Molly McCann vs. Julija Stoliarenko UFC on ESPN+ 82 Odds, Time, and Prediction

Molly McCann suffered a soul-crushing round 1 defeat in her last outing. She was defeated by Erin Blanchfield in New York last November, and since then, “Meatball” has been working on her comeback. This Saturday, she’s got a chance to bounce back to the winning track with a win over Julija Stoliarenko at The O2 Arena in London, which might be Molly’s favorite venue.

That’s the place where she’s won already two fights, each time winning by TKO and winning the Performance of the Night bonus. Can she do the same again? Odds sure suggest so, but there are a few things you should know before you put any money on the Scouser. To learn about these things, just keep reading our McCann vs. Stoliarenko prediction piece.

*Odds taken from BetUS on Monday, July 17, 2023.

When, Where, and How to Watch?

• Place: The O2 Arena, London, England
• Date: Saturday, July 22, 2023
• Time: 3:00 p.m. (Eastern Time)
• How to Watch: ESPN+

Is This Molly’s Biggest Fight So Far?

Meatball Molly has been very open about her emotional state following the first-round loss to Erin Blanchfield in November. It destroyed her, and the fact that many MMA fans turned their back on her really left a scar on her soul. However, she used the bad emotions as fuel to prepare for her comeback.

It’s been more than eight months since the loss, and she’s determined to bounce back with a win. She’ll (probably) have the London crowd to cheer her on, but does she have the skills needed to beat Julija Stoliarenko on Saturday?

She sure has the power, as well as the striking skills to do so. Molly is one of the biggest brawlers in the women’s flyweight division who hits hard and who hits often. This explains why both of her last two wins happened by TKO. What’s interesting is that both of those fights took place in London, at The O2 Arena.

The same is the venue of the UFC on ESPN+ event, and Molly will be expected to aim for another finish. However, this can be very risky for her, especially if the fight goes to the ground. The thing is that her Achilles heel is grappling. And we still haven’t told you the worst thing – grappling is her opponent’s forte.

Julija Stoliarenko Is a Better Grappler Than Anyone Molly’s Ever Faced

Julija Stoliarenko is an expert in Brazilian jiu-jitsu who’s got a BJJ black belt and plenty of experience with submission grappling. This year, she’s already won gold at the Masters 1 European IBJJF Open Championship.

Further, the Lithuanian fighter who’s 10-7-2 in her professional MMA career, has 9 wins by submission in her portfolio. In simple terms, this means that if the McCann vs. Stoliarenko fight goes to the floor, it’s the underdog fighter who’ll have the advantage.

But will the fight go to the floor? We can’t say we’re confident about it. It’s not just because Meatball Molly is a fantastic striker; it’s also because Stoliarenko is not. She’s got a negative striking differential, with 2.75 significant strikes landed on average, and 4.61 absorbed per minute. On top of that, she’s got three losses by KO/TKO in her portfolio, with zero wins by this method.

McCann vs. Stoliarenko Prediction

Julija Stoliarenko is such a good grappler that Molly just mustn’t let the fight go to the ground. Instead, she needs to make sure she finishes her opponent quickly. With the help of her crowd at The O2 Arena, we think she’s going to pull it off. An early win by McCann is what we predict for the UFC on ESPN+ 82 co-main event.

Pick: Molly McCann to win by KO/TKO in round 1