Molly McCann was viciously beaten and submitted by Erin Blanchfield at Madison Square Garden in New York at UFC 281.
Blanchfield took McCann down early in the bout and toyed with the British fighter, who had burst into mainstream consciousness with two brutal knockout victories in London earlier this year. The American showed why she was such a heavy favourite as she outstruck her rival 111-6 before landing a Kimura and stopping the fight.
Despite Blanchfield being from New York, the crowd were all on McCann's side, with a number of British and Irish fans travelling to watch her first pay-per-view outing. But Blanchfield completely dominated from start to finish and secured the submission three-and-a-half minutes into the fight.
She rained down punches and elbows after trapping McCann's arm and rendering her almost defenceless, before gripping her in a Kimura that almost stopped the fight. The Brit escaped the submission but continued to take damage and was ultimately put in the same hold and had to tap out after suffering severe injuries to her arm.
Barstool Sports boss Dave Portnoy was among the celebrities in attendance, while Jared Leto, Jake Gyllenhaal and comedian Theo Von were also in the crowd. Portnoy wore a "Meatball Molly" shirt alongside fellow sports media personality Dan 'Big Cat' Katz, but their support wasn't enough to overcome the considerable skill differential between the pair.
Blanchfield was ranked No.12 in the flyweight division heading into the bout, while McCann had finally broken into the top 15 after three consecutive wins including two spinning elbow knockouts in London this year. She is now keen to get a spot in the top 10, given her seven-fight winning streak that includes four UFC victories.
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And she also called for a $50,000 bonus after landing a quick-fire stoppage, her second under the UFC banner. "It felt really good and I think that was worth $50k right there," she told Joe Rogan in the octagon immediately following the win. "I was definitely surprised the referee didn't stop it.
"I was throwing so many punches, threw a few elbows. She was still moving, she wasn't completely out but it probably could have stopped earlier. The first one she was blocking my legs and I couldn't get over the head, so I knew she was going to get out but the second one my leg was over her arm so I knew it would be there."
McCann will now go back to drawing board at Next Gen in Liverpool, with all eyes in the gym now on her teammate Paddy Pimblett who fights next month at UFC 282. Pimblett will face Jared Gordon on his own pay-per-view debut at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
