Bellator 293: Pre-Fight Presser Featuring Marcelo Golm, Daniel James And More
On March 31st, 2023, the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, California, will host Bellator 293, featuring a headline fight between Marcelo Golm and Daniel James, while Cat Zingano and Leah McCourt will join in chief support.
The main event sees Golm in the form of his life, currently basking on a four-fight win streak, two of which were under Bellator.
In contrast, James has also won four consecutive fights, with his most recent victory being a TKO over Tyrell Fortune.
Ce week-end vous avez rendez-vous avec le #Bellator293 !
En main event heavyweight⬇️
🇧🇷 Marcelo Golm #5 (10-3) 🆚 Daniel James #7 (14-6-1) 🇺🇸Ils sont tous les deux en win streak de 4 combats ! Qui va aller sur une 5ème victoire d'affilée ?🤔
Réponse samedi à 2h sur @RMCsport 2 pic.twitter.com/hnN7MXrycb— Bellator MMA France (@Bellator_France) March 29, 2023
As for the co-main event, Cat Zingano and Leah McCourt will face off in the featherweight category.
Zingano has a spotless record of 3 wins and no losses in her Bellator career, with her most recent victory being a decision win against Pam Sorenson.
Meanwhile, McCourt, who has a 6-1 record in Bellator, recently won a controversial decision over Dayana Silva.
Zingano has a stronger track record, despite being 40, but McCourt should not be underestimated, as she is deemed the favorite.
At 40 years old Cat Zingano is 3-0 in Bellator and will be fighting Irelands Leah McCourt in the co main event this Friday at Bellator 293 pic.twitter.com/h146PBE1LR
— MMA Underdog (@William18545653) March 29, 2023
And with the fight almost here, this is what the fighters had to say.
Marcelo Golm
On fighting James: “He’s strong, good [at] boxing. He’s a good fighter. I am very excited for this match.”
On keeping momentum: “I put my strategy [forward]… I am moving forward like a dog bro and that’s it. He’s a good fighter you know. I have respect for him, but I’m not impressed.”
Daniel James
On fighting Golm: “I didn’t know too much about the guy. I’m not surprised by anything. I have seen a lot of guys.
“I have fought [people] like Marcelo Golm, no disrespect, I have seen those type of guys before. But a lot of guys haven’t seen me.”
On how he feels: “I feel great. Fight week, we headlining, main event. It doesn’t get better than this right now, it’s dope.”
Leah McCourt
On preparing specifically for Zingano: “I was working with some of the Team GB wrestlers for this type of match up.
“I know that Cat is obviously very strong in wrestling and grappling, quite similar to my style, but she favors more towards wrestling so it was nice to add that aspect into my game.”
On beating Zingano: “I’ve always been a fan of hers and the way that she fights. I like her as a person. I think just to be able to have this opportunity…I’m excited to showcase my skill.”
On her approach to the fight: “We have our game plan and our strategy and we have the best keys to victory… But I’m comfortable everywhere if its standing or grappling… I feel it could be a second-round stoppage.”
Cat Zingano
On fighting McCourt: “Every fight is different. Every fight is good. Styles make match ups so you never really know. I don’t try to go in with expectations of anyone.
“I have to take every single person seriously and every fight like it’s the fight of my life and I’ll get the results when I get in there.”
On transitioning to Bellator: “I had breast implants, I had them removed. I was feeling really sick for quite a while with them and [had] weight issues and anxiety issues.”
On her training camp: “I feel good, this was a smooth training camp. I still felt I had momentum from my last training camp… Overall, it was a good camp.”
Rest Of Main Card
John Salter vs. Aaron Jeffrey
Jaleel Willis vs. Rustam Khabilov
Sullivan Cauley vs. Luke Trainer
Preliminary Card
Adam Piccolotti vs. Mandel Nallo
Pam Sorenson vs. Sara Collins
Joey Davis vs. Jeff Creighton
Archie Colgan vs. Justin Montalvo
Lucas Brennan vs. Josh San Diego
Lance Gibson Jr. vs. Vladimir Tokov
Christian Edwards vs. Rakim Cleveland
Mike Hamel vs. Nick Browne
Randi Field vs. Ashley Cummins
Bryce Meredith vs. Brandon Carrillo
Maria Henderson vs. MacKenzie Stiller