Molly McCann dreams of Liverpool homecoming: ‘There’s nowhere else in the world I’d rather fight’
Molly McCann reveals that she and fellow MMA star Paddy Pimblett are pushing for the UFC to return to Liverpool; McCann will return from defeat this summer and fight Julija Stoliarenko on July 22 in London; “We only know how to try and strive and keep on raising the bar,” McCann declared
Molly McCann still hopes for an emotional homecoming fight in Liverpool in future, though her next UFC bout has been confirmed for London in July.
McCann returns to action against Julija Stoliarenko on July 22 at UFC London.
This fight comes seven months after her submission defeat to rising American star Erin Blanchfield, with McCann now attempting to propel herself back into title contention.
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The UFC will return to the capital only four months after seeing Leon Edwards successfully defend his welterweight title in London in the third instalment of his historic trilogy with Kamaru Usman at UFC 286 in March.
With the Birmingham champion aiming to return to the octagon towards the end of this year, McCann’s fight has been announced first on what is expected to be a stacked card.
But the 32-year-old admits that she and fellow Merseysider Paddy Pimblett have been trying to persuade the UFC to stage an event in Liverpool.
She said: “I feel as if the UFC only want us to be in bigger venues. We’ve pitched it and pitched it and pitched it. There’s nowhere else in the world that we would rather fight than the M&S Bank Arena but they’re just not having it.”
“Meatball” will aim to get back to winning ways against Stoliarenko and look to do so in spectacular fashion, just as she did in her last two bouts in London where she defeated Luana Carolina and Hannah Goldy with brutal elbow knockouts, winning ‘Performance of the Night’ on both of those occasions.
McCann’s first-round defeat to Blanchfield was the end of her three-fight winning streak during a meteoric 2022. The manner of the loss led to time away from the sport and with her return scheduled for the summer, this will be her longest lay-off since 2019.
Fellow Liverpudlian and training partner at Next Generation MMA, Pimblett may miss out on the London card this summer as he continues to recover from ankle surgery which has left him on crutches for over six weeks.
Pimblett damaged ankle ligaments during his controversial unanimous decision victory over Jared Gordon at UFC 282 late last year, which extended his winning-streak to six.
Although that decision may have been contentious, McCann believes that both herself and Pimblett are destined for greatness and that the city of Liverpool is not only supporting them but is a real part of their journey.
“We only know how to try and strive and to keep on raising the barrier,” she said.
“At this minute, me and this boy are really doing that, and the rest of the city is following so it’s in the air isn’t it? It’s in the water and you’re a product of your environment.”
