London, England — Molly McCann knows that despite her rousing success at the O2 Arena back in March, she cannot rest on her laurels.
The Liverpool, England-born strawweight returns to action at UFC London on Saturday, this time paired up with Hannah Goldy. And as good — superb, quite frankly — as her knockout of Luana Carolina was a few months back, it’s in the past now.
“A hundred percent. That spinning elbow means f*ck all on Saturday, doesn’t it? That’s not going to win me the fight, living off the last fight,” McCann (12-4) told media outlets including Cageside Press during Wednesday’s UFC London media day. “But what it has done is given me the belief, and given me the mental fortitude to come into this one and know really what I’m capable of.”
March’s card has been touted by many as one of, if not the greatest UFC Fight Night event of all time. McCann touched on that, and the feeling she had as European fighters picked up win after win at the event ahead of her own fight that night.
“All Molly McCann needs is a crowd. That’s all I need. I couldn’t do COVID, I couldn’t do— I was fortunate enough to go to Fight Island and be treated like an absolute Queen over in Abu Dhabi, I was fortunate enough to fight in the Apex while still in the bubble,” McCann recalled. “I couldn’t do it. I just couldn’t lift myself up to that kind of atmosphere. There was none.”
“You give me fifty drunk fans, and I’ll still give you the fight of my life,” McCann continued. “But listening to that O2, being in the changing room when me and Patrick [Paddy Pimblett] was getting ready, and we was watching it before we left, whilst we was on the way, and every, near enough every GB [Great Britain] fighter was getting the finishes and getting the wins, and you could just feel the momentum and the momentum was building.”
When it was time for her own fight back in March, “the second I heard my walkout tune, I just looked at everyone. It was massive for me to see, I hadn’t won in the COVID [era, with fans] so to walk out and that many people be cheering for me and wanting me to win, really really blew me away.”
The fans will no doubt be behind her again this time. “I know it will be a similar case on Saturday.”
Watch the full UFC London media day appearance from Molly McCann above. The event takes place this Saturday, July 23, 2022 at the O2 Arena in London, England.
