Molly Maria McCann Pearson[5] (born 4 May 1990) is an English mixed martial artist.
She is a former Cage Warriors Flyweight Champion and currently competes in the women's Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
[7] Despite a life-long affinity with Everton, McCann played for Liverpool, until an ankle ligament injury brought about her football retirement.
[7][8] Upon signing 16-year-old McCann in 2006, Liverpool manager Keith "Cliffy" Cliffe described her as a promising midfielder who liked to push forward.
[9] She graduated from Liverpool John Moores University with a degree in sports development and physical education.
In her early years as a fighter, she supported herself by working at Subway, which earned her the nickname "Meatball Molly".
[17] McCann faced Ariane Lipski on 22 June 2019 at UFC Fight Night: Moicano vs. Korean Zombie.
[22] McCann was scheduled to face Ashlee Evans-Smith on 21 March 2020 at UFC Fight Night: Woodley vs.
[37] As the first bout of her new eight-fight contract, McCann faced Erin Blanchfield on 12 November 2022 at UFC 281.
[43] In her first strawweight bout, McCann faced Diana Belbiţă in a rematch on 3 February 2024 at UFC Fight Night 235.
She came out publicly as lesbian at 25 after stating, "I absolutely ran from it until the wheels fell off, until I couldn't run no more.
"[52] McCann is a close friend of fellow Liverpudlian mixed martial artist Paddy Pimblett and a supporter of Everton and Celtic.
She is an opponent of the Conservative Party, due to her opinion that they had a negative effect on Liverpool and the working class in general, and on 23 July 2022, she led the crowd at the O2 Arena in a chant of "fuck the tories".