Now at Tristar, Joanne Calderwood opens up about ‘vicious circle’ that led to UFC struggles

Two years ago, when the UFC scooped up a host of strawweight talent and threw everyone together on ‘The Ultimate Fighter 20,’ Joanne Calderwood entered the house as one of the early favorites to win the inaugural UFC strawweight title. But it was never meant to be. Calderwood lost in the season’s quarterfinals, then lost her undefeated record with a stunning 90-second setback against Maryna Moroz in her second fight under the UFC umbrella.

Calderwood rebounded to pick up a decision win over Cortney Casey in front of her hometown crowd in Glasgow at UFC Fight Night 72, but even that performance was shaky, and the popular Scottish fighter looked nothing like the killer who romped through the ranks of Invicta FC and amassed a cult following of fans. As it turns out, there was a reason for Calderwood’s struggles. On Monday, fresh off a new start at Tristar Gym, the 29-year-old Calderwood opened up about the problems in her personal life that has led to a series of major changes in her fighting career.

“I think everyone knows I had been in a relationship with my head coach for like seven years,” Calderwood said Monday on The MMA Hour. “We’ve been separated for a few years now, but at the same time we were still trying to work together. And then we weren’t working together. Like, four weeks before my Scotland fight, there was completely going to be no working together, so that was hard for me to move on with my career because I’ve always had someone there telling me I should do this and do almost everything. So I just felt like I needed a new team around me.

“Everyone at Griphouse understood and everyone wants me to do well over here. I’m sure there was a few people who thought it was a bit sh*t and stuff, but at the end of the day, I’ve learned I have to do what’s best for my career. It wasn’t (good for me to be there) at that time, and even now it’s not good. I need to be the best, and to be the best you need to have the best people around you.”

A split with her longtime boyfriend and team was not the only recent hurdle Calderwood has been forced to overcome. Calderwood was expected to face Paige VanZant last December during the three-fights-in-three-nights extravaganza that preceded UFC 194. The opportunity was …

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