Photo: Lucas Noonan/Bellator MMA
Sinead Kavanagh Fought Through Torn ACL at Bellator 275
Sinead Kavanagh jumped up in a few places among the Bellator MMA rankings this week and with good reason. She fought and defeated a very tough Leah McCourt while also battling through a torn ACL at Bellator 275 last weekend according to her Instagram post after the event.
“Karate Kid,” Kavanagh wrote, referencing the crane kick from the iconic 1984 film of the same name has the main character win a match with a kicking technique delivered by first standing on one leg. She added, “Fighted on With One Leg [sic] in severe pain all through the fight. Torn my ACL!! I am now Pound for Pound with the best in the world. Silver Lining.”
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Previously not ranked, this week she entered as the number nine ranked pound-for-pound fighter on Bellator’s rankings and moved to number four among the women’s featherweight rankings. Immediately after her victory, it was announced during the broadcast that she would be Cris Cyborg’s next opponent. However, with this injury it might be a while before she gets another shot at Bellator gold.
If you weren’t a fan of Kavanagh before this event, you probably should be now. She not only fought through injury but did better on the ground against McCourt than fans give her credit for. She also told MyMMANews before the fight she had “mixed emotions” coming in against McCourt since they were both familiar with each other coming up in the sport. As for the injury, there’s no telling how long the injury will sideline her or how long Cyborg would be willing to wait for another fight.
The rankings certainly provide a list of potential challengers, but it would be something if a certain free agent could jump in and shake things up.
