- Molly McCann reflected on her UFC Vegas 85 win over Diana Belbita
- “Meatball” pointed out that her win is a statement about her maturity
Molly McCann wants everybody to know that her strawweight debut win over Diana Belbita is proof that she has already matured as a fighter and person.
Molly sacrificed for her goal
Speaking to reporters in her UFC Vegas 85 post-fight performance, “Meatball” opened up about how difficult it was for her to deal with the devastation of losing back-to-back fights at flyweight. McCann revealed her coach talked to her about dropping down to strawweight and sacrificing if she really wants to be a champion.
“It’s just been the hardest 14 months of my life, my biggest dream was to fight on MSG, I got destroyed, I got co- main event at London, got destroyed and had to really dig in deep to see if I really wanted it. My coach sat me down and just said, ‘How much do you really want to be a champion? It’s going to cost that to make this weight and to achieve that at this weight’… [My performance] It’s not going to shut them [critics] up obviously, but I couldn’t have done any better,” McCann said.
“I felt calm, I felt ready, I felt like when I want to go into second gear, I don’t feel like I got out of first gear. If I’m being honest with you I was a bit nervous in cast I gas so I was like warm up in the first round and then get to it in the second, she’s still got five inches reach on me she still had six inches on a reach, so I just had to be away. I’m sure it was evident that I’ve carried power from the weight above to the weight below and I’m just as fast as strawweight as I was as flyweight,” she added.
Correcting her mistakes
McCann lost via submission in her last two fights, a kimura by Erin Blanchfield at UFC 281 and an armbar by Julija Stoliarenko at UFC London. For “Meatball,” her submission win over Belbita proves that she already corrected her mistakes in the past both professionally and personally.
“I always said to Paul and me coaches, I’m not part of the team until I get a submission win. I’m crying on the cage floor, ‘You’re part of the team now!’ I think for me more it’s just being about maturing as a woman, as an athlete, as a role model, as a partner, as a family, as a friend, as a student. I think it’s just growing up and I think I’ve grown up in front of everyone’s eyes today. I’ve made some mistakes I’ve said some stupid stuff and I’ve rectified it all today in that performance,” McCann reflected.
It’s clear as day that McCann’s goal is to compete for the strawweight title. It is yet to be known what’s next for her but she is expected to face a tougher rival in her new weight class.
Watch McCann’s full presser below:
