Ranking 10 Greatest Ever MMA Fighters From The UK & Ireland
9. Joanne Calderwood (13-4)
At press time, Irvine, Scotland’s Joanne Calderwood is the best female fighter the United Kingdom has ever produced.
The Scottish superstar is a former Muay Thai world champ, who would go on to win her first nine professional MMA fights. After a successful run in Invicta FC, Calderwood was selected as a cast member for The Ultimate Fighter reality series. Though she ended up going 1-1 on the series, the Scot established herself as a fan favorite.
While she didn’t win the Ultimate Fighter contract, the UFC decided to sign her anyway. She’s been with the promotion since 2014 and has victories over former title challenger Valerie Letourneau and the always tough Courtney Casey.
The 32-year-old Muay Thai specialist is currently the number five ranked fighter in UFC’s women’s flyweight division. In truth, if not for a controversial decision loss to Katlyn Chookagian last June, Calderwood would likely be gearing up for a title shot.
She is arguably the UK’s first female MMA star and has a good chance at fighting for the flyweight strap before it’s all said in done, which is enough to warrant the number nine spot on our list.