The co-main event of Saturday’s UFC London card at the O2 Arena found Molly McCann looking to return to the win column against Julija Stoliarenko.
The flyweight fight had raised eyebrows when announced, given Stoliarenko’s history of weight struggles (she fainted on the scale a few years back) at 135lbs. But there were no hiccups at Friday’s official weigh-in at least.
McCann, meanwhile, was returning to the scene of her biggest triumphs in the UFC, a pair of spinning back elbow finishes in 2022 that led to a high-profile match-up against Erin Blanchfield last November.
Not surprisingly, given the move down in weight, Stoliarenko had a clear size advantage as Saturday’s co-headliner kicked off. She used her kicks and forward pressure to get McCann on the backfoot briefly, while McCann looked to use her boxing and duck under to close the distance. That wouldn’t happen, and instead it was Stroliarenko closing the distance, landing a takedown, and threatening to mount. McCann would turn to her knees, looking to escape and nearly reversed but wound up caught in an arm-bar, and that was tight! McCann was forced to tap and was nursing the limb when the hold was released.
A quick one, and a disappointing finish for Molly McCann — but a solid flyweight debut for Julija Stoliarenko. One that took the wind right out of the English crowd’s sails.
Official Result: Julija Stoliarenko def. Molly McCann by submission (arm-bar), Round 1, 1:55
