Molly “Meatball” McCann’s rise to fame has been a whirlwind. McCann toiled for years in relative obscurity until two thunderous spinning elbow knockouts within a year catapulted McCann to MMA stardom. McCann is set to appear at UFC 281 this weekend, and revealed the “poetic” advice she received from MMA superstar Conor McGregor at the pre-fight media day.
“I messaged him going, ‘How do you handle this? Because you can blow up and then you can blow up. I just couldn’t quite get my head around how some people are with you.’
Molly McCann Reveals “Poetic” Advice from Conor McGregor
[McGregor] was just like, ‘When you’re in the gym, it’s just the gym. Don’t let no one else in. Keep everyone outside. Always remember it’s just fighting. You’re a cage warrior. That’s what we are. We’re Cage Warriors champions.’
He said some mad things about, ‘Valentina is going to get a Mac spanking’ and all these things. It was so poetic, and it was so lovely.
My partner, Ellis, printed it off and put it in a sign at MSG. It’s in my front room. So every day, if I’m struggling or I’m feeling good, I don’t get ahead of myself, get a big fat head, and walk around with ego. It’s to stay grounded and realize that I’m just here to win. The rest of it, the external factors mean f*ck all.”
McCann was six fights into her career before things started to take off. Her spinning elbow knockouts and infectious, enthusiastic personality earned McCann a Barstool Sports sponsorship deal, and she now has a major fanbase to call her own.
“It’s been absolutely disgusting, to be honest. Post-fight, I’ll enjoy an ale, enjoy doing the media with everyone. Then, when you get home, it absolutely kicks you in the face, because you’re not normal any more. I can’t just walk a little Frank and Patty down the streets anymore. So what I’ve had to do is leave a private life, because my life is not private anymore.
That’s been something that not everyone has had to deal with. When we start fighting, I think we start to just win a belt. We don’t start for fame. We don’t really start for the money. It’s about the prestige and the honor of winning that belt.”
It’s a long way to the top for a fighter nicknamed “Meatball” for coming in to the gym smelling of the Subway where she used to work. Are you a Meatball McCann fan? Let us know in the comments.
