27 May 2020

Northern Irish MMA star McCourt eyes Los Angeles return to Bellator cage

Northern Irish Bellator star Leah McCourt is hoping to return to the cage this summer as she eyes Los Angeles as a potential venue.

The 27 year-old has not fought since beating Judith Ruis by decision on February 22 at the Bellator Dublin event.

And with her scheduled bout against Janay Harding not going ahead on May 16 at Wembley Arena due to the coronavirus pandemic, McCourt is now planning when she will be able to get out before the end of summer.

Speaking to BBC Sport, she said: "There's been talk about July and August in Los Angeles. Bellator are owned by Paramount Studios. They have a cage at their on-site studios so they could set up there.

"I don't care where I fight and I've fought all over the world. I just want another fight soon."

It is almost certain that McCourt’s next fight will be behind closed doors due to the pandemic.

And while she admits that is something that may affect her going into the fight, when she is in there she feels fighters will simply be forced to adjust.

“You can hear every punch, it's a bit more nerve-racking because there is no crowd to drown anything out,” she added.

"It's just another challenge we're going to have to overcome."

Bellator have not staged an event since McCourt’s victory back in February, but rival MMA company the UFC have already returned with three shows in Florida.

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