The first fight for the UFC’s next card in London has been confirmed, with Molly McCann set to take on Julija Stoliarenko in a women’s flyweight bout.
The UFC recently announced a return to England for a Fight Night event on July 22, which will mark the second time the promotion has gone to London this year. UFC 286 also took place at London’s O2 Arena in March, with Leon Edwards successfully defending his welterweight title against Kamaru Usman in the card’s main event.
UFC 286 featured a number of prominent UK fighters but did lack a few of the region’s bigger names currently on the UFC roster, so it’s no surprise to see a fight between “Meatball” and Stoliarenko get booked for this event.
Molly McCann Looking To Stay Perfect On UFC’s Trips To London
Molly McCann was riding an impressive three-fight winning streak heading into her most recent fight against Erin Blanchfield at UFC 281, but that momentum was halted when she was submitted in the first round.
That recent winning streak was the second time that “Meatball” has managed to win three fights in a row since joining the UFC, and her back-to-back spinning elbow finishes of Luana Carolina and Hannah Goldy in particular helped to make her one of the promotion’s more recognizable UK stars.
McCann came up short in her UFC debut in her hometown of Liverpool in 2018, but she’s 3-0 so far when fighting on UFC cards in London.
While Molly McCann will try to rebound from her lopsided loss to Blachfield, Stoliarenko may very well be fighting for her job when she steps into the Octagon in London.
The former Invicta FC bantamweight champion is currently 1-4 since joining the UFC, with her lone victory being a 42-second armbar against Jessica-Rose Clark at UFC 276.