Sinead Kavanagh v Leah McCourt: Queen of Irish MMA set to be crowned

In November 2021, the fight world marvelled as the US promotion welcomed Irish MMA fans back to the 3Arena, marking the beginning of the end of Covid-19 restrictions. It was not a great night of sporting success for the Irish, but the images beamed around the world of the passionate sold-out crowd underlined that the scene is still thriving.

This Friday sees Bellator return to the Irish capital for the seventh time since their maiden voyage in 2016. They've brought a star-studded cast in tow with one of the greatest European fighters ever, Gegard Mousasi, set to defend his title against Austin Vanderford.

Mousasi v Vanderford is certainly interesting, but it's not the bout that has captured the imagination of the Irish fans.

Instead, it's a meeting of mothers, both of whom were born on the island, and their opportunity to take a significant step to title contention, that's the talk of the town. So let's talk Leah McCourt v Sinead Kavanagh.

Bellator is impossible to ignore when it docks in Dublin.

An advertisement greets you at arrivals in Dublin Airport. Billboards carry effigies of the protagonists in the city. They're on the bus stops and the buses themselves. National broadcasts blurt advertisements, and most of all, there is lively debate surrounding one fight in particular.

Dubliner Kavanagh has to navigate the city everyday between training sessions before her co-main event meeting with 29-year-old McCourt, and is fully aware of the level of curiosity their meeting has garnered.

"The buzz around the fight is crazy," said 36-year-old Kavanagh, en route to another session a week out from the fight.

"This is two women fighting on the biggest stage in front of the best fans in the world. It's a big moment and it's amazing to see the amount of interest in it."

Up until her retirement in 2017, pioneer and retired UFC fighter Aisling Daly was undoubtedly Ireland's premier female mixed martial artist, but it feels like Friday's victor will become the de facto queen of the Irish scene.

Some fans would rather see Irish fighters face off against international opposition, but when the stakes are so high after both fighters worked their way to the forefront of the featherweight division, and towards legendary champion Cris "Cyborg" Justino, it makes sense for all parties.

"I thought Sinead had a good chance of beating Cyborg when they fought and I think she brings a lot of the same things to the table that Cyborg does," explained McCourt.

"She has power, she's aggressive, she's relentless and she's vicious once the cage door closes. I need to be able to deal with all those weapons and threats if I'm going to fight for the title one day."

'There's no way to prepare for a crowd like that'

Something tribal stirs within the community for an all-Irish fight.

Bellator have seen it before when the promotion staged Peter Queally v Myles Price in 2019. The classic clash between Dublin strongholds SBG Ireland and Team Ryano created a raucous atmosphere that was noted internationally.

"There's no way to prepare for a crowd like that," Kavanagh laughed.

"It's a crazy atmosphere to fight in and to be honest, it's not something you get used to. You've got stay calm and you kind of just have to shut them out and do your thing."

McCourt v Kavanagh - friend v friend

McCourt remembers being inspired by Kavanagh when she saw her fight Aoife Murphy at the King's Hall in Belfast. Kavanagh helped McCourt prepare for her bout with Manon Fiorot. McCourt cornered Kavanagh when she fought Olga Rubin in Israel. Despite all of those exchanges, they both know they're going to war on Friday night.

The bout has a deeper meaning for the Irish MMA community.

Outside of Daly and long-retired Limerick fighter Catherine Costigan, there were not a lot of examples for the likes of Kavanagh and McCourt to look up to in their fledgling years.

On Friday night, undefeated Irish prospect Danni McCormack will take to the cage a couple of hours before the co-main event pairing. When all is said and done with Kavanagh and McCourt, they want the all-Ireland showdown to be remembered for much more than who had their hand raised.

"For girls who want to be martial artist, for girls who want to fight, I hope they can take strength and power from what we do on Friday night," said McCourt.

"We're two strong women, we're both mums, and we've both been through a lot to get where we are. I hope they see us on this massive stage, with all eyes on us, and realise they can do this too."