Molly “Meatball” McCann racked up another win before a raucous home crowd at UFC London. McCann didn’t even need an entire round to finish Hannah Goldy, throwing another spinning elbow and demolishing Goldy with a flurry of punches before the fight was stopped. After the fight, McCann had a bigger name in mind, albeit not the one many fans might have expected.
“I never call anyone out, that’s not for me to do. But when you talk about legacy, prestige, honor, who’s the best in the game? It’s Valentina. Am I Valentina-ready yet? No, come on. Am I Antonina-ready? Let’s see. I believe I am.
Molly McCann Calls Out Antonina Shevchenko To Prep for Valentina Clash
This isn’t like a diss, but I genuinely think this is an amazing fight to have and I know if they do one fight camp for me, if I ever make it to Shevchenko they’ll have the blueprint. But I’ll also have the blueprint because I’ll know how to beat her sister. So with the greatest respect, I’ve said her name because I think she’s the best.”
McCann has emerged alongside fellow Liverpudlian Paddy “The Baddy” Pimblett as a budding star for the UFC. She’s probably right in that she’s a few fights away from challenging for the UFC women’s flyweight championship, but with her noticeably improvements as a fighter and ever-increasing profile among the MMA fanbase, she’s certainly on the right trajectory.
This, she says, is partially thanks to the support of “The Baddy” himself. “I gave you fight IQ. I gave you patience. In positions where I might have been taken down, submitted, controlled, none of that. And I was against the cage and some bird went, ‘Hey girl, you smell nice.’ I was like, ‘What?’ In that moment, the whole fight changed.
I’m going to be deadly honest with you, sometimes I go back and forth in my mind, ‘Am I who I think I am? Am I going to leave the legacy I think I am?’ And then [Pimblett] goes, ‘Shut up, you’re the ‘Meatball.’ Of course you are.’
What I can tell you is I had a lot more faith in myself. I believed in myself more. I believe it’s my time to be where I’m supposed to be. I believe I’ve learned all the lessons that I’m supposed to have learned.”
Will we see Molly “Meatball” McCann fight for UFC gold? How close is she to taking on one of the most feared, and dominant, champions in women’s MMA? Let us know in the comments.
