"Thank you, Meatball" - Fans react to Molly McCann announcing her retirement after tough loss against Alexia Thainara at UFC London

MMA fans gave out heartfelt expressions after witnessing Molly McCann announcing her retirement following her loss at UFC London. Unfortunately, McCann failed to survive even the first round of her final encounter.

McCann chose to call curtains on her almost seven-year-long career in the UFC following her UFC London defeat against Alexia Thainara. 'Meatball' entered the UFC in 2018 and had her debut fight against Gillian Robertson on May 27. However, she lost the fight via a rear-naked choke in the second round.

McCann hadn't been on the best of runs in recent years. She walked into the UFC London fight with a 1-3 record in her last four encounters. However, the Liverpudlian boasts a decent UFC record with seven wins and seven losses while her pro-MMA record stands at 14-8.

The final defeat of McCann's UFC career came in the same method as the defeat in her debut fight. Thainara locked in a tight rear naked choke in the final minute of the first round of the fight to make the UK native tap out, defeating her via a submission.

An X update from the UFC showcased McCann's emotional retirement speech during her octagon interview with Michael Bisping.

A plethora of fans took to the comment section of the post to bid farewell and thank McCann for her contribution. A few such comments read:

"Thank you, meatball🥹

"God bless you meatball. You did us proud"

"Farewell message for Molly McCann"

"Thank you Molly for years of entertainment ❤️#UFCLondon"

Check out some more reactions:

Fan reactions [Screenshots courtesy: @ufc on X]

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Molly McCann was a champion in the promotion from which she moved into the UFC

Molly McCann is a close friend of the no.12 ranked UFC lightweight, Paddy Pimblett, as she also hails from the city of Liverpool like Pimblett. However, there are several other common factors linking the two.

McCann is associated with Next Generation MMA Liverpool, the same training facility where Pimblett trains. She made her way into the UFC after her time at Cage Warriors, where 'The Baddy' also proved his might before moving to the UFC.

However, the biggest common factor in the MMA careers of these two Liverpudlians is that both held championships in Cage Warriors before moving to the UFC. McCann held the flyweight championship in Cage Warriors while Pimblett stood as a former Cage Warriors featherweight champion.