Molly McCann has spoken about the impact of her rise to fame within the UFC, saying that she never expected the attention she has received, with her focus remaining on a world title shot.
McCann and fellow Scouse fighter Paddy Pimblett both train out of the Next Generation MMA gym in Liverpool and she is committed to delivering on that goal for Paul Rimmer and his team at the the gym based on Kempton Road on the edge of the City Centre.
The 32-year-old has been on the UFC roster since 2018 but has recently risen to prominence alongside fellow Next Generation star Pimblett, with the pair having starred at successive UFC London events. They have had a series of extremely entertaining press conferences and appearances together and have become two of the biggest characters within the sport.
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In an interview with UFC.com, Meatball Molly spoke of the new experience of fame she has felt and opened up about her rise to fame but her continued focus on delivering a world title for Rimmer and their team, she said: “(The attention) became overwhelming.”
The flyweight added: “We all had to learn…Nobody actually asked for fame. We just asked to be world champions, and obviously the fame side comes with it, so it’s just trying to understand that.”
Her coach Rimmer, who has been along for the journey with both Pimblett and McCann also admitted his confusion about the fame both have received. “I think it's like really good to see them blow up because they are such amazing people,” Rimmer said.
“It's great for the world to see them, get to know them, and I feel like they’re so open and good people, that people feel it from them, feel they're approachable and they can come and speak to them and reach out. I think that's a very important thing, like being able to come and meet your role model, train with your role model, ask them some advice.
"I can't think of another sport where you can just walk into a training facility that world class athletes train in and become friends with them and train with them and do them sort of things, but MMA is that sport where you still can do that.”
McCann will take a step up in quality when she takes on Erin Blanchfield at UFC 281 in New York. Blanchfield, at 23 years old, is already one of the best flyweights on the roster with a record of nine wins from her first ten professional MMA fights.
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