In the world of UFC, fighters’ backgrounds often intrigue fans just as much as their performances. Molly McCann, currently competing in the women’s strawweight division, has also found herself in the MMA sphere’s eyes for her remarkable toughness and multiple ‘Performance of the Night’ winning fights inside the Octagon.

With a 14-6-0 record in her MMA career so far, McCann began her journey in MMA after witnessing Ronda Rousey taking on Liz Carmouche in 2013 in the first-ever women’s fight in UFC history. Now, with her name firmly etched in the fandom’s minds, let’s take a look and learn more about her ethnicity, family, and relationship with fellow British UFC star, Paddy Pimblett!

Where did Molly McCann grow up? Is she Irish?

Molly McCann was born in Liverpool, England on May 4, 1990, and a significant portion of her early life was spent with her grandmother who raised her due to her father’s absence. McCann grew up in the Norris Green area in the city known for being the birthplace of ‘The Beatles.’ She started training in combat sports with karate, kickboxing, and Thai boxing before starting to focus only on boxing when she was around 12 years old.

While her nationality is English, McCann also has Irish ancestry as 3 of her grandparents hailed from Ireland. Interestingly, she is also related to Irish Olympic gold medalist boxer, Katie Taylor as they both share a grandfather.

During a 2018 interview with MMA Fighting, McCann revealed, “I’ve got family in Ireland, in Bray actually. You won’t believe this, but I’m actually related to Katie Taylor. We traced our family tree and it turns out that my granddad is her granddad.” She also confessed that it was Taylor’s ability to draw sell-out crowds in her home country of Ireland that inspired McCann to put on a pair of boxing gloves and step inside the squared circle.

All we know about Molly McCann’s parents

Molly McCann’s mother’s name is Sharon and not a lot of information is available about her late father. In honor of his memory, after her fight at UFC Vegas 18 in 2021, McCann had left her gloves in the center of the cage. In a post on X after the event, she had clarified that she wasn’t retiring from the sport but stated, “Before I get into it. I left the gloves in the cage for my dad. There’s still fight in this old dog yet.”

Her mother had also dealt with substance abuse issues in the past but in April 2020, McCann took to Instagram to share that, “Today my mums 22 Years clean and serene. Happy clean time mum! No better feeling than going to a NA convention and then doing the countdown, and you’re always one of the last standing! Words can’t describe how proud you make me mum!”

Are Molly McCann and Paddy Pimblett related?

Paddy Pimblett and Molly McCann aren’t related but they are very close friends and die-hard supporters of one another. The Liverpool natives train together out of the ‘Next Generation MMA Gym’. According to a report by The Guardian, Pimblett has called McCann his “big sister” while McCann shared that, “You’ll never meet another Patrick Pimblett or Molly McCann. I don’t know if it’s because I’m a girl and he’s a boy, but we push each other to be better versions of ourselves and don’t envy each other’s success.”

The interview also revealed the origins of McCann’s nickname, ‘Meatball.’ She got the name as she used to work at Subway in the past and the name has stuck throughout her journey to the grand stage of the UFC. Now, McCann will be taking on Bruna Brasil at UFC 304 on July 27, hoping to continue her rise in the UFC’s strawweight division!