Molly McCann completely shuts down arguments against UFC fighter pay
Molly McCann is one of the most exciting fighters in the UFC's flyweight division. 'Meatball' is tough as nails and never stops pushing forward, making for incredibly entertaining fights every time she steps inside the octagon.
The Liverpudlian was last seen in action at UFC London in March and will be seen competing at the promotion's next London card later this month. Ahead of her return to the octagon, McCann and fellow Liverpool fighter Paddy Pimblett caught up with Gary Neville for The Overlap. After discussing their childhood and how they got started in mixed martial arts, the fighters discussed a widely debated topic - fighter pay.
When asked about the criticisms the UFC has faced over the past few months regarding the purses dealt out to fighters and how they can seem underwhelming, Molly McCann explained why there are other factors to consider. 'Meatball' highlighted all the facilities and services the promotion makes available to its athletes that never seem to be accounted for in the debate:
"No other promotion would fly you around the world [and] put you in the five-star hotels. When you arrive, you send them your weight and they'll come up with a refeed program, they'll give you food all of the week, they're with you non-stop."
Highlighting the benefits of the promotion's Performance Institute in Las Vegas, McCann said:
"Then you've got the Performance Institute, which is like the EIS [English Institute of Sport]... we've got one in Las Vegas where you're allowed to go and use for free, so you've constantly got free physio [therapy], strength and conditioning programs..."
'Meatball' noted how all these added expenses for athletes, which cost a fair bit of money, are essentially free if they choose to train at the UFC PI.
Watch the segment at 25:00 of the video below:
Could Molly McCann enter the UFC flyweight top 15 with her next win?
'Meatball' will meet Hannah Goldy at UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Aspinall on July 23 at the O2 Arena in London, England. Both women are currently unranked. However, McCann is 2-1 in her last two fights, while Goldy is 1-2 in her previous two outings. Interestingly, these are the only two losses on Goldy's record.
The big difference between the two women's records is the experience - McCann has had 16 professional fights, while Goldy has had 8. Additionally, Hannah Goldy has had three fights in the UFC since her win on Dana White's Contender Series, while Molly McCann has had eight outings in the promotion.
After Taila Santos made flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko seem beatable for the first time in her dominant run, the women in the 125lbs division will be itching to find themselves in a No.1-contender's spot.
Given McCann's experience in the promotion and her current run of form, she may find herself in the rankings the following week if she can make it three straight wins on July 23.