I have watched the footage of Conor McGregor attacking the bus with his dolly multiple times. His behaviour raises many issues of course, but it got me thinking that not so long ago, McGregor himself was a struggling fighter, needing a payday, hoping for a win bonus or one of the after fight bonuses, to put food on the table or pay the bills, or in many cases to simply survive. Many of the fighters on the bus, were in need of that payday, that bonus, but McGregor wasn’t thinking of them, he wasn’t thinking at all most would say.
While I certainly don’t begrudge the wealth of McGregor, good luck to him, he’s built this persona, and of course he can fight, or at least he used to, but we sometimes forget the fighters who make up the cards, who don’t have that wealth, who just want to fight, either to get through life by earning their living through MMA or some simply do it for the love of it.
It got me thinking about Molly McCann who has just signed to the UFC. McCann is the outgoing Cage Warriors women’s flyweight champion, who will make her debut on the UFC Liverpool card on May 27th. McCann was backstage at the last Cage Warriors show in London, she was at that time not signed to the UFC, but the passion she showed in wanting on that Liverpool card left its mark on me.
McCann used words like she shouldn’t have to beg for a seat at the table, she talked about it completing her journey, the icing on the cake, about being a positive role model, she just wanted to fight on the biggest stage of all, as we now know, she didn’t have to beg, the invitation came.
With a record of 7-1, and on a 6 fight win streak, McCann enters the UFC on a roll, and is clearly not there to just make up the numbers, she wants to crack the title picture.
McCann nicknamed Meatball from her time working for Subway is a natural for the UFC. Too many fighters try to imitate McGregor, McCann has her own persona which will get her over with the UFC, it is not forced or manufactured, its just McCann being herself. The come forward aggressive fighting style will win her more fans in her new home, McCann is massively popular in her hometown, her fan-base will grow further still, that much is certain.
The UFC rarely let fighters grow, if they get a sniff of something, they often push their talent too soon, and that is a worry, if McCann is matched right she will go far, although I get the impression McCann wouldn’t turn any fight down.
How far McCann goes is to be determined, but nobody will forget her that much I can predict, enjoy the ride.
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