Joanne Calderwood Regrets Not Waiting For Title Shot
Joanne Calderwood’s insistence to stay active lost her a title shot. However, the Scot is back and looking to make amends.
An injury meant that the UFC women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko was unable to compete, so Calderwood went after Jennifer Maia instead of waiting around for her chance at UFC gold. This plan backfired spectacularly when Maia submitted Calderwood in the very first round. Maia then faced Shevchenko for the belt in November, whilst Calderwood was left nursing an arm injury. (H/T MMAJunkie)
“I definitely regret it because I injured my arm, and I had to deal with that,” Calderwood told MMA Junkie at a pre-fight news conference Tuesday. “There was some stuff afterwards that didn’t go as planned. I regret it a little bit, but I try to see it as a positive. Everything happens for a reason. Here I am, not even a couple of months later, and fighting, so I’m looking forward to that.”
Medical professionals recommended that Calderwood should go under the knife following the loss, but she flat out refused. Rather than having surgery, the 34-year-old chose the rehab and stem cell route instead. The Scot believes she wasn’t at her best that night and refuses to put too much significance on the defeat.
“I don’t think it was the jiu-jitsu, honestly,” Calderwood said. “I just wasn’t feeling good the whole day. Mentally, I was outside of my body. I’ve been in that position a lot and I just felt like I wasn’t there, if you know what I mean. I was outside. It wasn’t my jiu-jitsu. It was just a bad day at the office.”
Looking to get back into the winning column, the Scot is up against Jessica Eye on the UFC 257 pay-per-view at Fight Island. Calderwood says that she isn’t a big fan of Eye on a personal level either.
“I see her every day at the PI,” Calderwood said. “She walks around like this ‘skillbilly’. She rubs me and she rubs everyone else up the wrong way. I feel like I’m the lucky one who gets to punch her and get paid for it.
“… We don’t like each other, so yeah. I wouldn’t say we’re putting a lot of trash out there. Last week, before I left here, she was trying to talk to me in the changing room. So I don’t if it’s that much of a grudge (match). I think it’s more for show. For me, I’m just here to turn up and do my job and tell you guys honestly my opinion.”
With a bit of bad blood, this should be a tasty clash before Dan Hooker vs Michael Chandler and Dustin Poirier vs Conor McGregor take the stage on Saturday night.
Do you think Joanne Calderwood or Jessica Eye will come away with the win?
