Molly McCann contemplated retirement after suffering a fractured leg during her loss to Bruna Brasil last July but believes her best is yet to come.
Popular UFC strawweight ‘Meatball’ McCann suffered the injury at UFC 304 with the first kick of the fight and consequently wasn’t able to recover, losing a unanimous decision to Brasil.
The result was the 34-year-old’s third loss in four fights, taking her record to 14-7 but after time spent focused on recovery, McCann has big plans for her future.
“I’ve been to hell and back,” McCann told Sky Sports ahead of her clash with Alexia Thainara on Saturday.
“If you’re a decent marital artist and if you have any skin in the game then you will always find a way to adapt and overcome and grow with the sport.
McCann suffered a fractured leg at UFC 304 with the first kick of the fight
“I don’t think we understood the severity of the injuries that I had in the last fight. I just thought I was really beat up and then a couple of days later when we got the result we realised the damage I sustained.
“That was a long three months. I wasn’t allowed physical contact for around 10-12 weeks which was tough to deal with when your whole life is fighting.
“I lost about 30 per cent of my hamstring and 20 per cent of my calf in that [medical] boot.
“I would go into the gym looking at the weights or the anti-gravity machine and I would think: ‘Am I getting back from this?'”
‘I was probably at my lowest’
McCann’s loss to Brasil was her third loss in four fights taking her record to 14-7
The defeat to Brasil pushed McCann into a low point but the Liverpudlian has since pushed herself harder to make a strong 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.”
Despite her defeats having a substantial impact on her, McCann says she still wouldn’t change it.
“I need some adversity to get up there and go again. Not many people can overcome as many downs as I have and I’m still here.
“Maya Angelou said: ‘We must endure defeat but we must never be defeated’, and sometimes it takes defeat to realise that.
“There were certain moments when I could have been finished in that fight [against Brasil], but I managed to get through on one leg.”
‘Opened a coffee shop, went to Ibiza, got my head down’
The severity of McCann’s injury meant she was forced to take time away from the sport she loves.
However, this opened up new avenues for her to explore as she shifted her focus away from MMA and to recovery.
“I just got back on the horse, opened up a new coffee shop, had a good time in Ibiza in the summer, and got my head back down,” McCann said.
“I’m more hands-on with my businesses now too, I spent some time in Scotland getting back to nature and going fun stuff.
“I realised my support system and my friends are a lot more imperative than I thought.”
Dropping down a weight class to strawweight for the first time has also given her a fresh outlook on her career.
“My whole game is different at this weight compared to 125kg, there’s more patience and it’s less frantic,” McCann said.
“I’ve been finding my way back to loving the sport and I think in the last few weeks it’s peaked at the right time.”
While it may be difficult to top her spinning elbow knockout, McCann believes that her best is still to come.
“I think you’re going to see something where you’ll be like: ‘Where has that come from?'” she added.
“It will be a better version of me on Saturday. The finishers I might not get, but for the way I overcome any obstacle, I just can’t wait.
“My best days are still to come.”
