Joanne Calderwood beat Ariane Lipski in a women’s flyweight fight on the preliminary card of UFC Brooklyn.
Brooklyn, NY – Joanne Calderwood defeated Ariane Lipski via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27), at UFC Brooklyn.
After absorbing a brief fury of punches and kicks from Lipski in the opening minute of the fight, it was all Calderwood for the next 14 minutes of the fight. The Scottish woman cruised to victory in one of her best performances to date. After struggling to cut to strawweight, Calderwood certainly looks comfortable at flyweight and a possible future title contender if she continues winning.
In her post-fight interview with Jon Anik, Calderwood was asked who she would like to fight next. After initially joking that she could come back and fight either Paige VanZant or Rachael Ostovich who are scheduled to fight later in the night, Calderwood decided to set her sights at the top of the division. “I wanted to call out Jessica Eye, but I was hoping for a stoppage to have a good case. You never know. You can always ask, right?”
While Calderwood is unlikely to get a fight with Eye next, she certainly has made a strong case to get a fight against one of the top five ranked fighters in the division. The win was the second in a row for Calderwood since returning to flyweight.
They start out TRADING. @DRkneevil vs. @Ariane_lipski at #UFCBrooklyn pic.twitter.com/xpZV9FbLEP
— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) January 20, 2019
Round 1:
Lipski came out throwing early in the first round. The Brazilian used a combination of kicks and punches to push Calderwood back to the fence. The two women engaged in a clinch against the cage with Calderwood landing a few knees and elbows. After breaking the clinch, Calderwood went from a takedown and initially did not get it but used a trip to get top position. Calderwood did a good job controlling position on the ground and initially got Lipski’s back. The Scottish fighter tried to lock in a choke but was unable to get underneath of Lipski’s skin. The two women transitioned with Calderwood switching between having side and top control. Calderwood transitioned to the back and again went for a choke but could not get under the chin of Lipski. The Brazilian attempted to get out of danger by going for an armbar but ultimately got her own arm caught by Calderwood. Lipski was able to prevent Calderwood from locking in the armbar and escaped the round.
FanSided scored it: 10-9 Calderwood
Round 2:
The second round started with both fighters exchanging kicks and punches in the middle of the octagon. Calderwood twice landed heavy left hands but also ate a strong kick to the body from Lipski. The two women continued to counter each other punches as they continued to stand and trade. Lipski landed a nice combination but Calderwood continued to come forward. The Scottish fighter used front kicks to her opponent’s legs to prevent Lipski from moving in. The action in the final two minutes of the round was noticeably slower as both women continued to stand and trade punches.
FanSided scored it: 10-9 Calderwood, 20-18
Round 3:
The two women came out of their corners throwing in the third round. Calderwood found success with her kicks but Lipski was able to land her punches. Calderwood landed a very nice back elbow as she continued to out land her opponent. Lipski was able to takedown Calderwood with a headlock takedown. From the top, Lipski struggled to take advantage of her position. Calderwood again went for an armbar but could not lock it in. While Calderwood could not finish her opponent, she did force Lipski to spend a lot of time defending the armbar. Lipski was able to escape and got the top position again but again failed to do much.
FanSided scored it: 10-9 Calderwood, 30-27
Calderwood entered the fight as the 10th ranked fighter in the women’s flyweight division and can only go up in the rankings after what might have been her best performance since joining the UFC. The Scottish fighter will likely get a chance at one of the fighters inside of the top five in the division rankings. Saturday was a very disappointing UFC debut for Lipski, who was a well-regarded prospect coming out of Brazil. Lipski will likely avoid getting cut but will have to be much better in her next fight.
UFC Brooklyn took place on Saturday, Jan. 19, 2019, live from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Follow along with FanSided throughout the night for all your live results and highlights.