Joanne Calderwood – Syndication Server

Taila Santos replaces Alexa Grasso, meets Joanne Calderwood at UFC Fight Night on Nov. 20

The UFC has been forced to make a change to the next potential title eliminator at women’s flyweight.

A matchup many viewed as the next title eliminator in the UFC women’s flyweight division won’t be happening.

[autotag]Alexa Grasso[/autotag] has been forced to withdraw from her scheduled matchup with [autotag]Joanne Calderwood[/autotag] (15-6 MMA, 7-6 UFC) at UFC Fight Night on Nov. 20. She will be replaced by [autotag]Taila Santos[/autotag] (18-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) in what will remain an important contest for the weight class.

MMA Junkie confirmed the switch with a person close to the situation, who requested anonymity because the UFC has yet to make an official announcement. UFC broadcast partner ESPN first reported the news.

UFC Fight Night on Nov. 20 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The entire card streams on ESPN+.

Calderwood, No. 10 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie women’s flyweight rankings, is coming off a split decision loss to Lauren Murphy in a title eliminator at UFC 263 in June. She’s alternated wins and over her past six fights, twice failing to secure a title shot in that stretch.

No. 11 Santos, meanwhile, is coming off a dominant win over Roxanne Modafferi at UFC 266 this month. The Brazilian has lost just once in 19 career fights and is currently riding a three-fight winning streak inside the octagon.

The latest UFC Fight Night lineup now includes:

Miesha Tate vs. Ketlen Vieira
Sean Brady vs. Michael Chiesa
Joanne Calderwood vs. Taila Santos
Cody Durden vs. Aori Qileng
Cheyanne Buys vs. Loma Lookboonmee
Terrance McKinney vs. Fares Ziam
Rafa Garcia vs. Natan Levy
Pat Sabatini vs. Gavin Tucker
Azamat Murzakanov vs. Marcin Prachnio
Denys Bondar vs. Malcolm Gordon
Davey Grant vs. Adrian Yanez
Shayilan Nuerdanbieke vs. Sean Soriano

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UFC 263 results: Lauren Murphy earns tough split decision over Joanne Calderwood

Lauren Murphy extended her win streak on Saturday at UFC 263 with a win over Joanne Calderwood.

Lauren Murphy’s tear through the flyweight division continues after defeating Joanne Calderwood.

Murphy (15-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) won a tough fight against Calderwood (15-6 MMA, 7-6 UFC) to earn a split decision victory.

The women’s flyweight bout was part of the UFC 263 preliminary card at Gila River Arena in Glendale, Ariz. It aired on ESPN following early prelims on ESPN+ and ahead of the main card on pay-per-view.

The first round began with a few striking exchanges in the center of the cage. Calderwood focused on mixing up punches and kicks, while Murphy stuck with punching and initiating a couple of clinches to threaten takedowns.

Calderwood landed a nice spinning elbow a few seconds before the round ended. The first round was a toss-up, with both fighters having success.

Murphy came out looking to lean on her wrestling skills in the second round. She secured a takedown and began landing ground and pound strikes while focusing on keeping control on top and looking for an opening for a choke.

Murphy won the second frame by spending the majority of the round on top of Calderwood, who just did her best to mitigate damage. A 10-8 score from a judge would be understandable.

Focusing on keeping the fight standing in the third, Calderwood looked to win striking exchanges while keeping Murphy from getting the fight back to the mat. Both fighters landed clean strikes, but Calderwood appeared to be the fresher fighter in the final round.

What a fight from these two! 👊

⚡️ @LaurenMurphyMMA and @DRKneevil go the distance at #UFC263.

[ Prelims are LIVE on @ESPN & @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/IIpM2ol5tC

— UFC (@ufc) June 13, 2021

The fight would go the distance, with two of the judges scoring the bout in favor of Murphy with scores of 29-28, while the dissenting judge scored the fight 29-28 for Calderwood.

LUCKY @LaurenMurphyMMA locks her 5th straight win 🙌#UFC263 pic.twitter.com/rZbTkpXI9J

— UFC (@ufc) June 13, 2021

Ahead of the bout, Murphy thought she would need to make a statement in this fight in order to secure a title shot against Valentina Shevchenko.

Now on a five-fight winning streak with no other clear No. 1 contender ahead of her, the run that began in 2019 could speak for itself when it comes time to determine the next challenger.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 263 results include:

Lauren Murphy def. Joanne Calderwood via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Movsar Evloev def. Hakeem Dawodu via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-27)
Pannie Kianzad def. Alexis Davis via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Terrance McKinney def. Matt Frevola via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 0:07
Steven Peterson def. Chase Hooper via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Fares Ziam def. Luigi Vendramini via majority decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-28)
Carlos Felipe def. Jake Collier via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

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Joanne Calderwood explains why she and Lauren Murphy are ‘going to come out looking like lobsters’ at UFC 263

Joanne Calderwood and Lauren Murphy meet in an important clash, and “JoJo” believes it’s going to provide some pretty memorable scenes.

PHOENIX – [autotag]Joanne Calderwood[/autotag] and [autotag]Lauren Murphy[/autotag] 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.”

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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.

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Flyweight contenders Joanne Calderwood, Lauren Murphy to square off at UFC 263

Top UFC women’s flyweights will collide on the promotion’s June pay-per-view card.

Top women’s flyweights will collide at an upcoming UFC pay-per-view.

At UFC 263 on June 12, [autotag]Joanne Calderwood[/autotag] and [autotag]Lauren Murphy[/autotag] are set to square off in what could be a title eliminator. The event does not currently have a publicly known location or venue.

Two people with knowledge of the matchup informed MMA Junkie of the booking on Saturday but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Murphy (14-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) currently rides the longest winning streak of her UFC career. She’s racked up consecutive victories over Mara Romero Borella, Andrea Lee, Roxanne Modafferi, and most recently Liliya Shakirova at UFC 254 last October.

Meanwhile, Calderwood (15-5 MMA, 7-5 UFC) alternated losses and wins over her most recent four outings, though she’s won four of six. In 2020, Calderwood was booked to challenge women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko in June. When Shevchenko withdrew due to injury, Calderwood elected to fight Jennifer Maia rather than wait for the champion to heal. Calderwood lost to Maia by first-round submission.

At UFC 257 in January, Calderwood returned and defeated former title challenger Jessica Eye via unanimous decision.

With the addition, the UFC 263 lineup includes:

Champion Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Brandon Moreno – for flyweight title
Jake Collier vs. Carlos Felipe
Luigi Vendramini vs. Fares Ziam
Hakeem Dawodu vs. Movsar Evloev
Sijara Eubanks vs. Karol Rosa
Paul Craig vs. Jamahal Hill
Joanne Calderwood vs. Lauren Murphy

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UFC 257 medical suspensions: Conor McGregor faces potential lengthy layoff due to injury

Following his first career knockout loss, Conor McGregor was handed a potential lengthy suspension.

[autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] is facing hefty time off following his UFC 257 loss to [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] on Saturday.

Former UFC double champion McGregor (22-5 MMA, 10-3 UFC) suffered a technical knockout loss – the first of his career – in a rematch against Poirier (27-6 MMA, 20-6 UFC). Prior to the finish, Poirier damaged McGregor’s legs with an onslaught of leg kicks.

McGregor, 32, was handed a 180-day medical suspension as a result of a potential right tibia/fibula injury sustained in the fight. Like all medical suspensions, he will be eligible to return sooner, if his injuries are cleared by a doctor.

Poirier, meanwhile, received a seven-day suspension for mandatory rest.

MMA Junkie obtained the full list of medical suspensions from MixedMartialArts.com for UFC 256, which took place this past Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

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After the fight, McGregor was on crutches. He hobbled his way backstage and to the post-fight news conference, where he expressed the pain he felt.

“My leg is completely dead,” McGregor said. “Even though I felt like I was checking them, it was just sinking into the muscle in the front of the leg, and it was badly compromised. It was like an American football in my suit at the moment, so it is what it is.”

UFC 257 competitors [autotag]Andrew Sanchez[/autotag] and [autotag]Matt Frevola[/autotag] were also each handed 180-day suspensions. Sanchez, who lost via TKO to Makhmud Muradov on the main card, suffered potential nasal and tibia/fibula injuries. In the featured preliminary card bout, Frevola suffered a potential right hand injury in a unanimous decision defeat to Arman Tsarukyan.

The full UFC 257 medical suspensions include:

Dustin Poirier: Suspended seven days (mandatory rest).
Conor McGregor: Suspended 180 days or until right tibia/fibula x-ray is cleared by a doctor; also suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days.
[autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag]: Suspended seven days (mandatory rest).
[autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days due to TKO loss.
[autotag]Joanne Calderwood[/autotag]: Suspended seven days (mandatory rest).
[autotag]Jessica Eye[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days due to left brow laceration
[autotag]Makhmud Muradov[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days due to “hard bout.”
Andrew Sanchez: Suspended 180 days or until nasal and right tibia/fibula x-rays are cleared by a doctor; also suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days.
[autotag]Marina Rodriguez[/autotag]: Suspended seven days (mandatory rest).
[autotag]Amanda Ribas[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days due to TKO loss.
[autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days due to left brow and scalp laceration.
Matt Frevola: Suspended 180 days or until right hand x-ray is cleared by a doctor; also suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days.
[autotag]Brad Tavares[/autotag]: Suspended seven days (mandatory rest).
[autotag]Antonio Carlos Junior[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days due to “hard bout.”
[autotag]Julianna Pena[/autotag]: Suspended seven days (mandatory rest).
[autotag]Sara McMann[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days due to “hard bout.”
[autotag]Marcin Prachnio[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days due to “hard bout.”
[autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days due to left ankle pain.
[autotag]Movsar Evloev[/autotag]: Suspended seven days (mandatory rest).
[autotag]Nik Lentz[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days with 21 days no contact for right brow laceration.
[autotag]Amir Albazi[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days due to “hard bout.”
[autotag]Zhalgas Zhumagulov[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days due to “hard bout.”

UFC 257 took place Saturday at Etihad Arena on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. The main card streamed on ESPN+ pay-per-view after prelims on ESPN/ESPN+.

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Joanne Calderwood rushes through interview to watch Michael Chandler vs. Dan Hooker | UFC 257 post-f

Joanne Calderwood addressed the media during a post-fight press conference after her decision win over Jessica Eye at #UFC257 in Abu Dhabi.

UFC 257 results: Joanne Calderwood decisions Jessica Eye in entertaining scrap

Both flyweights put in spirited efforts, but “JoJo” was quite simply the better of the two.

Both [autotag]Jessica Eye[/autotag], a former UFC flyweight title challenger, and [autotag]Joanne Calderwood[/autotag], a fighter who’s long been on the cusp but never quite gotten there, went into their UFC 257 main-card bout Saturday night as the loser of two out of their past three.

That gave their flyweight fight an extra sense of urgency that translated into a highly entertaining bout. Two wild rounds of back-and-forth striking in the pocket and in the clinch led to a third round, which Calderwood (15-5 MMA, 7-5 UFC) bore down and sealed the deal. The judges’ scores at Etihad Stadium in Abu Dhabi were 30-27, 30-27, and 29-28 for a unanimous decision.

The action was fast and furious from the jump. Eye (15-9 MMA, 5-8 UFC) is a heavy hitter for her size, and she found a home with overhands and hooks. Calderwood mixed her strikes, from combos to kicks high and low. Clinches that started in the center ended up on the fence on several occasions, usually with Eye pinning Calderwood back, but Calderwood consistently caught Eye off the break, then chased her back to the center, where the exchanges started anew.

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By the second round, Eye’s right eye was swollen due to a big overhand right. Calderwood continued to pepper Eye in the clinch, including a memorable right knee to the body followed by a big kick midway through.

In the third, Eye tried to implement a wrestling game. But Calderwood stuffed takedown attempts and had the highest impact strikes, including a big front kick to the face and a huge late knee to the head that opened a cut as the seconds wound down.

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Up-to-the-minute UFC 257 results include:

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UFC 257 predictions: Who’s picking Dustin Poirier to upset Conor McGregor?

Check out our staff members’ picks for UFC 257’s main card, featuring Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler vs. Dan Hooker.

	Poirier vs. McGregor	Chandler vs. Hooker	Calderwood vs. Eye	Ribas vs. Rodriguez
MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 2021: 5-6	McGregor (62%)	Hooker (57%)	Calderwood (58%)	Ribas (94%)
Mike Bohn @MikeBohnMMA 2021: 8-3 2014 Champion	Poirier	Hooker	Calderwood	Ribas
John Morgan @MMAjunkieJohn 2021: 7-4	Poirier	Hooker	Calderwood	Ribas
Dan Tom @DanTomMMA 2021: 7-4 2020 Champion	McGregor	Chandler	Eye	Ribas
Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 2021: 7-4 2018 Champion	McGregor	Chandler	Calderwood	Ribas
George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 2021: 6-6	Poirier	Chandler	Calderwood	Ribas
Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 2021: 6-5	McGregor	Chandler	Calderwood	Ribas
Nolan King @mma_kings 2021: 6-5	McGregor	Hooker	Calderwood	Ribas
Brian Garcia @thegoze 2021: 6-5 2017 Champion	McGregor	Chandler	Calderwood	Ribas
Dave Doyle @davedoylemma 2021: 5-6	McGregor	Chandler	Calderwood	Ribas
Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 2021: 5-6	Poirier	Chandler	Calderwood	Ribas
Simon Head @simonhead 2021: 5-6 2019 Champion*	McGregor	Chandler	Calderwood	Ribas
Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 2021: 5-6	McGregor	Hooker	Calderwood	Ribas
Matt Erickson @MMAjunkieMatt 2021: 4-7	McGregor	Chandler	Calderwood	Ribas
Simon Samano @SJSamano 2021: 4-7	McGregor	Chandler	Calderwood	Ribas

(Editor’s note: The main card fight between Ottman Azaitar and Matt Frevola was canceled Friday during weigh-ins. The new main card fight between Makhmud Muradov and Andrew Sanchez was added too late for our picks deadline.)

The UFC wraps up its three-event stint over eight days on “Fight Island” with its biggest draw.

UFC 257 takes place Saturday at Etihad Stadium in Abu Dhabi. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.

(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)

In the main event, former interim lightweight champion [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] (26-6 MMA, 18-5 UFC) meets ex-lightweight and featherweight champ [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] (22-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC) in a rematch from a 2014 fight won by McGregor. McGregor is a 3-1 favorite at BetMGM, and he’s got a sizable 10-4 lead from our 14 editors, writers, videographers and radio hosts.

In the co-feature, former Bellator lightweight champ [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] (21-5 MMA, 0-0 UFC) makes his promotional debut against [autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag] (20-9 MMA, 10-5 UFC). Hooker is just a slight favorite at -130, but it’s Chandler with a big 10-4 picks lead.

[autotag]Joanne Calderwood[/autotag] (14-5 MMA, 6-5 UFC) may have the slimmest betting odds in her favor on the main card at -120 for her women’s flyweight bout against former title challenger [autotag]Jessica Eye[/autotag] (15-8 MMA, 5-7 UFC), but the picks are a blowout at 13-1 for Calderwood.

And [autotag]Amanda Ribas[/autotag] (10-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) is a -350 favorite in her women’s strawweight fight against [autotag]Marina Rodriguez[/autotag] (12-1-2 MMA, 2-1-2 UFC). Ribas is our only unanimous pick, and she’s also our readers’ biggest favorite at a whopping 94 percent.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, McGregor (62 percent), Hooker (57 percent), Calderwood (58 percent) and Ribas (94 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

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UFC 257 pre-event facts: Dustin Poirier, Conor McGregor bring legendary stats into rematch

The best facts and figures about UFC 257, which features a Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor lightweight main event.

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The UFC closes out its “Fight Island” stint on Saturday with its first numbered event of the year. UFC 257 takes place at Etihad Arena on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi with a main card that airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

A highly anticipated rematch takes center stage in the main event. Dustin Poirier (26-6 MMA, 18-5 UFC) and Conor McGregor (22-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC) will run it back more than six years after their first meeting at UFC 178 in September 2014, which “The Notorious” won by first-round TKO. There’s major differences this time around, though, because it will be contested at 155 pounds instead of 145 and is scheduled for five rounds.

The rematch concludes a notable lineup of fights. For more on the numbers, check below for 65 pre-event facts going into UFC 257.