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Molly McCann made her UFC debut back in 2018. However, five years after her first bout in the promotion, she has gone from a 7-1 prospect to a 33-year-old fighter with 13 wins and six losses. She is no closer to a title fight now than when she was a promotional newcomer.
Furthermore, she is not even ranked in the notoriously thin UFC women's flyweight division. Worse still, her UFC debut was marred by a weigh-in miss. While no one has ever confused her for a future champion, she did achieve a level of minor fame, due, in part, to her association with the ever-popular Paddy Pimblett.
The two are known for their close friendship, and it has led to Molly McCann becoming more well-known to the casual fanbase. She has become a reliable name to draw some attention to the odd Fight Night card held on English soil. But after a 6-5 run, is this, based on her recent losses, as good as it gets for her?
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Molly McCann vs. Erin Blanchfield, UFC 281
'Meatball' is a hard-nosed fighter who feeds off the crowd. That she once celebrated a win by running around with a replica belt outside the octagon is evidence enough of how much of a crowd-pleaser she can be. This was once magnified by the expectations she suddenly shouldered.
The expectations in question were that she was a knockout machine, and that she was exciting. Before facing Erin Blanchfield, Molly McCann had defeated Hannah Goldy in spectacular fashion. She stunned her with a spinning back elbow against the fence, and melted her for a TKO win with follow-up punches.
Prior to that, she knocked out Luana Carolina with another spinning back elbow as well. Before her bout with Blanchfield, 'Meatball' appeared on Paddy Pimblett's YouTube channel, and spoke about how she envisioned defeating her foe either with another elbow or a choke.
But come fight night, she found herself out of her depth. McCann lunged forward, telegraphing hooks thrown from behind her ear before Blanchfield simply ducked under one of her punches and scored a takedown. She easily secured the crucifix position, and McCann was rendered helpless, pinned underneath her.
She tried bucking her off several times, constantly raising her hips while eating elbows. Before long, she fell victim to a low-percentage submission, a kimura, which generally works when the submission is applied by someone far stronger or against someone with a significant deficit in grappling skill, sometimes both.
Molly McCann tapped and her three-fight win streak came to a crashing halt. While her decision to telegraph her hooks, charging forward and throwing punches from behind the ear, with no lateral footwork, cost her, there isn't much shame in losing to a grappler of Erin Blanchfield's caliber.
This is especially if she was just trying to make things exciting. After all, the American later went on to defeat former UFC strawweight champion Jéssica Andrade via submission, extending her record to 11-1. Molly McCann's next loss, however, is more concerning.
Molly McCann vs. Julija Stoliarenko, UFC Fight Night 224
UFC Fight Night 224 marked the triumphant return of Tom Aspinall since his catastrophic knee injury. However, prior to the heavyweight main event, fans on English soil were treated to the return of Molly McCann as well. 'Meatball' faced Julija Stoliarenko, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt like her previous opponent.
Unfortunately, the Scouser's past mistakes came back to haunt her as she showed no growth, doing as she always does. Confident in her punching power, she squared her hips and threw wild hooks from behind the ear, telegraphing her intent every time and causing her to be countered by Stoliarenko's jab.
After conditioning her foe to it, the Lithuanian flyweight ducked under one of her foe's punches, scoring a quick takedown. 'Meatball' immediately tried to roll onto her hands and feet to stand up, exposing her back, which her opponent quickly seized with a body-triangle.
Julija Stoliarenko began working towards a rear-naked choke, before trying to transition into mount. Once Molly McCann was convinced of the danger of an imminent choke and tried to shake her off, her foe switched to an armbar and 'Meatball' tapped immediately. The bout was a showcase of several things.
First, despite the time she spends with Paddy Pimblett, her grappling has not undergone any noticeable growth. Her tendencies remain the same, and she gives up key positions on the mat when trying to escape compromising situations.
The most telling revelation, however, was her ceiling. Molly McCann is currently unranked, and she certainly won't be ranked after losing to Julija Stoliarenko, whose record now sits at 11 wins and seven losses.
The only other foe she's beaten in the UFC is Jessica-Rose Clark, a fighter with 11 wins and nine losses. McCann, meanwhile, lost to someone who was 10-7 before beating her. At 33, with a 13-6 record, she likely won't get any better, and after losing to a fighter of Stoliarenko's caliber, fans should temper their expectations.
