IT TOOK Joanne Calderwood to have one love fall out of her life for her to be thrust towards another so pure that it continues to drive her on to this very day.
A lot has happened to Scotland’s Ultimate Fighting Championship star ever since she parted ways with her former fiancé James Doolan, who was also her head coach. Despite ending their seven years as a couple some time ago, it took until just a few weeks before her fight with Maryna Moroz last April for their working relationship to become, well, unworkable.
With this rumbling on in the background Calderwood lost in the first round to the Ukranian in Poland. Three months later she would go on to triumph at the SSE Hydro in Glasgow in Scotland’s first UFC event, but the Kilmarnock native still was showing signs of something not being quite right. As she exited the Octagon in Glasgow with over 8000 fans screaming her name, little did she know at that point that a turbulent few months were to become even more vexatious.
Read more: Joanne Calderwood on her UFC journey from Kilmarnock to Las Vegas... in a Fiat
Handed the chance of fighting against Paige VanZant in Las Vegas for what would have been the first female non-title fight to headline a show, a freak injury would rob her of that golden opportunity, plunging her into despair, darkness and uncertainty.
Six months on and things are finally starting to look up for the 29-year-old. After moving to Tristar gym in Montreal, Calderwood’s soul-searching in a lonely foreign land led her to not only find herself, but find a purpose in the form of her upcoming bout with Valerie Letourneau in the UFC’s first ever flyweight contest.
It is from this happy place Calderwood is able to contemplate.
“Everything was comfortable and it just took this change to blow my whole world up,” she told Herald Sport. “Now, I’ve rebuilt myself and I’m now doing what I want to do. It won’t happen again.
“It happened before my fight prior to the one in Scotland. It was pretty stressful.
Read more: Joanne Calderwood 'gutted' after withdrawl from UFC Fight Night against Paige VanZant
“A fighter is really confident with the right person. When I had that coach in my corner I could go out and face anyone because I knew I had done everything right. I knew he could talk me through anything. Being with someone else you are comfortable with and you can trust was stressful, but things happen and change.
“The last year or so has been up and down. The injury was the low, low point of my life. At the same time, it pushed me into the path of Tristar and now this fight.
“Everything happens for a reason. Although the knee injury was hellish and I was down, that’s a distant memory now. Maybe I wouldn’t be where I am if that hadn’t happened.
“I just love it so much. I have nothing else, I’ve been doing this since I was young.
“I have worked and stuff but this is my true love. Whenever I was down I just remembered I was really fortunate to do it full-time. A lot of people don’t get to do what they love.”
Calderwood cites that troublesome knee injury as the turning point in her career. Sustained in October ahead of the fight at The Cosmopolitan in Vegas on December 10, it altered the Scot’s course as she was left wondering where her next opportunity wouldas going to come from.
Read more: UFC's coming to Scotland - Joanne Calderwood announces Hydro show date
In order to kick start that journey, she made the brave decision to move from Glasgow’s Griphouse gym and pursue a life across the Atlantic, working at the world-famous Tristar.
“It was just one thing after another,” she explained. “When you are down a deep hall these thing happen, life does throw s*** at you but it’s about how you deal with it.
“It was a lot to take in. There were a lot of coaches that wanted a piece of me but you have to build your team with people you want around you. You are looking for that connection.
“I’m really close to my mum and my family, that was difficult being away from them. Everyone has bad days and good days. On the bad days I just thought ‘Aw s***, what am I doing here?’.”
“It was more to do with the fact I was over there and I didn’t have a fight. I was spending money every day and when you don’t have that income it’s hard. We have sponsors which is great but sometimes you have to take into account everything you are putting out.”
Calderwood will step into the octagon a week on Saturday to face Letourneau in UFC Fight Night Ontario. The fact that she will take part in the first ever contest at flyweight is a great feather in her cap as she looks to re-establish herself to a world-wide audience.
“When it became clear UFC was going to Canada I just got this buzz and I really wanted to be on that card,” said Calderwood. “I’m not looking beyond this yet but a win would put me higher in the ranks. Right now I’m outside the top 10 because I’ve not fought since July (in Glasgow). I want to be back, be active and start climbing the rankings.”
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