Australia's Sara Collins claimed a career-changing win at Bellator Champions Series: London, then set her sights on one of the greatest female fighters of all time.
Collins defeated leading Bellator women's featherweight contender Leah McCourt via first-round TKO at the OVO Arena, Wembley on Saturday night and was immediately installed as the number-one contender in the women's 145-pound division.
It means that the undefeated Collins, who improved her record to 6-0 with her finish of McCourt in London, will move on to challenge the winner of the upcoming PFL super fights featherweight title bout between longtime Bellator champion Cris Cyborg and former PFL champion Larissa Pacheco, who meet at PFL: Battle of the Champions on October 19.
Collins eyeing Cyborg title fight
After her victory, Collins chatted with Dan Hardy inside the cage, and said that she'd love to fight Cyborg next.
And, when she chatted with The Sporting News backstage, she doubled down on that thought, and even predicted that the reigning Bellator champion will stop The Sporting News' 2023 Women's Fighter of the Year in the first round.
"In the lead up, every interview I did, everyone said, 'If you win this, you're going to fight Cyborg next.' So it just felt right to call her out in the cage," she said.
"Ever since I started MMA, Cyborg was always on the radar. I didn't think it would happen, or I didn't think her name would be thrown around so soon in my career. But I mean, I'm not a spring chicken. I am 34 years old, so I'm ready for it.
"I hadn't really thought about how (that fight would) affect me, but I think Cyborg will win, for sure. I think in the first or second round."
Collins’ rapid rise to title contention
Collins rise to the top of the featherweight rankings has been a meteoric one. Her debut for Australian promotion Hex Fight Series came back in September 2019, but she had to wait until 2021 for her next bout as the global COVID pandemic put events on hold.
But, once she returned to action, Collins quickly built some momentum, and two more wins on the domestic scene earned her the opportunity to fight for Bellator.
A first-round submission finish of the seasoned Pam Sorenson hinted at her potential, and a hard-fought split-decision win over Ireland's former title challenger Sinead Kavanagh in Dublin showed that she had the ability to hang with the division's established contenders and come out victorious on enemy territory.
The Australian was then booked to face Ukraine's Olena Kolesnyk at Bellator Champions Series: Dublin in June, but the fight was pulled from the card after Kolesnyk was forced out of the event through injury.
Dublin disappointment turned into title opportunity
But that disappointment turned into opportunity, as Collins was rebooked to face Northern Ireland's McCourt in the co-main event at Wembley. Then, when the planned main event title fight between Johnny Eblen and Fabian Edwards was pulled from the card, Collins' bout with McCourt was elevated to main-event status.
And now, after securing a huge win, Collins is ready for the opportunity of a lifetime, and a shot at a world title.
"I guess we can say everything happens for a reason," she smiled.
"It was probably good that fight (with Kolesnyk) got cancelled, because now I might not have been here if that fight had gone ahead. So yeah, now I'm looking at that fight being cancelled as a blessing, because now we're here with the win."
