Why JoJo Calderwood has a smile on her face

Joanne Calderwood is in the final days of preparation for a fight vs. Kalindra Faria at UFC Fight Night 135 on Saturday night. Normally she would be miserable, trying to suck down to the 115 strawweight limit. However, while the UFC once had only a 115 and a 135 division, forcing many women to cut too much or fight up, there is now a 125 pound flyweight division, and Dr. Kneevil is in it.

She was asked what the difference for her, being in a new division. 

Maybe that I’ve got a smile on my face, said Calderwood, as transcribed by Fernanda Prates and John Morgan for MMAjunkie. I’ve been able to eat and not train as hard and not as much. That’s a massive thing. And another massive thing is me being healthy, no injuries. It’s incredible to feel like that.

Calderwood is on a two-fight win streak, to Jessica Andrade and Cynthia Calvillo, and has not fought in over a year. However, she has worked out visa issues, and has found a camp she wants to maintain, at Syndicate and the UFC Performance Institute, both in Las Vegas.

I’m always so hard on myself and it’s always because I know I have all this potential in me, said Calderwood. And sometimes I don’t show it when I’m in there. My last few fights, I’ve definitely not performed where I should be. That’s the thing that’s been getting me down.

But, at the end of the day, now everything is going right. And I feel better as a fighter. I’ve grown as a fighter. There’s nothing – I’m 100 percent confident that it’s going to show on Saturday.