Molly Maria McCann Pearson (born 4 May 1990) is an English former

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

. She is a former Cage Warriors Flyweight Champion and formerly competed in the women's Strawweight division of the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

(UFC).

Early life

McCann was born in

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

on 4 May 1990. Her father was absent and she was partially raised by her grandmother. She grew up in Liverpool's

Norris Green Norris Green is a suburb and ward of Liverpool, England, in the east of the city. At the 2001 Census it had a population of 17,784, which had fallen to 15,047 at the 2011 Census. History Historically a part of Lancashire, Norris Green's dev ...

area with two sisters. She went to secondary school at Avonbourne in Bournemouth. Initially, she trained in karate, kickboxing, and Thai boxing before starting boxing around the age of 12. She then played football for five years before starting MMA training in 2013. Despite a life-long affinity with Everton, McCann played for

, until an ankle ligament injury brought about her football retirement. Upon signing 16-year-old McCann in 2006, Liverpool manager Keith "Cliffy" Cliffe described her as a promising midfielder who liked to push forward. She graduated from

Liverpool John Moores University Liverpool John Moores University (abbreviated LJMU) is a public university, public research university in the city of Liverpool, England. The university can trace its origins to the Liverpool Mechanics' School of Arts, established in 1823. This ...

with a degree in sports development and

physical education Physical education is an academic subject taught in schools worldwide, encompassing Primary education, primary, Secondary education, secondary, and sometimes tertiary education. It is often referred to as Phys. Ed. or PE, and in the United Stat ...

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

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". 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. After competing on the regional circuit, she amassed a record of 7–1 before signing with the UFC.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

McCann made her UFC debut on 27 May 2018, against Gillian Robertson at UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Till. 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. She lost the fight via a rear-naked choke in round two. Her second fight came on 15 March 2019, facing

Priscila Cachoeira Priscila Cachoeira Gomes da Silva (born 19 August 1988) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. She currently competes in the women's Flyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Personal life Cachoeira had a troubled childhood growing ...

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

Diana Belbiţă Diana Irena Belbiță (born June 26, 1996) is a Romanian former mixed martial artist, and kickboxing, judo and kempo practitioner. She competed in the women's Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Belbiță is a former w ...

on 18 October 2019 at UFC on ESPN 6. She won the fight via unanimous decision. McCann was scheduled to face Ashlee Evans-Smith on 21 March 2020 at UFC Fight Night: Woodley vs. Edwards. Due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, the event was eventually postponed. Instead, McCann faced

Taila Santos Taila Jaine dos Santos (born June 22, 1993) is a Brazilian mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist who currently competes in the women's Flyweight division of the Professional Fighters League (PFL). She formerly competed in the Ultimate Fightin ...

on 16 July 2020 at UFC on ESPN: Kattar vs. Ige. She lost the fight via unanimous decision. McCann faced Lara Procópio on 6 February 2021 at UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Volkov. She lost the fight via unanimous decision. McCann faced

Ji Yeon Kim Kim Ji-yeon (; born October 18, 1989), often anglicized Ji Yeon Kim, is a South Korean mixed martial artist (MMA). She was the Jewels and Gladiator women's bantamweight champion. She competed in the Women's Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fi ...

on 4 September 2021 at UFC Fight Night 191. She won the fight via unanimous decision. The back-and-forth bout won both contestants the '' Fight of the Night'' bonus award. McCann faced Luana Carolina on 19 March 2022 at UFC Fight Night 204. She won the fight via knockout in round three. With this win, she received the '' Performance of the Night'' award. McCann faced Hannah Goldy on 23 July 2022 at UFC Fight Night 208. She won the fight via technical knockout in round one. This win earned her the '' Performance of the Night'' award. As the first bout of her new eight-fight contract, McCann faced Erin Blanchfield on 12 November 2022 at UFC 281. She lost the fight via a kimura submission in round one. During the fight, McCann only landed 7 strikes in contrast to the 93 strikes landed by Blanchfield. McCann faced

Julija Stoliarenko Julija Stoliarenko (born 8 April 1993) is a Lithuanian mixed martial artist, submission grappler, Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) black belt athlete and former Lethwei fighter. A two-time European Open champion and two-time IBJJF World medallist i ...

on 22 July 2023 at UFC Fight Night 224. She lost the fight by armbar submission in the first round. In her first strawweight bout, McCann faced

in a rematch on 3 February 2024 at UFC Fight Night 235. She won the fight via an armbar in round one. This fight earned her the '' Performance of the Night'' award. McCann faced Bruna Brasil on 27 July 2024, at UFC 304. She lost the fight by unanimous decision. McCann was scheduled to face Istela Nunes on 22 March 2025 at UFC Fight Night 255. However, Nunes withdrew from the fight due to visa issues and was replaced by promotional newcomer Alexia Thainara. She lost the fight via a rear-naked choke submission in the first round and announced her retirement from mixed martial arts competition after the bout.

Professional grappling career

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

Personal life

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." McCann is a close friend of fellow Liverpudlian mixed martial artist

Paddy Pimblett Patrick Mark Pimblett (born 3 January 1995) is an English professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2012, Pimblett is a former Cage W ...

and a supporter of Everton and

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foot ...

. She describes herself as a

socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

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". McCann and Irish boxer

Katie Taylor Katie Taylor (born 2 July 1986) is an Irish professional boxer and former footballer. She was the undisputed and undefeated lineal world lightweight champion from 2019 to 2024, and has held the undisputed and lineal world super lightweight ...

are cousins. Three of her grandparents are from

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

** Fight of the Night (One time) ** Performance of the Night (Three times) *** Most Post-Fight bonuses in UFC Women's Flyweight division history (3) **UFC Honors Awards *** 2022: President's Choice Performance of the Year Nominee & Fan's Choice Knockout of the Year Nominee **UFC.com Awards ***2022: Ranked #3 Knockout of the Year *

Cage Warriors Fighting Championship Cage Warriors (CW) is an Irish-owned mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in London, England. The promotion was established in 2001 and staged its first MMA event in London in July, 2002. Many MMA stars have made their names under t ...

**Cage Warriors Fighting Championship Women's Flyweight Champion (One time) * MMAjunkie.com **2022 March Knockout of the Month

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 14–8 , Alexia Thainara , Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Brady , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:32 ,

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, England , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–7 , Bruna Brasil , Decision (unanimous) , UFC 304 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 14–6 ,

, Submission (armbar) , UFC Fight Night: Dolidze vs. Imavov , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:59 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–6 ,

, Submission (armbar) , UFC Fight Night: Aspinall vs. Tybura , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:55 ,

, England , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–5 , Erin Blanchfield , Submission (kimura) , UFC 281 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:37 ,

New York City, New York New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on New York Harbor, one of the world's largest natural harb ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–4 , Hannah Goldy , TKO (spinning back elbow and punches) , UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Aspinall , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:52 ,

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 12–4 , Luana Carolina , KO (spinning back elbow) , UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Aspinall , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:52 ,

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 11–4 , Kim Ji-yeon , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Till , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–4 , Lara Procópio , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Volkov , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–3 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC on ESPN: Kattar vs. Ige , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...

, United Arab Emirates , , - , Win , align=center, 10–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC on ESPN: Reyes vs. Weidman , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–2 , Ariane Lipski , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Moicano vs. The Korean Zombie , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Greenville, South Carolina Greenville ( ; ) is a city in Greenville County, South Carolina, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 70,720 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, sixth-most pop ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Till vs. Masvidal , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, England , , - , Loss , align=center, 7–2 , Gillian Robertson , Technical Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Till , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:05 ,

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 , Bryony Tyrell , TKO (punches) , Cage Warriors 90 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:32 ,

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1 , Priscila de Souza , Decision (unanimous) , Cage Warriors 88 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 5–1 ,

Lacey Schuckman Lacey Schuckman is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Strawweight division. She has fought in Invicta FC and Strikeforce. Mixed martial arts record , - , Win , align=center, 12–10 , Rosa Acevedo , Decision (unanimous) ...

, Decision (unanimous) , Cage Warriors 82 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 4–1 , Anjela Pink , TKO (knees to the body and punches) , Shinobi War 9 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:50 ,

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 3–1 , Macicilia Benkhettache , TKO (punches) , Shock n' Awe 23 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:15 ,

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 2–1 , Valérie Domergue , Decision (split) , Shock n' Awe 22 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, England , , - , Loss , align=center, 1–1 ,

Vanessa Melo Vanessa De Melo Silva (born March 27, 1988) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Lightweight (MMA), Lightweight division. She is most known for her time spent fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Professiona ...

, Decision (unanimous) , XFC International 12 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Katy Horlick , TKO (punches) , Shock n' Awe 20 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:12 ,

, England , , -

Books

*Molly Meatball McCann ''- Be True To You: A story about coming out'', Self-published (30 June 2021),

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:McCann, Molly 1990 births Living people Barstool Sports people English female mixed martial artists English people of Irish descent Flyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing boxing Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Cage Warriors champions Martial artists from Liverpool LGBTQ mixed martial artists English practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Female Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners Alumni of Liverpool John Moores University Ultimate Fighting Championship female fighters People from Norris Green English lesbian sportswomen English LGBTQ footballers FA Women's National League players Liverpool F.C. Women players English women's footballers Women's association football players not categorized by position Footballers from Liverpool 21st-century English sportswomen