A horrific eye injury may keep Molly McCann on the sidelines for several weeks but the Liverpool flyweight is still beaming from making UFC history last weekend.
In being awarded a unanimous decision over Priscila Cachoeira at the O2 Arena, McCann – nicknamed 'Meatball' because of her previous employment at Subway – became the first English woman to win in the UFC.
Victory did not come without a cost, though, as McCann suffered a fractured orbital bone, three lacerations on her eye and a ripped tear duct, but having her hand raised gave her a feeling of immense satisfaction.
McCann told Press Association Sport: "I'm brilliant. I'm so full of chocolate. I hadn't eaten any rubbish since Christmas Day. I just haven't stopped since Saturday now.
First ever English woman to win inside the Octagon! Relive @MeatballMolly's historic fight at #UFCLondon pic.twitter.com/rmTNp4PyDs — UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) March 17, 2019
"I'm walking through Liverpool like I'm the best thing since sliced bread. I'm walking down the street and I'm getting free stuff: free food, free clothes from all the shops. I'm like 'ohh my God, this is great'.
"Nothing's bringing me down. No one can believe how buzzing I am. I still have not stopped smiling, most definitely. This is more than for me to win a good purse or even to win a fight.
"It's a legacy, I go down in the history books as the first ever English woman to win in the UFC.
"It can never, ever be taken away from me. It's not like Usain Bolt running the 100 metres and then someone running faster than him. I'll put it on my gravestone when I die!"
McCann, who in beating Brazil's Cachoeira, bounced back from being submitted by Gillian Robertson on her UFC debut last May, was originally told to prepare for three to four months out as a result of her injury.
But, following surgery, it was revealed to her that her eye was not as bad as first feared and that she could be ready for full-contact training in as little as six weeks.
Asked when she would be ready to return to the octagon, she said: "A fighter being a fighter, that's all you know how to do and that's all you want to do so I'd like to say as soon as possible.
"Someone called me out and wanted to fight me in July which would give me a couple of weeks for my eye and then I can train properly. When my eye is ready, I'll go.
"I'd like two more fights this year but until I've got the all clear, I'm kind of in limbo.
"But this isn't something that will happen again. It was just a freak punch that landed and where it's broke probably won't ever get caught with a shot again.
"If you've torn or blown your knee after a fight or playing football, you'd always be a little bit edgy. It's not going to be like that when I get punched in the face."
:: Watch UFC FIGHT NIGHT: THOMPSON vs. PETTIS live on BT Sport 2 from 10pm with the prelims exclusively live on UFC FIGHT PASS from 9pm this Saturday.
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