If Henry Cejudo is the King of Cringe, Alexia Thainara might be the Queen. That said, her antics heading to the Octagon and immediately following her impressive first-round submission win over Molly McCann were one of the biggest stories from UFC London.
According to MMA Gains, no fighter—not even Sean Brady, who dominated Leon Edwards in the main event—gained more followers on Instagram after the event.
By mid-afternoon on March 26, Thainara had already seen her IG followers grow by more than 35,000, compared to 33,000 for Brady.
Thainara, 27, stepped in on a week’s notice to face McCann. While she came in as the favorite due to her ground game, performance on the Dana White’s Contender Series, and McCann’s struggles with submission defense, Thainara was still an unknown to most MMA fans.
McCann is a legend and women’s MMA pioneer in the UK, and she was fighting in front of a crowd cheering her on. No matter to Thainara—she came to the Octagon with one of the most exaggerated, prolonged entrances ever.
It felt like it lasted as long as The Undertaker’s entrance at WrestleMania, only Thainara danced vigorously throughout. UFC cutman Jason Fielding looked unamused as Thainara delayed her time stepping into the checkpoint for final preparations before entering the Octagon.
Fans were ruthless on social media during Thainara’s walkout. One said, “Can’t wait for Molly to knock her the f### out.”
Another said, “Cringe.”
A third commenter said, “She can get knocked tf out after that walk.”
Welp, none of that happened. Thainara masterfully dismantled McCann, submitting her with a rear-naked choke in the first round, improving her pro MMA record to 12-1. Thainara’s only loss is a 2019 submission defeat to Bruna Brasil before both entered the UFC.
After the loss, McCann laid down the gloves and announced her retirement from the sport.
To add insult to injury, in the seconds immediately after the referee pulled her off the submitting McCann, Thainara did this—which is tough to describe. If nothing else, it was memorable.
As you might expect, fans had even more to say after this celebration. One commented, “She is annoying!”
Another said, “I can’t stand excessive dancing.”
A third commented, “Trashy celebration.”
Most of the comments called out UFC Europe for labeling Thainara’s win an upset, as she was the betting favorite. There were also some positive comments like, “A star is born,” and “Incredible performance, this is a new star on the rise.”
Whether you love or hate Thainara’s dancing, you cannot argue with the short-term impact of her performance before, during, and after the fight. We’ve seen fighters accelerate their growth in the UFC by carving a niche for themselves that works as a complement to their Octagon skills.
A lot of fans hated Conor McGregor. Many hate Ilia Topuria, Jon Jones, and some despised Ronda Rousey. However, they made you care about their fights, one way or another.
Thainara has a long way to go before she could hope to reach those fighters’ level of success and notoriety. However, if she keeps making a splash with her skills and continues to press fans’ buttons with her antics, the last group of commenters will be correct.
We will have a new star in the UFC.
