Scotland’s Joanne Calderwood put on a dominant performance at UFC Fight Night Brooklyn, defeating debutante Ariane Lipski via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27) to secure her third win at flyweight.
Calderwood (13-3) put on a much-improved performance benefiting from the more comfortable weight of 125lbs in addition to her time spent at Syndicate MMA and the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas beginning to pay off.
UFC Fight Night Brooklyn took place at the Barclays Centre in Brooklyn, NY, kicking off the brand-new UFC on ESPN+ broadcast partnership in the US with Calderwood’s bout featured on the ESPN televised portion of the undercard.
“I’m at the weight that I should be at, I’m at the gym that I should be at, I’m at the Performance Institute and everything is coming along great,” Calderwood told ESPN. “I feel this is where my career and my potential is going to shine.”
Although she didn’t get the finish, Calderwood said she feels as though she’s done enough to warrant a fight with fellow flyweight Jessica Eye (14-6, 1 NC).
“I want to call out Jessica Eye,” Calderwood said during her post-fight interview. “We both have 3 wins in the flyweight division. I was hoping for a finish, but you can only ask right?”
With the flyweight division still developing, Eye currently has the best win streak (3) to warrant the next shot at champion, Valentina Shevchenko.
Even if Calderwood doesn’t get the crack at the flyweight title or a number one contender fight with Eye, the Scot is just happy to be mixing it with the best in the division and believes it’s only a matter of time before she gets her opportunity.
“I’m excited to be in this division,” Calderwood explained. “I believe it’s going to be the best once it’s all straightened out and I’m just glad I’m in the mix. I believe in myself. I believe in my years of experience and the s— that I’ve been through and everything that I’ve put into this sport, I believe I should be up there with the top girls.”
That being said, is she ready for the champ, Shevchenko now?
“Hell yeah, if the UFC call me, I’m ready.”