The victory and the method by which it came was a confidence boost, and Calderwood looks back at the move to Las Vegas as a key component in landing her first win in nearly two years. With the help of the nutritionists and trainers at the Performance Institute, the 32-year-old has a better understanding of exactly how she wants to operate as a professional athlete.
“You can go through a fight camp and feel great, but with the evidence that the Performance Institute guys show you on paper, you’re like, ‘Oh, wow,’” she said. “You’re seeing it in front of you in black-and-white, and you’re like, ‘OK, so they are doing their job. I’m doing my job, and everything is amazing.’”
Although she held an 8-1 MMA record at strawweight, Calderwood compared her preparation to a “fat camp” as she struggled to make the 115-pound limit.
“At strawweight, I was a good fighter. I could scrap and all that, but there was something lacking in me,” she said. “My whole camps were miserable, and I wasn’t in a good place mentally or physically. I felt it drained me. (Flyweight) is where I can truly show all my potential.”
