UFC star Meatball Molly McCann 'not going to lie' as she shares life change after 'personal losses'

Molly spoke about the high and lows of the past 12 months
-Credit:BBC


‘Meatball’ Molly McCann opened up on her "wins and losses" outside of sport in an honest update. The MMA star will make her return to the UFC when she faces Istela Nunes at London's O2 Arena in March.

The bout will be the 34-year-old's third in the strawweight division and first since she suffered a unanimous decision defeat to Bruna Brasil at UFC 304 in July. The Norris Green-born fighter had a busy year in and out of sport, including opening a new bakery in Garston which proved very popular.

Molly reflected on all this in an interview with DJ Nick Bright on BBC Radio 1Xtra last week. When asked how she had found the past 12 months, she said: “I had a big win last year, a big loss, some personal losses in my personal life.

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“(There’s been) some big wins in my businesses and things I've got going on outside of fighting. (I’m) just grateful I keep getting to do what I do every day.”

Molly said she was still adjusting to her new weight class as she revealed she had spent time away from Merseyside over Christmas in her new house in Scotland.

She said: “It takes double the time to make the weight. Back in the day, it would take me eight weeks of dieting. You’re looking at 14 weeks for this one.

“I’m not going to lie, I had a great Christmas and then I stepped on the scales in January and was like, oh my god. Normally me and the team go out to Tenerife and have Christmas there but I recently bought a little gaff up in Scotland.

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"It's the first Christmas I’ve hosted myself. It was nice to be away, go for a walk on the beach every day or in the forest. It's what the soul needs.”

Molly added she was taking more time to prioritise her wellbeing. She said: "I've had to start giving Sunday to myself as a self-care day. I would have therapy in the morning, process that, walk the dogs and at night meditate, massage or go for a swim, just to get away from it.”

Moly is also pleased with the reaction to her BBC documentary with fellow Merseyside fighter Paddy ‘the Baddy’ Pimblett, which was broadcast last year. She said: “I think people have a perception of who I am.

“When I fight, I'm full of adrenaline, saying mad things. People either love me or hate me. I had to let go a couple of years ago about trying to prove who I am because they don't care anyway.

“I just had to let that go and what I decided to do in that shop was be real and say, I'm really struggling. You see a lot of reality TV and it’s scripted. Mine and Paddy’s was not like that.”