Molly McCann made a heartbreaking admission regarding the reason she decided to retire from mixed martial arts at UFC London.
The 34-year-old was submitted in the very first round by Alexia Thainara on Saturday night, marking a run of 1-4 in her last five.
The Brazilian stepped in to replace Istela Nunes on short notice and was favoured in the matchup due to her grappling prowess.
After one takedown and over three minutes of control time, ‘Burguesinha’ sunk in the rear-naked choke. This marked victory for the first time in the UFC for the former SFT strawweight champion.
In the immediate aftermath of the fight, ‘The Meatball’ took off her gloves and announced to both Michael Bisping and The O2 Arena crowd that she would be retiring from the sport.
The 34-year-old moved down to the strawweight division in 2023 in an attempt to relight her fighting form. Despite winning her divisional debut, the loss on Saturday marked consecutive defeats and she decided to call it quits on her time in the cage.
She spoke to TNT Sports backstage, making an incredibly honest assessment of her decision.
She said: “When I broke my leg last year, it took me everything to get back. And it was really hard for my body to… I’m not a spring chicken.
“To be outmanoeuvred in the first round, I’m not good enough to be in there. And that is okay.
“I’m not here to make up the numbers, I’m here to win, and if I’m not winning, and I fight like that, I don’t deserve to wear the gloves, in my opinion.
“This is the best of the best in the world, and it doesn’t matter what I’ve done in my past and where I’ve taken this sport.”
Molly McCann Proudly Reflects on Fighting Career
Despite ending her MMA journey, the Scouser can be completely satisfied with her achievements.
She retires with a 14-8 record that notably includes winning the Cage Warriors flyweight title, becoming the first Englishwoman to have her hand raised in the UFC, as well as one of the all-time great women’s MMA knockouts – a spinning elbow that put Luana Carolina unconscious back in 2022.
During the teary-eyed post-fight interview, McCann reflected on her MMA career.
She said: “I get to go and party after this and celebrate a f*cking great career and I just get to be really thankful for everything that I’ve managed to do.
“I’m so whole and so full and so thankful for it, and I’m not doubting my decision.
“Didn’t touch the world title here, but got one in Cage Warriors, though, still a world champion. I’m just proud.”
Quotes in this article via GiveMeSport
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Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
