Judith Ruis defeated in Dublin

She lost - and yet she won. Last Saturday, Judith Ruis (Budokeller Bonlanden/German Top Team) ended her MMA career so far with a fight against Ireland's Leah McCourt in the main event of Bellator in Dublin. And many people thought in advance that Judith had only been invited to lose and would at best be used as "cannon fodder". And many were wrong.

Judith Ruis had prepared herself in a disciplined manner for what was probably her most important fight in Bonlanden and Reutlingen and could rely on the help of all her teammates and of OKAMI Fightgear count. All of this was impressively demonstrated on Friday, when Judith Ruis easily reached the required weight limit and seemed completely relaxed mentally. On Saturday, a few last preparations were made before the coaches Jan Björn Gromann, Dr. Jürgen Mack and Peter Angerer went to the 3Arena shortly before nine o'clock, where the local fans who had flown in especially were already waiting for Judith. And the wait should have been worth it.

Judith Ruis was unimpressed by the hype surrounding McCourt from the start and stood up to her both on the ground and on the feet. At the latest when Judith had the local heroine and favorite in a dangerous armbar towards the end of the first round, the Irish fans also understood that they must support loudly here and that there will be no easy walk for McCourt to see here. Over three rounds, both ladies fought each other with everything they had to offer. McCourt showed strong in the takedowns, but once on the ground Judith played her routine and was never in serious danger. McCourt found her rhythm and especially in the third round she was able to put her stamp on the fight, which was reflected in a unanimous points victory.

However, with a fighting performance of enormous strength, Judith Ruis was able to prove herself once again against an international opponent and after her narrow points defeat against the then world No. 1 Reina "King" Miura in Japan at Deep Jewels, she once again made it clear that she is a force to be reckoned with at any time. The Irish fans were also impressed and Judith definitely made a strong and hopefully lasting impression at Bellator.

(Judith's fight from approx. 3:20:00)