"She got an amazing armbar" - Ex-UFC champion Cris Cyborg predicts future title reign for Molly McCann in new weight class
Brazilian-American combat sports legend Cris Cyborg has words of high praise for the UK's Molly McCann. Cyborg notably suggested that 'Meatball' could potentially become a UFC world champion in the new weight class she's recently entered.
For years, McCann (14-6 MMA) competed in the flyweight division. In fact, the Liverpudlian happens to be a former Cage Warriors women's flyweight champion. Since making her UFC debut in May 2018, she's amassed seven victories and five defeats inside the octagon.
In her latest bouts at flyweight, McCann fell victim to a first-round kimura submission against Erin Blanchfield in November 2022 and a first-round armbar submission against Julija Stoliarenko in July 2023. Following that, she's believed to have worked extensively on her grappling prowess, even competing in the ADCC submission grappling realm.
Furthermore, in her most recent MMA bout, McCann changed weight classes, going from the flyweight (125-pound) to the strawweight (115-pound) division. In her first fight since July 2023, 'Meatball' faced Romania's Diana Belbita in a rematch. Their first encounter (October 2019) was a flyweight bout that McCann won via unanimous decision.
Their rematch, a strawweight bout, transpired at the UFC Vegas 85 event (Feb. 3, 2024) and witnessed McCann secure a vicious first-round armbar submission victory against Belbita.
In the latest edition of The Catch Up podcast featuring James Lynch and Cris Cyborg, Lynch asked the latter for her thoughts on Molly McCann's quick stoppage victory in her new weight class.
Cyborg, who's a former UFC women's featherweight champion and the reigning Bellator women's featherweight champion, responded by indicating that McCann may be better suited to the 115-pound division. Moreover, the 38-year-old Cyborg predicted that the 33-year-old McCann could win a world championship at strawweight. She stated:
"That was a great victory for her, you know. To see how much she sacrificed to make the weight, 115 [pounds], I believe. Yeah? She did great. I think she can be the next champion, you know. She's got an amazing armbar. It's very good."
Watch Cyborg's assessment below:
What's next for UK UFC mainstay Molly McCann?
Bellator women's featherweight titleholder Cris Cyborg recently implied that she'd like to fight Leah McCourt or Larissa Pacheco next. However, Cyborg's next opponent and exact comeback date haven't been officially confirmed yet. Besides, she's lately been at odds with the PFL management after PFL's acquisition of Bellator MMA.
Meanwhile, the consensus is that Molly McCann is likely to continue her quest to win UFC gold, albeit not at flyweight but in the strawweight division. It's currently unclear as to whom she'll fight next. During her post-fight octagon interview at UFC Vegas 85, 'Meatball' seemed to suggest that she's pleased with her decision to change weight classes. She said:
"Say less. Do more. The plan was to be a world champion; didn't work at 125. You know, 'DC,' when the plan doesn't work, you don't change the goal. You change the plan."
Check out Molly McCann's comments below (0:45):