Paddy Pimblett deeply respects Molly “Meatball” McCann.
McCann, a close friend and fellow fighter from Liverpool, announced her retirement from MMA on Saturday at UFC London. This followed her quick loss by submission to Alexia Thainara. Addressing the London crowd, the 34-year-old McCann expressed that her performance wasn`t up to par for the UFC, herself, or the fans, and thanked everyone.
The next day, Pimblett shared a heartfelt message online, praising McCann`s achievements.
“Heartbreaking night watching my big sister retire,” Pimblett wrote on Instagram. He mentioned being with her from the beginning and promised to always be there. He emphasized that while her fighting career is over, their friendship is lifelong.
McCann`s professional MMA record stands at 14 wins and 8 losses since her debut in May 2015. In 2018, she became the first Cage Warriors women’s flyweight champion, which led to her joining the UFC. Her UFC career had ups and downs, including two separate streaks of three wins, but she often faced challenges against top fighters in the 125-pound division. Despite this, she was a popular fighter, especially in England, becoming the first English woman to win a UFC fight in London in 2019 against Priscila Cachoeira.
McCann is also well-known for her consecutive spinning back elbow knockouts against Hannah Goldy and Luana Carolina. However, she lost four of her last five fights in the UFC, finishing with a 7-7 record there.
Pimblett`s original statement was as follows: “Heartbreaking night last night watching my big sister retire. Been there with her from the start and will always be there this may be the end of her fighting career but it’s far from the end of mine and her friendship. That’s till death do us part ❤️ UKMMA women’s legend first English woman to get a win in the UFC and has one of the best knockouts in women’s UFC and combat sports history her legacy will live on forever emotional isn’t even the word for last night but even when I was crying the meatball will never fail to make me laugh when she said “haven’t done bad for a lesbo who was working in Subway have I” love u @meatballmolly and always will me big sis ❤️”
