'I'm boxing for me': Molly McCann on making the switch from MMA

BBC News

3 days ago

Determined, dedicated and a favourite with fans, Molly McCann, nicknamed Meatball Molly, has enjoyed a successful career in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA).But boxing has always been Molly's first love, and within months of her retirement from MMA in March, the 35-year-old announced she had signed with Eddie Hearn's Matchroom Boxing."I used to do MMA because, I was like, I want to make the city proud, I want to make my family proud - and I've done all that now," she said."I'm boxing for myself."
A former amateur boxing champion, McCann says she made the decision to switch to MMA after her particular boxing category was not included in the Olympic games."The highest level for me wouldn't be an Olympic medal, so I thought what else can I do?" says the athlete.Her subsequent decade-long career in MMA brought her considerable success.She won 14 of her 22 fights, and is one of the most successful - and high-profile -women fighters in British MMA history.But it has taken a toll."It's four Olympic disciplines in one," she says."So imagine how much you have to commit your life to being an Olympic athlete for one Olympic discipline, [then] imagine doing that for four."The negative side" she says, was "how heavy it is on the body over long periods of time"."There wasn't a lot of women doing it when I was - so I was constantly training with people who were a little bit heavier than me, and it just took its toll on my body in the end."
McCann says she hopes she has helped break down barriers for other girls seeking a place in combat sports."It was like knocking doors down so girls could go to gyms - and that legacy is in place," she says proudly.With over half a million followers on social media, she has been determined to give people an honest insight into the life of an elite athlete. "I show hard work, I show what I get up to - and if I'm feeling down and I'm not having a good time, I let you know too."I think it's really about being transparent and honest about what life really is."What we do isn't glamorous, but it's real - and I think it's important."
McCann's first boxing match takes place in Belfast on 13 September, having stated her ambition is to "win a world title within eight fights".The 35-year-old has said it "was always the dream" to return to boxing, and hopes to have the support of her Liverpool home crowd behind her."I'm just so proud of being a scouser. I'm so proud of everything we're about, and the support that we show," she said."Me and Paddy [Pimblett] always say it: when you come and watch us fight, it's always a little bit different - the crowd is a little bit different - and it's because we bring more scousers with us."When we fight, you'd always see we're looking for the finish - to bring it home and to party with everyone after."
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