PHOENIX – Joanne Calderwood and Lauren Murphy meet in an important clash in the UFC women’s flyweight division, and “JoJo” believes it’s going to provide some pretty memorable scenes.
“I love it,” Calderwood said of the matchup. “She’s tough. We’ve both never been stopped. I’ve only been submitted, so I can see this as both going the distance and putting on a great performance because we’re both going to go in there let our s*it go, and it’s going to be a great fight for the fans.”
Calderwood (15-5 MMA, 7-5 UFC) and Murphy (14-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) meet on the ESPN-broadcast prelims of Saturday’s UFC 263 at Gila River Arena in Glendale, Ariz. It’s a big fight at 125 pounds, with Murphy currently ranked No. 9 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie women’s flyweight rankings, and Calderwood just behind at NO. 10.
Murphy had hoped to get a title shot rather than this booking, but a win would likely net her that assignment. Meanwhile, Calderwood had a title shot in her hands recently but chose to fight rather than wait on an injured champ, and it backfired with a defeat.
With an impressive performance, it’s not unthinkable that Calderwood would get a shot at champ Valentina Shevchenko, as well.
“Obviously Lauren was very vocal that she wanted to be next, and that didn’t happen for her, so I think everything happens for a reason, and I’m glad to get this challenge,” Calderwood said. “Luckily we have a champion in our division that wants to stay active, and she wants to fight all of us, so that’s great for me.”
First, of course, Calderwood must get through Murphy, and that’s exactly what she plans on doing this Saturday. She knows it won’t be easy, of course, and she agrees with Murphy’s assessment that it’s likely to be a violent, bloody contest.
“We’re both pale-skinned,” Calderwood said. “We’re both going to go in there and hit each other, and we’re going to come out looking like lobsters with blood or just our skin being pink.”
To hear the full interview with Calderwood, check out the video above.