New sport aged 35. World title within eight fights. The first UFC fighter to win a boxing world title. Headline at Goodison Park.
For Molly ‘Meatball’ McCann, all the above is on her hit list. On Saturday she steps into the boxing ring for the first time as a professional, six months after she retired from MMA and 16 years after she last boxed.
McCann was a promising amateur before switching to MMA, winning an ABA title.
The odds are stacked against McCann but she is used to that. Her naysayers were often louder than her supporters during her UFC career.
“Since I was a little girl, my dream was to be a world champion in boxing,” she says.
“I’m not here to believe people can put down my dreams and ambitions and what I want to be.
“I kind of let that happen in the MMA world and now it’s time to take back who little Molly was and why she started fighting.”
McCann’s training base is at No Limits Boxing Gym in Liverpool. Her interview with BBC Sport takes place moments after a session, in a little room upstairs with a shower in the corner.
As it gets started, McCann leaves for a moment to ask the gym floor to keep the noise down. They oblige.
Despite never reaching the very top of the UFC title mountain, McCann retired as the most famous female MMA fighter the UK has ever produced.
With performance and sponsorship bonuses included, she earned upwards of £50,000 for her last UFC fights.
While women’s boxing has boomed in the last five years, MMA was one of the few places female athletes could earn as much as their male counterparts.
Some might think money is the motivation for McCann’s latest move.
Ex-UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou earned millions more than his best UFC pay day when he crossed into boxing in 2023.
But for McCann, that is not the case.
“That’s not the reason. I’m sure the money will come,” McCann says.
“I don’t think people should be in combat sport just to make money.
“I think it’s very dangerous. I’m taking a big cut to come to boxing because I wanted to do it and I love it.”
