London — Since earning a UFC contract on the Contender Series last year, strawweight Alexia Thainara has waited to make her promotional debut.
The wait will be over this Saturday, as Thainara (11-1) steps in on short notice against “Meatball” Molly McCann at UFC London. It’s a main card debut for the Brazilian, against a local favorite who will have the fans behind her. And it’s coming on all of eight day’s notice, she revealed on Thursday.
“I’m really happy to be here. We accepted this fight on Friday, which is probably the last day would could have done that. But I was prepared,” Thainara told media outlets including Cageside Press during the UFC London media day. “My master always says that fighters need to stay prepared for when the phone rings, so you can step up. That’s exactly what we did. We’ve been waiting for fights since the Contender Series, and we took this one.”
Given the short-notice nature of the bout and travel required for the Brazilian to make it to England in time, it feels like at best, a crash course on “Meatball” is the most Thainara might get. Still, she’s feeling confident ahead of her debut.
“I have a pretty versatile and well-rounded game. My coach is an MMA coach overall, so I think it fits in pretty well,” she stated. “We watched some of her fights and we didn’t see anything that stood out in particular. So I think that my well-rounded and aggressive style is going to match up good against her.”
If you view the fight as striker versus grappler, you wouldn’t be wrong. Yet while Thainara has been working on her stand-up skills, she knows where she’ll have the edge.
“I’ve been working a lot on my striking so I’m not worried about that. I can stand up with her, not a problem. I have a huge heart,” said Thainara. “But if it goes to the ground, I’m going to make her terrified.”
Watch the full UFC London media day appearance by Alexia Thainara above. The event takes place this Saturday, March 22, 2025 at the O2 Arena in London, England.
