Danni McCormack renews calls for UFC contract after thrilling Vegas win

Mullingar MMA fighter Danni McCormack is calling on the UFC to give her a fight deal after a thrilling victory in Las Vegas earlier this month.

She overcame China’s Qihui Yan at the UFC Apex by unanimous decision on Friday, August 23, despite moving up a weight class to the strawweight division.

The fight was a part of the Path to the UFC TV show, which streams on Fight Pass, and Danni was promised a fight deal with the UFC if she managed to get a stoppage win.

Danni’s game plan was to make her opponent tired through repeated takedowns and kicks to the body, which was executed well throughout the three five-minute

rounds.

During one of her takedowns in round three, Danni’s head opened up after colliding with her opponent's hip, covering the Octagon in blood - which she later received stitches for – but the fight was allowed to continue after a doctor gave the all-clear.

“I got straight back at it straight away, took her down and started elbowing her on the ground again," said Danni.

“The referee told her to fight back a couple of times, so I nearly finished her, but she managed to get back up and there were only 20 seconds left, so I just brawled against the fence, threw as many punches and elbows as I could just to make it exciting.

“I knew if I wasn’t going to get the finish, I didn’t want the UFC to have any reason not to sign me and I won the round 10-8, which means she had no answer for me.”

Speaking in the octagon immediately after the fight, Danni took the opportunity to call out the current UFC strawweight champion.

“The champion of my division is Zhang Weili from China, so it was easy to call her out. I said I’ve already defeated one woman from China and now I want the next one,” she said.

“I said to them, I don't know why I'm not already in the UFC, I've been doing this the last 10 fights and I deserve a contract and all that.

“I was annoyed because I knew on the night that none of the matchmakers went and neither did Dana White and I just knew they weren’t going to give me a contract.”

Danni’s agent received bad news regarding a fight deal with the UFC after the fight.

Conor McGregor, a former UFC champion in two weight divisions, has since been advocating on Danni’s behalf to UFC owner Dana White.

“He texted Dana White about me, he tweeted a good bit, but it all seems to go on deaf ears.

“He said the UFC doesn’t have many storylines nowadays, that I have such a good story.”

For now, Danni has been told she is on a waiting list to fill in at the last minute if any places in a fight become available due to an injury drop out between now and Christmas.

“Dana is coming to Ireland at the end of September for a boxing fight and hopefully Conor can break down that wall when he’s here and show him some highlights of my fight,” she said.

“At the end of the day, I’m still really happy that we got to go to Vegas and experience fight week in Vegas; it was unforgettable.”