Bellator 293: Leah McCourt loses points decision to Cat Zingano

Cat Zingano and Leah McCourt were warring for a tilt astatine the featherweight title

American Cat Zingano bushed Northern Ireland's Leah McCourt successful a close-fought conflict to stay the fig 1 contender for the featherweight rubric astatine Bellator 293 successful California.

But 2 eye-catching strikes, an elbow successful the 2nd circular and a genu successful the 3rd from Zingano helped the 40-year-old borderline the contest.

All 3 judges saw it successful Zingano's favour.

Zingano remains undefeated successful Bellator and moves to 14 wins and 4 losses wide successful her career.

"She's truly gangly and truly strong, and I'm not utilized to that astatine this value class," Zingano said of McCourt.

"I knew it was going to beryllium a tussle with her. It was going to beryllium pugnacious with her.

"What I bash cognize is however to origin harm and I deliberation the harm made up for immoderate of the transitional periods."

• Watch Bellator 293 connected BBC iPlayer

In the heavyweight main event, Daniel James produced a good knockout successful the last circular of his contention with Brazilian Marcelo Golm.

McCourt successful good signifier but misses out

McCourt had predicted a first-round decorativeness successful the pre-fight build-up and began the bout intelligibly looking for opportunities connected the feet.

Zingano rapidly moved the combat into grappling exchanges however, pushing McCourt against the fence.

McCourt was capable to instrumentality Zingano down arsenic a effect but soon recovered herself defending a rear-naked choke effort arsenic Zingano was capable to reverse her position.

It would not beryllium the past clip Zingano was capable to crook the tables connected McCourt successful a beardown presumption connected the ground.

McCourt returned to her country with a batch of swelling nether her near oculus acknowledgment to a pinpoint elbow from Zingano successful the last exchanges of the archetypal round.

Belfast's McCourt started the 2nd powerfully arsenic she caught a footwear from Zingano and swept her opponent's feet.

Zingano was capable to reverse the presumption however, and arsenic McCourt attempted to basal backmost up she fired disconnected a no-look elbow, the American attempted different kick.

The chaotic speech allowed McCourt to instrumentality Zingano down again and the Northern Irish combatant tried to descend successful a rear-naked choke earlier switching to an limb triangle.

Zingano's fantabulous crushed crippled allowed her to crook the tables connected McCourt

Neither submission attempts were palmy and Zingano brilliantly moved into half-guard, successful portion acknowledgment to much achy elbows.

The 3rd circular was different frantic 1 arsenic McCourt dropped an off-balance Zingano successful the opening seconds.

McCourt moved into a bully position, but was forced to springiness it up arsenic the referee issued her with a last informing for strikes to the backmost of Zingano's head.

The combat resumed and McCourt produced different awesome takedown infinitesimal erstwhile she swept the feet of Zingano successful the clinch.

But erstwhile again Zingano's acquisition and expertise successful antiaircraft positions showed and she produced different reversal, prompting McCourt to look to instrumentality to her feet.

As McCourt straightened up against the fence, Zingano fired disconnected a large genu that instantly opened a immense chopped connected her opponent.

Blood was pouring from McCourt's look but she fought done and tripped Zingano to instrumentality her down successful the last moments.

But conscionable arsenic she had done truthful galore times earlier successful the fight, Zingano reversed into broadside mount, claiming backmost a ascendant position.

Both women had their manus raised arsenic they awaited the effect and McCourt was visibly disappointed arsenic the 29-28, 30-27 and 29-28 scorecards were work out.

While McCourt volition instrumentality to the UK nursing the 2nd defeat of her career, Zingano tin present acceptable her sights connected warring for the title.

Cris Cyborg is technically retired of declaration with Bellator but remains the reigning champion arsenic she continues discussions with Bellator implicit a caller deal.

"It's dependable similar it's a vacant loop fractional the time," Zingano said aft her win.

"Of people I privation to beryllium the champion, I've been moving connected that for a while. Whatever that looks like, let's go."

A submission triumph and a matrimony proposal

English light-heavyweight Luke Trainer projected to his woman moments aft a immense triumph connected distant ungraded against American imaginable Sullivan Cauley astatine Bellator 293.

Cauley was antecedently undefeated successful 5 fights with 5 first-round finishes and was expected to proceed his winning streak against Trainer successful California.

But Trainer, 27, upset the likelihood to taxable Cauley via a rear-naked choke successful the archetypal circular and manus the American the archetypal decision of his vocation successful a good performance.

The Stevenage autochthonal past invited his spouse into the ringing and made an affectional matrimony proposal, which she accepted.

"I've got 1 happening I request to do. It's been a agelong clip coming," Cauley said.

"My gorgeous woman is here, delight babe miss travel successful [the cage].

"I haven't brought the ringing with maine truthful I'd similar to instrumentality the ringing disconnected [your finger] and enactment it backmost connected today.

"Baby miss I emotion you truthful much, you are everything to me. Will you bash maine the honour and beryllium my wife?"

Trainer improved his grounds to 7 wins and 1 nonaccomplishment arsenic the rebuild from his archetypal career-defeat past twelvemonth takes connected further steam.

The nonaccomplishment to Simon Biyong successful May was rapidly followed up by a triumph implicit Lucas Alsina past October earlier Trainer capped his archetypal combat connected American ungraded with an upset victory.