Cris Cyborg defends featherweight title against Sinead Kavanagh at Bellator 271
BELLATOR returns to the Sunshine State for the first time in eight years with an outstanding night of MMA action from Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla.
BELLATOR MMA announced today that current 145-pound world champion and top-ranked women’s pound-for-pound fighter Cris “Cyborg” will make her third straight featherweight title defense when she takes on the No. 5-ranked contender and Irish boxing sensation Sinead Kavanagh at BELLATOR MMA 271, Friday, Nov. 12, from Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla.
SHOWTIME will televise the main card live at 10 p.m. ET/10 p.m. PT. Additionally, the preliminary card will air live on the BELLATOR and SHOWTIME Sports YouTube channels, as well as Pluto TV.
Additional bouts and ticket information for BELLATOR MMA 271: Cyborg vs. Kavanagh will be announced in the coming weeks.
Only the second BELLATOR woman’s featherweight champion in the company’s history, “Cyborg” (24-2, 1 NC) aims to further her legacy as the greatest women’s mixed martial artist of all time when she battles the pride of Dublin less than two weeks before Thanksgiving.
Currently fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev., “Cyborg” is coming off the second defense of her BELLATOR crown when she scored a vicious TKO over Leslie Smith at 4:51 of the fifth round in May 2021. After previously holding gold in STRIKEFORCE, UFC and Invicta, the Brazilian native made history by capturing the BELLATOR title to become a “Grand Slam Champion” with belts in four different organizations. The hard-hitting, 36-year-old sports 20 wins by finish with victories over punishing competition, including Julia Budd, Holly Holm, Smith (twice), Marloes Coenen, and Gina Carano.
Kavanagh (7-4), a winner of her last two BELLATOR outings, strives to live up to her “KO” moniker when she attempts to stop the sport’s most dominant female athlete. The former amateur boxing champion is poised for the breakout moment of her career at BELLATOR MMA 271 when the SBG Ireland-product attempts to do what only two other women fighters have previously accomplished; defeat “Cyborg.”
Updated BELLATOR MMA 271: Cyborg vs. Kavanagh Fight Card:
Friday, Nov. 12 – live on SHOWTIME
10 p.m. ET/10 p.m. PT
Featherweight World Title Bout: C-Cris “Cyborg” (24-2, 1 NC) vs. #5-Sinead Kavanagh (7-4)
** Card subject to change **