Joanne Calderwood is aware of the risk she's taken, accepting a short-notice fight with Jennifer Maia despite being next in line for a shot at Valentina Shevchenko's Flyweight title, but she's happy with her decision regardless.
Having been out of action waiting for her title shot since last September, the Scottish fighter decided to jump back into the octagon when a fight with Bullet was delayed further due to the champ needing surgery. With that Calderwood took a fight with Maia on short notice and the two will face off this Saturday. Many questioned the move as it could backfire exponentially for her and cost her the title shot she'd earned, but the flyweight defended her decision and explained her reasoning for taking the risk.
During the UFC's virtual media day, Calderwood said: “For me, we were training for Valentina, and then it got put back, then it got put back again, and I guess the frustration in me, I was just not getting anything out. I was enjoying training, and I was getting better, but I was itching to get back in and let that killer instinct out of me. I feel like I just wanted to get in there and fight and had a lot of energy I wanted to get out, and also with the crazy times that are going on right now, I was just like, ‘I want to go out there.’
“I have the opportunity to do it, I’m healthy, and I don’t have any injuries, so that also plays on a lot of fighters’ minds when you’re doing this for a job and it’s full contact. I could get injured, and that could put me out for a few months, so that was also in the back of my mind.”
Calderwood is well aware of the statement another win would do heading into an eventual title fight, but admits she's well aware a title fight may never come into fruition.
“It’s sad to say you just never know (if I’ll still get the title shot),” Calderwood said. “That’s out of my control, and I know I took a risk-taking this fight. For me it makes sense, and I know I’ll be ready. Win on Saturday then I’ll be ready to – if she’s coming back in November, I’ll definitely be ready to take that title shot if UFC will let me have it.”
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