Molly McCann

McCann was born in Liverpool on 4 May 1990. Her father was absent and she was partially raised by her grandmother. She grew up in Liverpool's Norris Green area with two sisters. She went to secondary school at Avonbourne in Bournemouth. 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 with a degree in sports development and physical education. ==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". 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 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 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 event was eventually postponed. Instead, McCann faced Taila Santos 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 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 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 Diana Belbiţă 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. ==Professional boxing career==

On 3 July 2025, it had announced that McCann is signed with Matchroom Boxing. She made her professional boxing debut at Windsor Park in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on 13 September 2025 against Kate Radomska. McCann knocked her opponent to the canvas in the fifth round and went on to win by stoppage when Radomska's corner threw in the towel in the sixth and final round. In her second fight, McCann defeated Ebonie Cotton on points, 58–56, over six rounds at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham on 29 November 2025. In her third fight, McCann defeated Beata Dudek on points, 60–55, over six rounds at the Nottingham Arena in Nottingham on 21 February 2026. McCann beat Ashleigh Johnson on points, 78–74, in an eight rounder at Liverpool Arena on 18 April 2026. ==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 and a supporter of Everton and Celtic. She describes herself as a socialist 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 are cousins. Three of her grandparents are from Ireland. ==Championships and accomplishments==

Mixed martial arts • Ultimate Fighting Championship • Fight of the Night (One time) • 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 Fighting Championship Women's Flyweight Champion (One time) • MMA Fighting • 2022 First Team MMA All-Star ==Mixed martial arts record==

==Professional boxing record==

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