"Meatball" Molly McCann Retires From Mixed Martial Arts

After getting submitted by Alexia Thainara in the first round of their fight at UFC London, our friend "Meatball" Molly McCann took off her gloves and announced she was officially retiring from mixed martial arts. McCann said that losing to a short notice opponent with a performance like that just wasn't good enough, and that she and the UFC both deserve better - and thanked the fans and everyone in the company before giving an inspiring message to all the little girls out there watching and offering her services as UFC Ambassador to Dana White. Paddy "The Baddy" Pimblett was in the front row, obviously very emotional, and I'm not gonna lie - I got a little emotional myself!

We got to know Molly pretty well in her short time signed to Barstool, and spent a decent amount of time with her, her team, and her family, and she's one of my favorite people I've met since I started working here and covering MMA. Molly, Paddy, and their whole team are so great and always treated me like I was family myself when I was with them - and even seeing how they've taken in our friend and former coworker Blaise is awesome; they turned a Philly kid into a Scouser! Getting just a small glimpse of how much she put into the sport was eye opening, and to her credit - Molly was never one to turn down fights. It didn't matter if it was a big up and coming prospect or someone way bigger than her (which was often the case). She always showed up to scrap, always showed major heart in that octagon - and we'll NEVER forget the run of back-to-back hellbows....

....and the shoulder-endangering celebration....

I'll certainly never forget this leg kick, either….

Molly's set up for a great life post-retirement with a sandwich shop called Polpetta, a coffee shop called Moll & Joel's Rolls, and a side-gig as a DJ for events - and Dana would be foolish to pass up that offer to have Molly out there selling the brand as well in my opinion! She's amassed more fans than most fighters ever will, and holds some of the most viral moments the UFC has had in the last few years. I imagine we'll see the Meatball around the sport for a long time, even if she's not actively fighting.

Congrats on the retirement, Meatball!