Collins stuns McCourt at Bellator Champions Series

Australia's Sara Collins stunned Northern Ireland's Leah McCourt with a first round finish at the Bellator Champions Series in London.

Collins, 34, dropped McCourt with a right hook before submitting the 31-year-old via a rear-naked choke.

The victory, which hushed the crowd at OVO Arena Wembley, sees Collins become the number one contender for Cris Cyborg's featherweight title.

“Cyborg, I’m coming," said Collins. "I’m a little scared but we’ll hit the gym and train hard."

The bout was promoted to the top of the card after Britain's Fabian Edwards' rematch with middleweight champion Johnny Eblen was postponed.

McCourt called her opportunity to headline the event a "celebration of women", just as she did in 2020 when she became the first female to to headline a Bellator Europe show.

The 32-year-old defeated Germany's Judith Ruis by unanimous decision that night in Dublin but could not repeat her success in London.

Collins' counters served as an early warning for McCourt as she caught a leg kick before landing an overhand right.

And it was Collins' right hand which delivered the defining moment shortly after as a right hook dropped McCourt.

Collins followed her to the ground, delivering a number of strikes, before transitioning to back control and securing her bout-winning choke hold.

The win sees Collins extend her unbeaten record to six, while McCourt loses her number one contender spot.

McCourt, who suffered the fourth defeat of her career, was set to face Brazil's Cyborg earlier this year, but the Professional Fighters League (PFL) took the division in a different direction after acquiring Bellator in November.

She was instead paired against Sinead Kavanagh in March, but pulled out with injury, while Cyborg faces Larissa Pacheco on 19 October.

The bout with Pacheco is not for Cyborg's featherweight title however, with the winner instead receiving a commemorative "super-fights championship belt".

“I’m feeling good now. I want to say thank you to Leah for this fight, I know she was promised a title fight and she didn’t have to take this fight and I’m really glad she did,” said Collins.

The co-main event saw Briton Simeon Powell earn a narrow split decision win over German light-heavyweight Rafael Xavier.

There was also an impressive victory on the undercard for fellow British light-heavyweight Like Trainer, who submitted Lithuania's Laurynas Urbonavicius in the first round via a rear-naked choke.