This weekend, UFC flyweight competitor Molly McCann, otherwise known as Meatball Molly, is set to fight Julija Stoliarenko at London’s O2 Arena on Saturday, in her first co-headlining main event for the 33-year-old from Liverpool.
Coming off the back of a crushing defeat against Erin Blanchfield in November last year, her first loss in four fights after a series of incredible performances, she’s now more determined than ever – and that’s translated into a punishing training programme.
‘Camps tend to be eight to 12 weeks, but this one has been 18 weeks because the fight got pushed back,’ Molly tells Grazia. ‘That’s three sessions a day, two technical so striking and grappling, then the third will be either sprints, running or weights six days a week… It’s tough, but if you train every session that God gives you and eat every macro-nutrient, you’re supposed to you will be bullet proof going into that fight.’
Molly’s fight on Saturday will be her eleventh, but it’s been the last two years that she’s shot to fame alongside best friend and fellow UFC fighter, Paddy Pimblett also known as Paddy The Baddy. The pairs friendship has been fundamental in raising each of their profiles on social media, fans obsessed with their banter in interviews and enduring loyalty to one another.
But its Molly’s incredible talent in the cage that has made her enthralling to watch, with more eyes on her now than ever. Does the pressure to perform ever get to her? ‘Yes and no,’ she says. ‘When I lost my last fight, in that moment I felt every bit of pressure leave. In fight week pressure will mount up because you’re doing constant media, you’re tired and you’ve got to cut weight. You’re realising, “Jesus, tonight I’ve got to go and fight in front of 25,000 people live and hundreds of thousands watching on tele”. But it’s a positive pressure now, I don’t care to be heard by trolls anymore.’
The trolling used to get to her, Molly admits. ‘If people wrote negativity about me, I’d always be like “But you don’t know where I’m from or what I’ve gone through, why are you being this nasty?”. Then I thought, if they’re not going to take the time to read into my history then their opinion is valid on me. I had to stop giving it my attention, and the second I done that my life completely changed.’
She’s certainly overcome a lot to play the sport she loves, even fighting men in the gym to prove herself worthy enough to be trained for competitive fighting. ‘Growing up in combat sports I always wanted to box but at first no gyms would let me in,’ Molly recalls. ‘This was from 2002 to 2005, so a time when boxing was still a very male sport, women’s boxing wasn’t even in the Olympics. So, if the coach in the gym wanted to coach women, then he would, and if not, he wouldn’t.
‘The one gym that did let me in, the coach really took to me and invested a lot of time in me,’ Molly continues. ‘It’s always one of them where when you spar the lads, you have to take a big shot and then keep coming forward. I remember once I was so frustrated because they were always bigger and stronger, so I got pinned, and I just went the toilet and burst into tears out of frustration. Then I came back and absolutely gave it to the lad, so they were like “Well yeah, we can work with that”’.
Molly McCann went on to become national champion for boxing, but then in a major twist, she decided to go into football instead and ended up playing for Liverpool. But that wasn’t her only career pivot. After suffering an ankle injury, she was forced to retire from football, and decided to go to university instead to study sports recreation and physical education.
Ronda Rousey broke the mould for women in UFC.
‘I was doing a degree that was going to lead me onto a PGCE to be a teacher,’ Molly says. ‘But when I was in there, I realised mainstream teaching wasn’t for me. I’m a bit too real, I can’t bite my tongue! I was working in a bar at the time, and one of the doormen sent me home because I was really drunk and said, “Go watch this fight, you’ll enjoy it”. It was Ronda Rousey fighting Liz Carmouche, the first world title fight in the UFC on 23 February 2013. After watching it, I sent a drunken email to my now coach saying, “I want to be like that Ronda Rousey”. That was Sunday morning, and I never went back to uni.
‘You have these moments in life when you feel something and you just go for it, and Ronda Rousey was a real trailblazer, she broke the mould,’ Molly continues. ‘It wasn’t just big masculine women fighting, or skinhead men that had nothing about them except rage, she just showed us what the sport really is – it’s like six Olympic sports in one. I’ve just immersed myself ever since then, my whole life has gone into it.’
Ten years later, Molly has gone on to break the mould herself, making history in March 2019 when she became the first English female fighter to claim a UFC victory. And she’s just getting started…
On 22 July 2023, Molly McCann will be fighting at the O2 London for UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: ASPINALL vs. TYBURA. To book tickets visit axs.com/uk/events/482598/ufc-fight-night-tickets