Molly McCann announces retirement after defeat at UFC London to Alexia Thainara
Molly McCann, the first Englishwoman to win in the UFC, announces her retirement after being submitted in the first round by Alexia Thainara; Leon Edwards stunned by Sean Brady at UFC London
Sunday 23 March 2025 17:29, UK
Molly McCann announced her retirement following a shock defeat to Alexia Thainara at UFC London.
McCann was beaten after Brazil's Thainara, making her UFC debut, took the 34-year-old down to the canvas with a rear naked choke.
The former flyweight champion took off her gloves as stablemate Paddy Pimblett watched on with tears in his eyes.
"UFC and Dana [White], I started this sport at 24 and I have given you all my heart and soul. Tonight, with that performance on a week's notice, it's not good enough - the UFC deserves more," said McCann.
"From a little girl from Norris Green fighting in arenas - look at me, look at what I've managed to do."
McCann retires having won 14 of her 22 fights across a 10-year career.
She suffered a fractured leg last July after a bruising defeat to Bruna Brasil at UFC 304.
"I've been to hell and back," McCann told Sky Sports ahead of her clash with Thainara.
The defeat to Brasil pushed McCann into a low point but the Liverpudlian pushed herself harder to make a stronger comeback.
"I was probably at my lowest," McCann added. "I took it really hard because I had trained so much, I didn't cut corners and even when you give everything you don't deserve to win and that was the bitter pill I had to swallow.
"I was beat up, my body was in bits, I was just grieving but I wouldn't be doing this if I had one ounce of doubt that I shouldn't be."
Edwards stunned in London
American Sean Brady scored the biggest win of his career with a superb submission over ex-welterweight champion Leon Edwards to silence the crowd at London's O2 Arena and catapult himself into contention for a shot at compatriot Belal Muhammad's title.
Brady dominated before a guillotine choke forced Edwards to tap out at 1:39 in the fourth round.
With Muhammad set to put the belt on the line against Australian Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315 in May, Brady is in pole position to meet the winner.
The 33-year-old Edwards, appearing in his first fight since losing the title to Muhammad in July last year, dealt well with the constant forward pressure from Brady in the first round but once the American took the fight to the mat the tide turned.
In the co-main event, New Zealand's Carlos Ulberg scored a unanimous decision victory over Polish former champion Jan Blachowicz in a light heavyweight bout, extending his unbeaten run to eight fights and moving closer to a tilt at the title.
