As far as 22-year-olds go, there are surely few as impressive as Cory McKenna.
The youngest female fighter to be signed to the biggest promotion in mixed martial arts, McKenna is as articulate and composed as they come – both in and out of the ring.
The first Welshwoman to compete in the UFC, McKenna made a successful debut in the company in November 2020, outpointing Kay Hansen after first introducing herself to UFC fans three months earlier on the Dana White’s Contender Series TV show.
McKenna was 20 at the time of her Contender Series appearance, another victorious showing where she beat Vanessa Demopoulos via decision. The wins over Demopoulos and Hansen took McKenna’s professional record to 6-1 following her flawless amateur career, and – after a 16-month wait – she will finally return to the Octagon on 19 March.
The O2 Arena will be the setting as McKenna fights in front of UFC fans for the first time, competing at the first edition of UFC London in three years.
“It’s already very rare that we get a card back home, usually once a year,” McKenna tells The Independent. “So, I feel like for the people back home it’s a bigger event where they show out and support the fighters. I know it’s going to be exciting, regardless of where I am on the card.
“It’s my first UFC event with the crowd, so I feel like it’s going to feel like my first actual UFC fight.”
McKenna will be one of numerous British fighters competing at UFC London, where the atmosphere is expected to be among the most electric this year due to the long wait for the promotion to return to the English capital.
“Until I got into the UFC, I’d only ever been to two of their events – the Manchester card in 2014 and a Sacramento card,” the strawweight says.
“I feel very fortunate that I had my whole pro career on Cage Warriors, where they did a very similar format and had big crowds. I was lucky enough to fight in England and Wales, so I’ve had that home crowd stuff. So, I feel like I’m already kind of prepared for it, but I’m also aware that it’s going to be completely different on fight night.
“I want to say I went to the O2 once for something... but I don’t think there’s any way to truly visualise the night until you experience it.”
UFC London will also mark a UK homecoming for McKenna, who has spent the best part of three years training with Team Alpha Male in Sacramento.
“When I left school at 16 to train full-time, my family holidays became orientated around trying out different gyms,” McKenna explains. “I knew eventually I’d need to find a home away from home to find the necessary bodies and get on a professional training schedule.
“On one of the trips, we ended up going to Team Alpha Male for a week, and it just really clicked. For my 18th birthday I actually did a training camp here, as I was making my pro debut soon after. I’ve pretty much been doing that consistently since.
“I was doing three months on, three months off between here and home, then when I got the Contender Series opportunity in 2020, I was able to get my visa. So, I just came out here and stayed because of all the Covid restrictions, and I’ve lived here since.”
It was at Team Alpha Male that former UFC men’s bantamweight title challenger Urijah Faber gave McKenna her nickname: “Poppins”.
“I was originally called ‘The Hobbit’, a childhood nickname from one of my Muay Thai coaches, because I was always one of the smallest at the gym,” McKenna says. “Then when I came out here, Faber would always be like, ‘Oh, you’re like Mary Poppins,’ because he’d say I’m well-spoken, good with the kids, I’d babysit a lot.
“He was pushing it, he’d put Instagram polls up to try to get people to change my fight name. I was kind of keeping ‘The Hobbit’ as a homage to my first gym, but when Faber got me the Contender Series opportunity, I was like: ‘We’ll give this a go for you as a thank you.’ It seems to have gone down well, people like it, so we’ve stuck with it.”
The nickname also inspired the “Scary Poppins” artwork on McKenna’s website, a design that she drew up herself.
“I haven’t really done any art for a while, because I’m a perfectionist with everything I do and if I start something I have to finish it,” she says.
“I’ve got this fight booked and am completely focused on my training, because when I draw I do have a tendency to get carried away and spend hours on it.”
If forced to choose between canvases, McKenna would much rather spend time on the Octagon’s this year, as the 22-year-old targets activity following such a long lay-off.
“I want to fight three or four times a year, but I’ve come to realise that every time I say that, it bites me in the backside...” she says.
“I’d like to stay active, injuries notwithstanding. I’m now in one of the most stacked divisions, so it’s not like we’re going to struggle for opponents. But I’m going to take it one fight at a time, and I’ve learnt not to put too much pressure on myself with time restraints and set goals and everything. I’m just gonna do my best to progress through the rankings however it comes.”
