UFC: Joanne Calderwood faints backstage, taken to hospital after loss to Jennifer Maia
- Scottish fighter falls ill after first-round arm bar submission defeat by Maia at UFC Vegas 5
- UFC president Dana White confirms Brazilian will get next shot at flyweight champ Valentina Shevchenko
Flyweight contender Joanne Calderwood fainted backstage after her UFC Vegas 5 defeat by Jennifer Maia, but is in stable condition in a Las Vegas hospital.
The Scottish fighter fainted while sitting down at the Apex but was caught by her coach and fiancée John Wood before she hit the ground. Dana White first revealed the news at the post-event press conference.
“She’s OK now,” Calderwood’s manager Danny Rubenstein told MMAFighting.com. “She was getting checked out in the medical room and fainted while sitting down. John caught her, they laid her down and carted her out on a stretcher.
“Heart rate dropped on the way there but stabilised now. She’s awake at the hospital with Wood.”
Calderwood (14-5) had tapped out to an arm bar from Maia (18-6-1) in the first round, having taken the fight on short notice despite having a shot against champion Valentina Shevchenko lined up.
White confirmed No 6-ranked Maia will now get the next crack at Shevchenko’s flyweight title. “Bullet” had pulled out of a UFC 251 title defence against Calderwood to have leg surgery sustained in her win over Katlyn Chookagian.
“Yeah, that’s the fight,” White said. “I have lot of respect for JoJo, she’s been working hard, taking her career very serious. Been back on track since she moved to Vegas. Jennifer looked damn good tonight. It makes sense for her and Valentina to fight, as soon as possible.”
Shevchenko also seems keen to make it happen, posting “see you soon Jennifer Maia” on Twitter.
“I’m feeling amazing right now,” Maia said after the fight. “I put in a lot of work and it showed in my performance. I always train a lot of Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai, but I showed I can do both. Ever since I got in the UFC, I’ve never had an easy fight. I always test myself in those fights. I’m happy the champion is talking about me. I’m ready to fight for the title.”
