Top Reasons to Catch Bellator Champions Series 5

Sara Collins will soon experience the full intensity of the Bellator MMA spotlight.

The undefeated Australian toes the line against Leah McCourt when their women’s featherweight pairing headlines Bellator Champions Series 5 on Saturday at OVO Arena Wembley in London. It takes the place of the original Johnny Eblen-Fabian Edwards main event, which was postponed a little more than a week ago. Operating out of the Resilience Training Centre in Footscray, Australia, the 34-year-old Collins has rattled off five straight victories to start her career. She last competed at Bellator 299, where she eked out a split decision over SBG Ireland’s Sinead Kavanagh on Sept. 23. McCourt, meanwhile, has alternated wins and losses in each of her past four outings. The Next Generation MMA rep last suited up on Oct. 7, when she put away 2004 Olympic silver medalist Sara McMann with punches in the first round of their Bellator 300 confrontation.

In addition to the marquee matchup between Collins and McCourt, here are three other reasons the catch Bellator Champions Series 5:

A Question of Resilience

An initial brush with adversity tends to change a fighter, for better or for worse. Still one of Europe’s most promising young talents, Professional Fighters League veteran and Great Britain Top Team export Simeon Powell finds himself on the rebound for the first time ahead of his battle with Rafael Xavier in the light heavyweight co-main event. The 6-foot-4 Powell started his career a perfect 9-0—a run highlighted by his march to the PFL Europe final in 2023. There, he was undone by punches and elbows from Jakob Nedoh in the second round of their Dec. 8 encounter, falling short of the mark when it mattered most. On the other side of the equation, Xavier enters his organizational debut with wins in six of his past seven outings. The 33-year-old Brazilian last strapped on the gloves under the Oktagon MMA banner in December, when he laid waste to Dan Vinni with second-round punches.

Progress Report

Long viewed as a person of interest on the European circuit, Luke Trainer gets another chance to prove he can swim with the sharks when he takes on Laurynas Urbonavicius in a three-round light heavyweight showcase. Trainer, 28, has pieced together a three-fight winning streak since he suffered a unanimous decision defeat to Simon Biyong in 2022. The Brad Pickett protégé last fought at Bellator Champions Series 1, where he was awarded a three-round unanimous verdict over Grant Neal on March 22. Urbonavicius, meanwhile, steps into his first assignment with the company on the heels of eight consecutive victories. “Captain Lithuania” has delivered 11 of his 14 career wins by knockout, technical knockout or submission, 10 of them inside one round.

Time to Shine

Former Standout Fighting Tournament champion Manoel Sousa puts his 11-0 record on the line against Archie Colgan in a showdown between two premier lightweight prospects. Sousa, 27, has finished 10 of his first 11 opponents. He dazzled in his March 22 organizational debut, as he disposed of Tim Wilde with punches in the first round of their Bellator Champions Series 1 affair. Sousa represents the Academia Octogono camp in his native Brazil. Colgan figures to provide his sternest test to date. The 29-year-old Denver native wrestled collegiately at the University of Wyoming, where he was a two-time NCAA qualifier and compiled a stellar 111-41 record for the Cowboys. Colgan has made a seamless transition to mixed martial arts, as evidenced by the 10 straight wins he has posted to start his career.