Sara Collins above.
