Molly McCann has decided to step away from MMA.
The English fan-favorite announced her retirement on Saturday night following a first-round submission loss to Alexa Thainara in London. In the fight, Thainara scored a trip takedown just over a minute into the bout, then was able to eventually work her way into a rear naked choke on the mat for a tap.
“I started this sport at 24, walked into the gym with these three boys, and I’ve given you all my f****** heart and soul,” McCann said during her post-fight interview. “But tonight, with that performance with someone on a week’s notice, it’s not good enough. I’m not coming in here just for the payday. The UFC deserves more, I deserve more, and you all deserve more. From this little girl from Norris Green who’s got to fight in these amazing arenas, thank you so f****** much.”
McMann first got into MMA back in early 2013, when she saw fast-rising bantamweight star Ronda Rousey beat Liz Carmouche at UFC 157. Just a few months later, she won her amateur debut.
By mid-2015, McCann moved into the professional ranks. It was around this time, in her mid-20s, that she also publicly came out as gay.
“It was MMA and it was jiu-jitsu that gave me the courage to be who I am and not be scared of what other people think … I’m so lucky that all my mom’s friends, quite a lot of them, are gay,” McCann explained on BBC’s LGBT Sport Podcast in 2020. “I was brought up in a safe space where you’re allowed to be who you want to, we’re not going to judge that person. My Mom’s a recovering addict, so I was brought up like, you never pass judgment on anyone because you never know their story.”
McCann had a quick rise on the regional scene, putting together a run of six consecutive wins that culminated with a 2018 title win in European regional promotion Cage Warriors. Later that year, with a record of seven wins and one loss, she signed onto the UFC roster.
Overall, McCann never made it high in the flyweight standings. With a UFC record of seven wins through 14 appearances, she was a middle-of-the-pack talent for most of her time in the promotion. However, she was nonetheless one of the scene’s most prominent names with a strong domestic following within England.
McCann was a close friend and training partner to Paddy Pimblett, a lightweight who made his UFC debut in 2021. Together, they were a fixture on UFC’s trips to their home country in recent years.
McCann appeared on five different lineups in England since 2022, delivering highlight-reel spinning-back elbow knockouts against Luana Carolina and Hannah Goldy along the way.
McCann is leaving the sport after losing four of her last five fights, including appearances against rising names like Erin Blanchfield and Bruna Brasil. At 34, she’s stepping away from the sport at an earlier age than many. But she leaves with other business ventures already in place, including a cafe and deli brand in her home town of Liverpool.
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