Wood (17-8) overcame early adversity, having spent the entire first round on her back, to battle it out in the second and third, claiming a split decision win and avenging an early career loss in the process.

After the win, she told Cageside Press that the moment that stood out in her career was the one she was still experiencing, her retirement win.

“I feel like this moment probably, because I’m living it right now, and happy. Just this moment right here, it feels pretty good,” replied Wood.

The UFC has made the U.K. an annual destination the past few years, though it has yet to return to Wood’s native Scotland. Still, she admitted that retiring back home (she now resides in Las Vegas with husband and Syndicate MMA head coach John Wood) was a consideration.

“Yeah for sure. I was always waiting for that Scottish call. If they got back to Scotland, I was for sure going to be on that card. But I don’t know if that’s going to happen any time soon. Would I come out of retirement to go there? Luckily I don’t think they’re going there any time soon. But you know, who knows with the UFC. I’m probably going to be the last one to know if that happens. But this is it. Finally done. I’ll be there watching.”

Speaking with the media backstage at the Kaseya Center, Wood also addressed taking a fight with Jennifer Maia after her title shot with Valentina Shevchenko fell through in 2020. Wood lost the bout, and missed out on her title shot as a result.

“When the UFC calls for a fight, you usually take it as a fighter. So looking back, should I not have took the fight? Obviously not, because that didn’t go my way, and also I took really not well afterwards. So looking back, but that’s hindsight. It’s in the past now, it’s all got me to this moment.”

Wood also gave her advice for up-and-coming fighters. “What are you thinking?!” she joked, before adding “just get on that roller coaster and put your hands high and scream, and enjoy every second of it. It’s just up and down, up and down. Just enjoy every moment, and just never give up.”

Watch the full UFC 299 post-fight press conference with Joanne Wood above.

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Wood, who joined the UFC in 2014 as part of The Ultimate Fighter 20, which introduced the women’s strawweight division to the promotion, made history two years later by competing in the promotion’s inaugural women’s flyweight bout, against Valerie Letourneau. A permanent move to 125lbs followed in 2018, with “JoJo” winning her first two fights.

At times, she flirted with a title shot. She had been booked against Valentina Shevchenko in June of 2020, only for the champ to withdraw due to injury. Rather than wait, Wood (then known by her maiden name, Calderwood) took a fight against Jennifer Maiai that August. She’d lose the bout, and it was Maia fighting for the belt that November.

On Saturday in Miami, it was Maryna Moroz facing off against Wood, a Ukrainian talent who had previously faced Wood in 2015. Moroz had submitted the Scot with an arm-bar, and was no doubt hoping to see lightning strike twice.

It was less than two seconds, a just a couple of striking exchanges, before Moroz had taken Wood down, planting her on the canvas. Wood utilized a closed card and tried to tie up Moroz, pulling down on her opponent’s head/neck. Only problem, she wasn’t able to create any space for a scramble. Moroz, meanwhile, worked to half guard briefly and worked in some right hands before ending up back in Wood’s guard. She didn’t stay there long, returning to half guard and looking to set up an arm lock. Wood controlled the wrists to defend, and then latched on with a leg lock of her own.

Moroz pulled free, and Wood remained on her back, where she’d spent the bulk of the round. Moroz opened up a bit with ground n’ pound in the final thirty seconds, and headed to round two with a clear 10-9.

Round two had plenty of clinch work along the fence, with Moroz pressing for a takedown but ending up stalled. Ref Mike Beltran warned the pair to keep working; they would come off the fence, trade knees, and move back to center. Moroz then nearly caught a Wood kick; Wood landed an uppercut but a Moroz counter had more of an impact moment later.

Moroz then signaled a low blow, drawing a timeout call from the ref. She declined to take more than a few seconds to covered, however. Wood’s right hand started to come on later in the frame, and more importantly, she stayed upright throughout. Both women found a home for elbows throughout the round. In a clinch, Wood landed knees to the body, and after a fairly one-sided opening frame, things were much closer following ten minutes, with an explosive back-and-forth including a Wood backfist to close out the round.

The final five minutes or less of Joanne Wood’s career arrived with either a tie, or her down 20-18, depending on the judges. Wood needed to keep things standing; Moroz, conversely, had her best success on the mat and clearly wanted to go back there. Through the first two minutes, Wood kept things standing, and landed a smart front kick up high just past the two minute mark. Moroz landed another elbow, and even outside of her wheelhouse, the Ukrainian was keeping it a close fight.

The biggest moment of the fight came later in the third, and it was JoJo bringing fans to their feet. Wood executed a picture-perfect spinning back fist, landing hard with Moroz falling backwards, the fence catching her fall. Wood went on the attack, piling on with more offense and lighting Moroz up. She couldn’t put Maryna Moroz away, but the assault likely won her the round.

Official Result: Joanne Wood def. Maryna Moroz by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

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Wood (16-8) will face Priscila Cachoeira (12-4) at the PPV event, set for July 29, 2023 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.

News of the booking was first reported The Mirror’s Harry Davies.

Wood returned to the win column in March at UFC 286 in London, England, snapping a three-fight skid with her victory over Luana Carolina. Prior to that, Wood, who had once been circling a title shot in the UFC women’s flyweight division, dropped fights to Lauren Murphy, Taila Santos, and future champ Alexa Grasso.

Brazil’s Cachoeira has won two straight, getting her hand raised against Ariane Lipski and Ji-Yeon Kim. The Kim fight earned the 34-year old Fight of the Night honors.

Headlined by a “BMF” title fight featuring lightweight stars Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje meeting for the second time, UFC 291 features the following reported match-ups:

• Dustin Poirier vs. Justin Gaethje — for the UFC “BMF” championship
• Jan Błachowicz vs. Alex Pereira
• Tony Ferguson vs. Bobby Green
• Paulo Costa vs. Ikram Aliskerov
• Stephen Thompson vs. Michel Pereira
• Derrick Lewis vs. Marcos Rogério de Lima
• Michael Chiesa vs. Kevin Holland
• C.J. Vergara vs. Vinicius de Almeida Salvador
• Joanne Wood vs. Priscila Cachoeira

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While Wood was looking to snap a three-fight skid and extend her run in the UFC, Luana “Dread” was returning to the scene of her most stunning defeat, as Molly McMann had sent her to the shadow realm, as Paddy Pimblett later exclaimed, with a spinning back elbow at UFC London last year.

With the time off potentially cancelling out, it was anybody’s ballgame between Wood and Carolina. The pair wound up fighting a fairly active first round, working along the fence early. Wood seemed to be finding her range, landing strikes at distance. The right hand was there for the Scottish fighter throughout the round. She also hit home with several elbows and knees in the clinch, living up to her “Dr. Kneevil” nickname. Later in the frame the pair traded knees, after which Carolina fired a low kick. In the final seconds, Wood caught a kick, and later tried a spinning attack, perhaps in a nod to McCann.

Wood likely had the edge when all was said and done after the first five minutes. Round two opened with Wood flashing a kick and feinting. Carolina fired a combo with seemingly every strike missing; Wood then initiated a clinch up against the fence, though Carolina was able to reverse. Scotland’s Wood continued to work in knees into her attacks, and landed an elbow in the clinch; Carolina reversed and fired some knees of her own. With about 90 seconds to go, Wood connected with a front kick to the face, which Carolina took well enough. In the final minute, Wood was able to sweep Carolina off her feet, and just missed on what would have been an illegal knee.

Between rounds, Wood’s husband and coach John Wood suggested she had lost round one but won the second frame, though Wood appeared to have a stronger claim to round one. Round two, much closer, had the potential to be the deciding factor depending on how the third played out.

Carolina fired a body kick early in the third. Wood continued to walk forward, but she had clearly slowed, and the Brazilian was able to catch “Jojo” coming in. Wood fanned on a front kick, and followed that with a right hand. In the clinch, Wood fired a knee. They traded elbows, and Wood fanned on a spinning back fist attempt. Another clinch, and Wood got busy with punches and elbows. A moment later, it was Carolina trying a spinning back fist of her own. In the final minute Wood flashed a front kick, and Carolina answered with some looping punches; Wood knocked Carolina off-balance, and she went down in a heap. Wood let her opponent back up, but finished strong, battering Carolina in the final seconds.

The scorecards were all over the place, but Wood came away in the end with the split decision win, which felt like the correct call.

Official Result: Joanne Wood def. Luana Carolina by split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)

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“As soon as they asked me I was like ‘awww yes, yes please!'” Scotland’s Wood (15-8) said of her reaction to being asked to fight on the London card, speaking to media outlets including Cageside Press during the event’s media day. “The only thing that was kind of holding me back was, I got a Pug last year, he’s now my pride and joy. So it was like ‘how do I get him to London?'”

“He’s my little stress ball, he means the world to me,” added Wood, who relocated to Las Vegas several years ago, and recently married Syndicate MMA head coach John Wood.

Unfortunately, the newest Wood family member did not make the trip to London after all, “but he’s in good hands,” Wood added.

Molly McCann absolutely demolished Wood’s opponent, Luana Carolina, a year ago at the O2 Arena in London; the Brazilian has not fought since. She’s returning to the scene of the crime, so to speak, something Wood touched on during Wednesday’s media day.

“She’s either really brave, or she’s forgot about what happened. It’s funny, Molly picked me up at the airport, she’s like ‘do you wanna go see a dead body?’ and I was like ‘oh, kind looks familiar, but good job Molly.'”

Wood has hit a rough patch of late, losing three straight fights over the past two years. The goal moving forward, she said, is “just to stay healthy, physically and mentally. Stay strong.”

“I’ve only got one more fight after this on my contract, so the goal right now is to get back in the win column and get another contract,” added Wood. “Because I feel like I”m not done yet.”

Watch the full UFC 286 media day with Joanne Wood above.

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Scotland’s Wood (15-8) will face Luana Carolina (8-3) in a flyweight match-up at the London, England-based event on March 18, 2023.

Multiple sources confirmed the booking to Cageside Press on Sunday, following an initial report by Ag.Fight.

Wood, training out of Syndicate MMA under coach and husband John Wood, has not competed since March 2022, when she dropped her third straight bout at the hands of Alexa Grasso. That trailed losses to Taila Santos and Lauren Murphy, not to mention the loss of a title shot after champ Valentina Shevchenko pulled out of a planned fight.

Wood and Shevchenko were expected to face off at UFC 251 in 2020, only for Shevchenko to withdraw due to injury. Wood then opted to step up against Jennifer Maia on short notice that August, but was submitted by the Brazilian, who would go on to face Shevchenko just three months later.

Carolina will be returning to the scene of the crime in a sense. She last competed in London in March of 2021, where she was knocked out in violent fashion by a Molly McCann spinning elbow.

UFC 286 will take place at the O2 Arena in London, England on March 18, 2023. While no main event has been officially announced for the card, it is expected that welterweight champ Leon Edwards will top the show. The following bouts have been reported for the event thus far:

• Marvin Vettori vs. Roman Dolidze
• Joanne Wood vs. Luana Carolina

The post Joanne Wood vs. Luana Carolina Booked for UFC 286 appeared first on Cageside Press.

What’s next for the losing side of the UFC Columbus card? Here’s our stab at playing matchmaker this week.

Chris Daukaus

There’s a tendency to throw the baby out with the bathwater in MMA. A couple of losses, and somehow, Daukaus is being looked at like he should be on the scrap heap.

Let’s be real: we’re not in Sam Alvey territory here. Daukaus is an up-and-coming talent in the heavyweight division who has been given back-to-back fights against the Knockout King, and Wrestling King (even though Blaydes never used it) in the weight class.

Yes, he came up short both times. And all that means is, you slow his roll. Give him some time to develop. Before he lost two straight fights, he’d won five. And the guys he’s losing to? A multi-time title challenger in Lewis, and a future one in Blaydes.

Tai Tuivasa called out Tom Aspinall just over a week ago, and we still like that fight. For Daukaus, how about #13 ranked Augusto Sakai? They’re of a similar age, experience level, and Sakai has lost three straight. Daukaus wins, and he’s back in the fans’ good graces, not that he ever should have left them. He loses, then maybe there’s a little more reason for concern.

Daukaus’ next fight: Augusto Sakai

Joanne Wood

It is hard for a self-professed “JoJo” fan to admit, but Joanne Wood may not ever fight for a title in the UFC. Her decision to turn down a title shot against Valentina Shevchenko a couple of years back will be up there with Hatsu Hioki levels of regret for many fans.

To borrow from Max Holloway and a million other sports figures, it is what it is. Wood dropped her third straight fight at UFC Columbus, and once again, her weakness was on the ground. She took it all in stride, responding to the loss on social media by saying “This will be an easy time to say that I’m done but I ain’t, I’m just in with the best in the world and [I’ll] take my place further down the ladder while continuing to work hard everyday and most of all enjoying everyday.. nothing changes there.”

Further down the ladder is the right call. At this point, it seems like a better idea to book fun fights for Wood. A rematch with Andrea “KGB” Lee would be interesting, but she’s on a two-fight win streak at the moment and booked against Viviane Araujo. Instead, let’s go right outside the rankings. Antonina Shevchenko is booked opposite Cortney Casey next month. If Shevchenko loses, she’ll be on an 0-3 run like Wood. If she wins, a rematch with Casey isn’t a bad idea. The pair fought in 2015, but it was Casey’s UFC debut, at a lower weight class.

Wood’s next fight: Antonina Shevchenko-Cortney Casey loser

Matt Brown

Even losing a split decision, his fight with Bryan Barberena would have been a great fight for “The Immortal” to go out on. It could have easily gone his way, it had the fans on their feet, and the pair earned Fight of the Night at UFC Columbus.

Assuming the 41-year old welterweight fights on, how about Cowboy Oliveira? He’s lost four straight, is known for fun fights, and was just finished by elbows, something Brown knows a thing or two about.

Brown’s next fight: Alex Oliveira

Askar Askarov

Things were going well for Askar Askarov at UFC Columbus right up until they weren’t. When Kai Kara-France came on in the second half of the fight, Askarov saw his shot at the title slip away. Kara-France will be next in line now, even if he has to wait for a fourth fight between Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno.

As for Askarov, he’s already beat Alexandere Pantoja, and the next highest ranked name, just behind him at the moment, is Brandon Royval. He’s set to face Matt Schnell in May; give Askar Askarov the winner.

Askarov’s next fight: Royval-Schnell winner

Max Griffin

Decisions have not been kind to Max Griffin over the years, and he lost a split decision against the highly ranked Neil Magny at UFC Columbus.

That snapped a three-fight win streak for Max “Pain,” but it shouldn’t set him back too far. Magny was ranked #9, let’s give Max another crack at the top 15. Li Jingliang sits at #13, and that sounds like a really fun fight.

Griffin’s next fight: Li Jingliang

Viacheslav Borshchev

No milk, no cookies for “Slava Claus,” who had to suffer through a wrestling-heavy attack from Marc Diakiese on Saturday. If nothing else, Borshchev knows exactly what he needs to work on moving forward. And that’s clearly his takedown defense.

So, do you throw him a bone and set him opposite a striker, or see how much he can shore up that wrestling D and book him against a wrestler?

We’ll go with someone a little more well-rounded. France’s Fares Ziam is 2-2 in the UFC, coming off a loss, with five career knockouts and four submissions. Let’s see if this match-up puts a smile on Viacheslav’s face.

Borshchev’s next fight: Fares Ziam

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In hindsight, that decision — which led to Jennifer Maia facing champ Valentina Shevchenko for the flyweight championship instead — was easy to critique. More so, given Wood entered UFC Columbus on a two-fight skid and well away from the title picture.

Alexa Grasso, on the other hand, had found a new lease on her fighting life at 125lbs. A win over Wood would mark three straight, and almost certainly land her in the title conversation.

“JoJo” opened the action with a kick, and immediately pressed forward. In the clinch, Grasso would greet her with elbows/forearms. When they went to the ground, it was Grasso on top, in guard. Wood did manage to make it back up, with about half the round remaining. She went on the offensive again, pressing forward and using her Muay Thai.

It was Grasso, however, that got back in the driver’s seat shortly after. She pulled Wood down, getting her hooks in and locking in the rear-naked choke. It was deep under the chin, and Wood had no choice but to tap!

With her third straight win at flyweight, Alexa Grasso will likely enter the title conversation alongside Manon Fiorot, who also picked up a big win earlier in the night.

Official Result: Alexa Grasso def. Joanne Wood by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 3:57

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UFC Columbus was topped by a pair of heavyweight standouts, with Curtis Blaydes looking to make it two in a row against Chris Daukaus, who was entering his second straight main event after coming up short last year opposite Derrick Lewis.

In the co-headliner, Joanne Wood looked to get back in the win column against Alex Grasso, who was coming in off two straight wins and looking to inch closer to a title shot. Perhaps the most significant match-up on the card, however, was that of Askar Askarov and Kai Kara-France, with the winner primed for a title shot in the flyweight division.

Weigh-ins for UFC Columbus take place Friday, March 25, 2022 in Columbus, Ohio. Check below for results.

UFC Columbus: Blaydes vs. Daukaus Weigh-In Results

Main Card

Heavyweight: Curtis Blaydes (259) vs. Chris Daukaus (243)
Women’s Flyweight: Joanne Wood (125) vs. Alexa Grasso (125)
Flyweight: Askar Askarov (126) vs. Kai Kara-France (125.5)
Welterweight: Matt Brown (170.5) vs. Bryan Barberena (170.5)
Heavyweight: Ilir Latifi (239.5) vs. Alexey Oleynik (246)
Lightweight: Marc Diakiese (155) vs. Viacheslav Borschev (155.5)

Preliminary card

Welterweight: Neil Magny (170) vs. Max Griffin (171)
Women’s Bantamweight: Sara McMann (135) vs. Karol Rosa (135)
Bantamweight: Chris Gutiérrez (135) vs. Danaa Batgerel (136)
Women’s Flyweight: Jennifer Maia (126) vs. Manon Fiorot (125.5)
Flyweight: Matheus Nicolau (126) vs. David Dvořák (125.5)
Featherweight: Luis Saldaña (145) vs. Bruno Souza (144)
Middleweight: Aliaskhab Khizriev (185) vs. Denis Tiuliulin (185.5)

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After losing an opponent for UFC 270 next Saturday, Alexa Grasso has a new opponent.  The UFC confirmed early Wednesday that the Mexican contender was set for a March 26 bout against Joanne Wood.  The two were previously set to fight last November before Grasso was forced to withdraw.

Wood (15-7) is looking to turn things around in 2022 after going 0-2 last year.  Wood started the year losing a split-decision to Lauren Murphy in a high stakes title eliminator in June.  Later, after Grasso withdrew, she went on to lose to top prospect Taila Santos in November.

Grasso (13-3) had only one appearance in 2021 where she routed young prospect Maycee Barber in February.  The victory followed up a successful move up to the flyweight division where she defeated Ji Yeon Kim in 2020 after opening her career at strawweight.

The March 26 event is set to be headlined by a light heavyweight bout between Jan Blachowicz and Aleksandr Rakic.  The event is scheduled to take place at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

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