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Molly McCann

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Molly McCann
McCann in 2018
BornMolly Maria McCann Pearson
(1990-05-04) 4 May 1990 (age 34)
Liverpool, England
Other namesMeatball
Height5 ft 4 in (163 cm)
Weight116 lb (53 kg; 8 st 4 lb)
DivisionStrawweight (2024-present)
Flyweight (2015–2023)
Reach62 in (157 cm)[1]
Fighting out ofLiverpool, England
TeamNext Generation MMA (2013–present)[2][3]
RankBrown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Paul Rimmer[4]
Years active2015–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total21
Wins14
By knockout6
By submission1
By decision7
Losses7
By submission3
By decision4
UniversityLiverpool John Moores University
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Molly Maria McCann Pearson[5] (born 4 May 1990) is an English mixed martial artist. She is a former Cage Warriors Flyweight Champion and currently competes in the women's Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

Early life

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McCann was born in Liverpool on 4 May 1990.[6] Her father was absent and she was partially raised by her grandmother.[7] She grew up in Liverpool's Norris Green area with two sisters. She went to secondary school at Avonbourne in Bournemouth.[7] Initially, she trained in karate, kickboxing, and Thai boxing before starting boxing around the age of 12.[7] She then played football for five years before starting MMA training in 2013.[7] Despite a life-long affinity with Everton, McCann played for Liverpool, until an ankle ligament injury brought about her football retirement.[7][8] Upon signing 16-year-old McCann in 2006, Liverpool manager Keith "Cliffy" Cliffe described her as a promising midfielder who liked to push forward.[9] She graduated from Liverpool John Moores University with a degree in sports development and physical education.[1]

Mixed martial arts career

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Early career

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McCann fought most of her early MMA career in Liverpool. In her early years as a fighter, she supported herself by working at Subway, which earned her the nickname "Meatball Molly".[10] She fought for the MMA promotion Shock N' Awe, where she won the vacant Shock N' Awe Flyweight Championship and also defended it once. McCann also won the vacant Cage Warriors Fighting Championship Women's Flyweight Championship in 2018 against Bryony Tyrell.[11] After competing on the regional circuit, she amassed a record of 7–1 before signing with the UFC.[12]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

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McCann made her UFC debut on 27 May 2018, against Gillian Robertson at UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Till.[13] At the weigh-ins, she weighed in at 127 pounds, a single pound over the flyweight non-title fight limit of 126. She was fined 20% of her purse, which went to Robertson.[14] She lost the fight via a rear-naked choke in round two.[15]

Her second fight came on 15 March 2019, facing Priscila Cachoeira at UFC Fight Night: Till vs. Masvidal.[16] She won the fight via unanimous decision.[17]

McCann faced Ariane Lipski on 22 June 2019 at UFC Fight Night: Moicano vs. Korean Zombie.[18] She won the fight via unanimous decision.[19] Shortly after the fight, McCann signed a new four-fight contract with the UFC.[20]

McCann faced Diana Belbiţă on 18 October 2019 at UFC on ESPN 6.[21] She won the fight via unanimous decision.[22]

McCann was scheduled to face Ashlee Evans-Smith on 21 March 2020 at UFC Fight Night: Woodley vs. Edwards.[23] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was eventually postponed.[24] Instead, McCann faced Taila Santos on 16 July 2020 at UFC on ESPN: Kattar vs. Ige.[25] She lost the fight via unanimous decision.[26]

McCann faced Lara Procópio on 6 February 2021 at UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Volkov.[27] She lost the fight via unanimous decision.[28]

McCann faced Ji Yeon Kim on 4 September 2021 at UFC Fight Night 191.[29] She won the fight via unanimous decision.[30] The back-and-forth bout won both contestants the Fight of the Night bonus award.[31]

McCann faced Luana Carolina on 19 March 2022 at UFC Fight Night 204.[32] She won the fight via knockout in round three.[33] With this win, she received the Performance of the Night award.[34]

McCann faced Hannah Goldy on 23 July 2022 at UFC Fight Night 208.[35] She won the fight via technical knockout in round one.[36] This win earned her the Performance of the Night award.[37]

As the first bout of her new eight-fight contract, McCann faced Erin Blanchfield on 12 November 2022 at UFC 281.[38][39] She lost the fight via a kimura submission in round one.[40] During the fight, McCann only landed 7 strikes in contrast to the 93 strikes landed by Blanchfield.[41]

McCann faced Julija Stoliarenko on 22 July 2023 at UFC Fight Night 224.[42] She lost the fight by armbar submission in the first round.[43]

In her first strawweight bout, McCann faced Diana Belbiţă in a rematch on 3 February 2024 at UFC Fight Night 235.[44] She won the fight via an armbar in round one.[45] This fight earned her the Performance of the Night award.[46]

McCann faced Bruna Brasil on 27 July 2024, at UFC 304.[47] She lost the fight by unanimous decision.[48]

McCann is scheduled to face Istela Nunes on 22 March 2025 at UFC Fight Night 255.[49]

Professional grappling career

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McCann made her Polaris debut against Julia Scardone at Polaris 26 on 4 November 2023.[50] She won the match by submission with an armbar.[51]

Personal life

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McCann struggled with her sexuality in her youth. She came out publicly as lesbian at 25 after stating, "I absolutely ran from it until the wheels fell off, until I couldn't run no more."[52]

McCann is a close friend of fellow Liverpudlian mixed martial artist Paddy Pimblett and a supporter of Everton and Celtic.[53][10] She describes herself as a socialist and a Labour supporter. She is an opponent of the Conservative Party, due to her opinion that they had a negative effect on Liverpool and the working class in general, and on 23 July 2022, she led the crowd at the O2 Arena in a chant of "fuck the tories".[54]

McCann and Irish boxer Katie Taylor are cousins.[55] Three of her grandparents are from Ireland.[56]

Championships and accomplishments

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Mixed martial arts

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Mixed martial arts record

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Professional record breakdown
21 matches 14 wins 7 losses
By knockout 6 0
By submission 1 3
By decision 7 4
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 14–7 Bruna Brasil Decision (unanimous) UFC 304 July 27, 2024 3 5:00 Manchester, England
Win 14–6 Diana Belbiţă Submission (armbar) UFC Fight Night: Dolidze vs. Imavov February 3, 2024 1 4:59 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Strawweight debut. Performance of the Night.
Loss 13–6 Julija Stoliarenko Submission (armbar) UFC Fight Night: Aspinall vs. Tybura July 22, 2023 1 1:55 London, England
Loss 13–5 Erin Blanchfield Submission (kimura) UFC 281 November 12, 2022 1 3:37 New York City, New York, United States
Win 13–4 Hannah Goldy TKO (spinning back elbow and punches) UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Aspinall July 23, 2022 1 3:52 London, England Performance of the Night.
Win 12–4 Luana Carolina KO (spinning back elbow) UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Aspinall March 19, 2022 3 1:52 London, England Performance of the Night.
Win 11–4 Kim Ji-yeon Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Till September 4, 2021 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Fight of the Night.
Loss 10–4 Lara Procópio Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Volkov February 6, 2021 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 10–3 Taila Santos Decision (unanimous) UFC on ESPN: Kattar vs. Ige July 16, 2020 3 5:00 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Win 10–2 Diana Belbiţă Decision (unanimous) UFC on ESPN: Reyes vs. Weidman October 18, 2019 3 5:00 Boston, Massachusetts, United States Belbiţă was deducted a point in round 2 for grabbing the cage.
Win 9–2 Ariane Lipski Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Moicano vs. The Korean Zombie June 22, 2019 3 5:00 Greenville, South Carolina, United States
Win 8–2 Priscila Cachoeira Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Till vs. Masvidal March 16, 2019 3 5:00 London, England
Loss 7–2 Gillian Robertson Technical Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Till May 27, 2018 2 2:05 Liverpool, England Catchweight (127 lb) bout; McCann missed weight.
Win 7–1 Bryony Tyrell TKO (punches) Cage Warriors 90 February 24, 2018 2 1:32 Liverpool, England Won the inaugural Cage Warriors Women's Flyweight Championship.
Win 6–1 Priscila de Souza Decision (unanimous) Cage Warriors 88 October 28, 2017 3 5:00 Liverpool, England
Win 5–1 Lacey Schuckman Decision (unanimous) Cage Warriors 82 April 1, 2017 3 5:00 Liverpool, England
Win 4–1 Anjela Pink TKO (knees to the body and punches) Shinobi War 9 November 26, 2016 1 0:50 Liverpool, England
Win 3–1 Macicilia Benkhettache TKO (punches) Shock n' Awe 23 October 1, 2016 2 1:15 Portsmouth, England Defended the SNA Women's Flyweight Championship.
Win 2–1 Valérie Domergue Decision (split) Shock n' Awe 22 April 1, 2016 3 5:00 Portsmouth, England Won the vacant SNA Women's Flyweight Championship.
Loss 1–1 Vanessa Melo Decision (unanimous) XFC International 12 November 28, 2015 3 5:00 São Paulo, Brazil Flyweight debut.
Win 1–0 Katy Horlick TKO (punches) Shock n' Awe 20 May 30, 2015 1 3:12 Portsmouth, England Catchweight (132 lb) bout.

[58]

See also

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Books

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  • Molly Meatball McCann - Be True To You: A story about coming out, Self-published (30 June 2021), ISBN 979-8500961419[59]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Molly McCann | UFC". www.ufc.com. 14 September 2018. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
  2. ^ Alexander K. Lee (18 April 2020). "Molly McCann encourages women to get into combat sports: 'It will change your life forever'". mmafighting.com.
  3. ^ Ciaran Varley (12 October 2019). ""It's cool to be different": Molly McCann on how she trains and why she fights". BBC.
  4. ^ @meatballmolly (11 January 2024). ""My BJJ brown belt Fambo. (...)"". Retrieved 3 February 2024 – via Instagram.
  5. ^ "Molly McCann ("Meatball") | MMA Fighter Page". Tapology. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
  6. ^ "Tapology". www.tapology.com. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  7. ^ a b c d e Paddy Holohan (13 August 2019). 'Meatball' Molly McCann UFC Flyweight Next Gen Liverpool No Shame Podcast #089 – via YouTube.
  8. ^ "Molly McCann playing stats". FA Full Time. The Football Association. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  9. ^ "Cliffy's new girls". Liverpool Ladies F.C. 6 August 2006. Archived from the original on 8 December 2006. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  10. ^ a b McRae, Donald (2022). "Fighting for Liverpool: Paddy the Baddy and Meatball Molly's UFC takeover". Guardian. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  11. ^ a b "[Video] Watch Molly McCann Win The Vacant Cage Warriors Flyweight Title". MMAnytt.com. 24 February 2018. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
  12. ^ Sherdog.com. "Molly". Sherdog. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
  13. ^ Marcel Dorff (3 April 2018). "Molly McCann maakt UFC debuut tegen Gillian Robertson tijdens UFC Liverpool MMA DNA". mmadna.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 27 June 2019.
  14. ^ Staff (26 May 2018). "UFC Fight Night 130 weigh-in results: Darren Till heavy but headliner still on (Updated)". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  15. ^ "Gillian Robertson Puts Molly McCann to Sleep". Caged Insider. 27 May 2018. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  16. ^ "Molly McCann Faces Priscila Cachoeira At UFC London". MMAnytt.com. 21 November 2018. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
  17. ^ "UFC London results: Molly McCann brawls her way past Priscila Cachoeira". MMA Junkie. 16 March 2019. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
  18. ^ Sherdog.com. "Ariane Lipski vs. Molly McCann Added to UFC Greenville on June 22". Sherdog. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
  19. ^ "UFC 154: Molly McCann beats Ariane Lipski in South Carolina". 23 June 2019. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
  20. ^ Farah Hannoun (5 July 2019). "Molly McCann signs new four-fight deal with UFC". mmajunkie.com.
  21. ^ Martin, Damon (20 August 2019). "Molly McCann, Deron Winn fights announced for UFC on ESPN 6 in Boston". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  22. ^ Doherty, Dan (18 October 2019). "UFC Boston Results: Pressure of Meatball Molly McCann Too Much for Debuting Belbita". Cageside Press. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
  23. ^ Marcel Dorff (4 December 2019). "Home fight for Molly McCann against Ashlee Evans-Smith during UFC London". mmadna.com. Retrieved 5 December 2019.(in Dutch)
  24. ^ Nolan King and John Morgan (15 March 2020). "UFC postpones three events amid growing coronavirus outbreak". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  25. ^ "Molly McCann treft Taila Santos tijdens UFC evenement op 15 juli in Abu Dhabi". mmadna.nl (in Dutch). 10 June 2020. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  26. ^ Doherty, Dan (15 July 2020). "UFC Fight Island 1 Results: Taila Santos Outmatches Molly McCann". Cageside Press. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  27. ^ Marcel Dorff (19 October 2020). "Molly McCann vs. Lara Procopio toegevoegd aan UFC evenement op 6 februari 2021". MMA DNA (in Dutch). Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  28. ^ Anderson, Jay (6 February 2021). "UFC Vegas 18 Results: Lara Procopio's Grappling Too Much for Molly McCann". Cageside Press. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  29. ^ Shelton, Cole (13 July 2021). "Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Dalcha Lungiambula moved to UFC London as August 14 card officially gets canceled". MyMMANews.com. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  30. ^ Evanoff, Josh (4 September 2021). "UFC Vegas 36 Results: Molly McCann Defeats Ji Yeon Kim in Slugfest". Cageside Press. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
  31. ^ a b "UFC Fight Night 191 bonuses: Tom Aspinall's first-round finish, Paddy Pimblett's debut TKO among extra $50k earners". MMA Junkie. 4 September 2021. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
  32. ^ Marcel Dorff (3 December 2021). "Twee Flyweight gevechten toegevoegd aan beoogde "UFC London" card op 19 maart". MMA DNA (in Dutch). Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  33. ^ Law, Eddie (19 March 2022). "UFC London: Molly McCann Earns Highlight Reel Knockout Over Carolina". Cageside Press. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  34. ^ a b "UFC Fight Night 204 bonuses: Nine fighters go home with $50,000". MMA Junkie. 19 March 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  35. ^ Lee, Alexander K. (10 May 2022). "Molly McCann vs. Hannah Goldy announced for UFC London". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  36. ^ Law, Eddie (23 July 2022). "UFC London: Molly McCann Rushes Goldy, Finishes Fight In First Round". Cageside Press. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  37. ^ a b Dan Hiergesell (23 July 2022). "UFC London bonuses: Paddy Pimblett, Molly McCann lead $50K winners". MMA Mania. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  38. ^ Simon Samano (11 August 2022). "Molly McCann booked to fight Erin Blanchfield at UFC 281 in New York". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  39. ^ Mike Heck (11 August 2022). "Erin Blanchfield vs. Molly McCann set for UFC 281". mmafighting.com.
  40. ^ Jamie Theodosi (12 November 2022). "UFC 281: Erin Blanchfield Takes "McCann's Shine with Flawless Win". Cageside Press. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  41. ^ "Stats | UFC". ufcstats.com. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  42. ^ Meshew, Jed (25 April 2023). "Molly McCann set to face Julija Stoliarenko in UFC's return to London". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  43. ^ Anderson, Jay (22 July 2023). "UFC London: Julija Stoliarenko Deflates English Crowd with Submission of Molly McCann". Cageside Press. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  44. ^ Lee, Alexander K. (6 December 2023). "Molly McCann vs. Diana Belbita 2 announced for Feb. 3 UFC event". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  45. ^ Anderson, Jay (3 February 2024). "Driven Molly McCann Shines at UFC Vegas 85, Submitting Diana Belbiţă". Cageside Press. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  46. ^ a b Chris Taylor (3 February 2024). "UFC Vegas 85 Bonus Report: Randy Brown one of four fighters to take home $50k". bjpenn.com. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  47. ^ Leonard, Harvey (14 May 2024). "Report: Molly McCann To Return At UFC 304 In Manchester On July 27". MMA News | UFC News, PPV & Fight Night Coverage, Interviews & Analysis. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  48. ^ Jay Anderson (27 July 2024). "UFC 304: Bruna Brasil Tenderizes Molly McCann With Knees, Kicks En Route to Decision Win". cagesidepress.com. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  49. ^ Kyle Dimond (11 December 2024). "Molly McCann's Return Announced For UFC London On March 22". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  50. ^ Phillips, Sabrina. "UFC Veteran Molly McCann Set To Make Debut At Polaris 26". Jitsmagazine. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  51. ^ "Polaris 26 Full Results And Review". Jitsmagazine. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  52. ^ "UFC's Molly McCann: 'I ran from my sexuality until the wheels fell off'". Independent.co.uk. 23 February 2022.
  53. ^ "UFC superstar shares Celtic love".
  54. ^ Roberts, Alex. "UFC fighter Molly McCann leads crowd in "F**k The Tories" chant". Retrieved 25 July 2022.
  55. ^ Wilson, Charlie (17 August 2022). "When is Molly McCann's next fight? Meatball handed huge fight on UFC 281 card". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
  56. ^ "Molly McCann UFC Fighter Next Gen Liverpool No Shame Podcast #089". No Shame Podcast. 13 August 2019. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
  57. ^ Mike Bohn (1 April 2022). "MMA Junkie's Knockout of the Month for March: A spinning elbow for the ages". MMAjunkie.com.
  58. ^ Sherdog.com. "Molly". Sherdog. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
  59. ^ BE True To You: A story about coming out by Molly McCann. 30 June 2021. ISBN 979-8500961419. Retrieved 4 July 2021. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
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