Liverpool’s Molly McCann picked up her third consecutive UFC win on Friday night, in Boston.
The Next Generation MMA fighter dismantled promotional newcomer Diana Belbita over three rounds to earn a unanimous decision victory and likely put herself amongst the flyweight rankings.
The women’s 125 lbs division is only two years old so a three fight win streak is rare and the Liverpool fighter could be just one or two fights away from a title fight with champion Valentina Shevchenko.
The division is full of high-profile names for McCann to build from and here are five perfect fights for her on her march to UFC gold.
- Maycee Barber:
A fighter which UFC President Dana White called “a gangster” and arguably the biggest prospect in female mixed martial arts.
The 21-year-old has impressed the fighting world since her arrival to the big stage and is similarly on a three win streak inside the world’s most famous octagon, like McCann herself.
Barber is undefeated and beating somebody the whole fighting world is watching out for would give McCann the momentum to cement herself amongst the division’s best.
Her training partner Leah McCourt called for a fight with Barber after the fight.
She tweeted: “Let’s see Maycee barber vs @MeatballMolly at UFC London ???”
The pair both fought at Boston so a turnaround early next year makes sense.
2. Joanne Calderwood:
Calderwood is the highest ranked fighter McCann could likely fight against next and the bout would be an important fight for the UK market.
The UFC are consistently looking to build the market outside of North America and a fight between McCann and Calderwood could be perfect.
England vs Scotland to determine the best flyweight in Europe and who could the next fighter to push in a marketability sense.
The fight would draw attention and could even be the UFC’s first female headlining show in the UK and a step towards the sport growing further mainstream.
Calderwood is ranked third in the division, so it would be a massive contender fight for McCann, who could fight for the title afterwards if successful.
3. Rematch with Gillian Robertson:
A fight with Gillian Robertson is one McCann might want to forget about and move on from, or one she wants to rectify, to recover from the personal demons she faced from the loss.
The American submitted McCann in the second round in Liverpool, in McCann’s UFC debut to which she has come out and talked about the negatives she faced after the loss.
The rematch could be a chance for redemption.
Robertson lost to Maycee Barber on Friday so again the turnaround makes sense for both.
4. Antonina Shevchenko
The sister to the division’s champion and a narrative McCann might need to jump ahead of the rest of the contenders.
Antonina is a similar stand-up fighter, but shares a different style which would make the fight the most exciting match-up out of all the fights available.
A fight with Antonina Shevchenko would set up a perfect narrative in that the champion Valentina would have the opportunity to avenge her sister’s loss and defend her title all in well-promoted fight for the division.
A fight with Antonina would be the biggest test of her career however.
Antonina Shevchenko’s sister and flyweight Champion Valentina Shevchenko – Pic by Staff Sgt. Natasha Stannard under Creative Commons License.
5. Lauren Murphy:
Murphy is the least appealing name from the list but a win over her would be useful in guaranteeing a ranked spot and a longer win streak.
The American is a veteran of the sport and is potentially the easiest option from the five from which the Liverpool fighter could build on from there.
Ultimately, there are a flood of intriguing fights for McCann next and if she continues to keep winning, her shot at gold won’t be far away.
Picture by Magog the Ogre under Creative Media Commons
