Alexia Thainara shined in her short notice octagon debut Saturday with a one-sided finish over Molly McCann at UFC Fight Night 255.
After accepting the strawweight fight on eight days’ notice, Thainara (12-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) came in and took McCann (14-8 MMA, 7-7 UFC) down just 70 seconds into the contest at The O2 in London. She quickly took the back and finished the fight inside the first round (via X):
Alexia Thainara submits Molly McCann in her UFC 💪 #UFCLondon pic.twitter.com/cBbgf4C4dR
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) March 22, 2025
As a result of the defeat, McCann announced her retirement from MMA, giving an emotional speech after a career that saw her become the first British female to earn a UFC win.
“UFC, Dana (White), Hunter (Campbell), Mick (Maynard), f*cking hell, all of you. I started this fight career at 24,” McCann said in the octagon while announcing her retirement. “I walked into this fight with these (coaches) and I give you all my f*cking heart and soul, but tonight, with that performance with someone on a week’s notice, it’s not good enough. I’m not coming out here just for the payday. The UFC deserves more. I deserve more and you all deserve more. … Thank you so f*cking much.”
After her loss at #UFCLondon, Molly McCann called it a career.
Thank you for everything @MeatballMolly! ❤️ pic.twitter.com/huwHKAR6YE
— UFC (@ufc) March 22, 2025
Although it was a moment of disappointment and the end of the road for McCann in active competition, it was a triumphant performance for Thainara, who hopes this is just the start of an illustrious UFC career.
“This is Alexia delivery. The UFC has the best matchmakers,” Thainara said through an interpreter in her post-fight interview with Michael Bisping. “They called, I came and I delivered.”
Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 255 results include:
- Alexia Thainara def. Molly McCann via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 4:32
- Chris Duncan def. Jordan Vucenic via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 2, 3:42
- Nathaniel Wood def. Morgan Charriere via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Chris Padilla def. Jai Herbert via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Lone’er Kavanagh def. Felipe dos Santos via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Marcin Tybura def. Mick Parkin via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Christian Leroy Duncan def. Andrey Pulyaev via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
- Shauna Bannon def. Puja Tomar via submission (armbar) – Round 2, 3:22
- Caolan Loughran def. Nathan Fletcher via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Kaue Fernandes def. Guram Kutateladze via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 255.
