Molly McCann was sent into retirement by a bonus-winning performance in one of the most exciting fights at UFC London.
Alexia Thainara locked in a rear naked choke in the first round to put an end to ‘Meatball Molly’s UFC career, after accepting the fight on just days’ notice. Her win was one of just three stoppages on a relatively flat night at the O2 Arena in London which broke records at the gate but made fans leave early.
Sean Brady’s main event submission of Leon Edwards capped off a relatively lacklustre evening in the British capital. And it earned him one of four bonuses, which were almost exclusively given to the finishers of the night.
Alexia Thainara and Sean Brady win UFC London $50,000 bonuses
While Sean Brady’s victory was the biggest result of the night and may have earned him a rematch with Belal Muhammad, it was the earlier main card that really excited fans. Alexia Thainara sent Molly McCann into retirement with a first round submission after a comically long dancing ring walk.
Elsewhere on the night, Chris Duncan’s submission of former Cage Warriors champion Jordan Vucenic was the only finish not to earn a bonus. Instead, Kevin Holland’s impressive domination of Gunnar Nelson earned him the extra pay day.
The first of the other two bonuses was handed to Ireland’s Shauna Bannon for a stunning come from behind victory after being brutally dropped by a Puja Tomar head kick. And the final one went to Brady for his impressive main event win over the former champion, stopping him for the first time.
UFC London breaks records at the gate
Despite fans leaving in droves before the main event was even over, the UFC still boasted a massive attendance and gate in London. Edwards’ defeat coupled with other tough hometown nights for the likes of McCann and Mick Parkin made for a drab evening.
The O2 Arena did see a packed 18,582 sold out attendance that included stars such as Jose Mourinho and interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall. This made for a $4,711,410 gate, which means it was the highest grossing Fight Night in UFC history.
Last year a June show in Louisville, Kentucky earned the record with $2.5million, but that was overtaken by UFC Seattle earlier this year that earned $3,841,751. That was smashed by the UK crowd, who paid premium prices for tickets in London.
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