UFC 304: Molly McCann suffers defeat by unanimous decision, Muhammad Mokaev continues winning streak

ByBen McCrum

Published 28/07/2024 at 03:18 GMT+1

Popular UFC strawweight 'Meatball' Molly McCann failed to continue a night of dominance for British fighters at UFC 304, after losing a unanimous decision to Bruna Brasil. McCann showed heart and determination after a difficult first round where she was knocked down, but didn't do enough to win over the judges. The result is the 34-year-old's third loss in four fights, taking her record to 14-7.

'Meatball' Molly McCann suffered a bruising defeat at UFC 304 in Manchester as she slipped to a defeat by unanimous decision to Bruna Brasil.

The Liverpudlian made an uncharacteristically calm walk to the octagon ahead of the fight but exploded instantly once the fight started as she looked determined to end the night early with a first-round finish.

But Brasil's patience and composure meant that McCann struggled to close the distance and damage her opponent and instead absorbed significant damage herself, leading to her being dropped late in the round due to a knee to the body.

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'Meatball' changed her gameplan in the second round and utilised her grappling but, despite finding success throughout the round, another knockdown for Brasil meant that McCann entered the final round needing a finish.

But despite her grit, McCann failed to find the required finish and lost the fight by unanimous decision, with the judges scoring the bout 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28.

The fight was McCann’s second in the strawweight division, which she moved to in February after spending nine years fighting in the weight class above, flyweight.

However, after back-to-back first-round submission losses, ‘Meatball’ decided to cut an extra 10lbs to fight as a strawweight.

Her first fight in the division saw her submit Diana Belbita via an armbar in the final seconds of the first round.

Mokaev defeats Kape to continue winning streak

Earlier, Wigan’s Muhammad Mokaev set up a potential title fight against flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja after a bad-blooded bout against Manel Kape ended with a unanimous decision victory for the 23-year-old.

Prior to the fight, the pair clashed several times, including just moments before the fight began as the fighters entered the octagon, but they appeared to settle their differences with a show of respect at the end of the final round.

'I want a title shot' - Mokaev targets new contract after continuing unbeaten streak

Video credit: TNT Sports

But the fight perhaps didn't live up to the excitement in the build-up, with some fighters taking to social media to criticise Mokaev and Kape for their failure to deliver on their pre-fight promises.

Henry Cejudo and Michael Chandler let their feelings known online about the fight as both showed their disappointment.

Bannon, Parkin and Elliott enjoy wins

Earlier in the night, McCann’s close friend and team-mate Shauna Bannon – who lost her last fight to Brasil – got her first win in the UFC with a split decision victory over Alice Ardelean in the opening fight of the evening.

Elsewhere, English heavyweight Mick Parkin secured the first finish of the night with a first-round knockout victory over Lukasz Brzeski, extending his flawless record to 10-0.

'It's like a movie' - Parkin delighted with 'insane' atmosphere in knockout win

Video credit: TNT Sports

Sam Patterson continued the success for English fighters on the preliminary card, securing his second consecutive first round submission after he defeated Irishman Kiefer Crosbie with an arm-triangle choke.

Welshman Oban Elliott put in an impressive performance in his welterweight bout against American Preston Parsons, taking his record in the UFC to 2-0.

Jake Hadley produced the first upset victory of the evening after he defeated controversial Irishman Caolan Loughran by unanimous decision after stepping in on just seven days notice to make his bantamweight debut.

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