Sinclair aiming to capitalise on recent win

The 36-year-old, one-time BAMMA lightweight supremo, will take on the five-time Team Crossface champion at FCC 17 at Manchester Event City on September 24th.

Sinclair, who is contracted with Bellator until April, had been toying with the idea of retiring after stopping Michael Brightmon at BAMMA 21 but an approach from Adam Teh has seemingly fuelled the fire inside.

Leary is currently riding high on the back of a four fight win streak - where he beat Adam Boussif, Karol Nazar, Marc Clark and Michael Bowman - but Sinclair feels that this will be a step too far for the defending champion (13-7-1).

“It’s not one of the more prestigious belts but this fight is more about the opponent and the show,” said Sinclair. “I think I’ll finish him pretty quickly so don’t blink or else you’ll miss it.

“He’s stepping up a level and I’m predicting a bad night for him. He’s never been in there with somebody of my calibre.”

Sinclair, who defied the prognosis of doctors and surgeons to make a miraculous recovery when rupturing his anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments in August 2013, returned in April last year with an underwhelming display in defeat to Saad Awad but addressed that with the win over Brightmon.

Eyeing a place on the undercard of Michael Bisping’s rematch with Dan Henderson, he said: “I went to America (to fight Awad) with the attitude that I wasn’t bothered whether I won or lost as long as I got in there. It’s the first time that I’ve ever felt like that.

“It was almost a relief that I got through it because I thought that I was going to call it a day on my career.

“I settled for losing as long as I survived and that isn’t good enough. I contacted BAMMA straight away, and they stuck me on at BAMMA 21 just eight weeks later.

“There was no way that I was losing that fight. I even tore the ligament in my other knee doing it.

“I just need to capitalise on that win now. I owe it to myself and everybody else around me.”

Sinclair will bring the latest edition of Burnley Brawl to Turf Moor on September 3rd. For tickets, contact Rob on 07876 142781 or Mick Ashton on 07595 597054.