Joanne Wood heads into UFC 286 aiming to snap skid, secure new contract

LONDON – Joanne Wood very much is in need of a win, and she realizes it heading into UFC 286.

Wood will take on Luana Carolina in a women’s flyweight preliminary bout Saturday at The O2 after a one-year layoff. Wood’s last time out was in March 2022 when she lost by first-round submission to now-UFC champion Alexa Grasso, bringing her losing streak to three.

Wood, 37, was considered the No. 1 contender to then-champion Valentina Shevchenko in early 2020, but an injury to Shevchenko plus the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic scrapped those plans. Wood instead took a fight and lost to Jennifer Maia rather than wait things out. Including that matchup, Wood (15-8 MMA, 7-8 UFC) has lost four of her past five bouts and is below .500 for the first time in her UFC tenure, which began in 2014.

All of these factors give her a sense of urgency heading into UFC 286.

“I’ve only got one more fight after this in my contract, so the goal right now is to get back in the win column and get another contract, because I feel like I’m not done yet,” Wood said Wednesday at UFC 286 media day.

To hear more from Wood, watch her full UFC 286 media day session in the video above.

UFC 286 takes place Saturday at The O2 in London. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and early prelims on ESPN+.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 286.