Joanne Calderwood Replaces Viviane Araujo, Will Face Jennifer Maia On Aug 1
Joanne Calderwood will risk her position as the number one flyweight contender to step up on late notice and fight Jennifer Maia on August 1. Viviane Araujo has been forced out of their bout with Maia after testing positive for the coronavirus
Calderwood earned a shot at flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko by beating Andrea Lee in September 2019. The fight was originally scheduled for UFC 251 in Perth, Australia but scrapped due to the ongoing global pandemic. It has now been pushed back further as Shevchenko recovers from knee surgery.
The Scottish standout posted the below message on Instagram after undergoing COVID-19 in Las Vegas ahead of her late notice fight against Maia.
“Thank you Dr Nick, James and all the staff @fightdocs for sorting out my Medicals and I got a COVID test done while I was there..grateful they always have my back for my medical needs being here in vegas.”
Maia snapped a two-fight win streak last time out against former title challenger Katlyn Chookagian. Prior to that, she picked up big wins over Roxanne Modafferi and Alexis Davis. The 31-year-old was supposed to fight Araujo in June at UFC on ESPN 12 but the promotion postponed the matchup due to travel restrictions preventing Brazilians from competing during the pandemic.
The UFC Fight Night card is scheduled to go down at UFC APEX in Las Vegas on August 1. Former bantamweight champion Holly Holm will headline the event in a fight against surging contender Irene Aldana.
Do you think Joanne Calderwood will regret risking her number one spot at flyweight?
