Joanne Calderwood, the strawweight contender admitted that following six fights in 11 months, her Team Alpha Male squad wasn’t going to let her in the gym for a month once the Calderwood bout was done.
So?
“It kind of worked itself out because I traveled a little bit after Scotland,” laughed Calvillo, who improved to 6-0 with a decision victory over Calderwood in Glasgow. “I went from Anaheim to Mexico City and I stayed out of the gym, but I worked out still.”
That’s not surprising, considering that Calvillo has been the female version of Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone since she turned pro in August 2016, fighting anyone, anywhere at any time. But if you ask her about it, she shrugs it off, not seeing her attitude as different from any of her peers.
“It’s a lifestyle for me,” she said. “The only thing that’s changed is that I’m fighting for the UFC now. But I’ve been training and fighting for seven years now, so, to me, this is going back to work. I don’t know what else to do. I had a little bit of a break as far as preparing for a fight, but I’ve still been in the gym working and improving and bettering myself as a fighter.”
This Saturday, Calvillo hits Las Vegas for a UFC 219 main card bout against former 115-pound world champion Carla Esparza. It’s a little over five months since her last bout, marking the longest break of her career, as bizarre as that sounds. Yet it was probably a good thing for the rising star, who finally got a chance to exhale and look back at what she’s done so far. And while she’s proud of the 3-0 start to her UFC career, she refuses to be complacent.
“Honestly, I have tunnel vision,” she said. “Being recognized here and there, it’s really cool, but I haven’t changed much. I’ve kept the same friends, the same people around me, the same schedule. I haven’t done anything different, really. I’m focused and I have a lot of goals to accomplish. I want to keep lining up these fights and see how far I can take it.”
Well, there was one change.
“I bought a newer car, something more reliable where I feel a little bit more confident about traveling and driving places if I need to.”
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Reliable? That’s what mature professionals do, and even though she’s young in her career, at 30, she’s learned enough lessons about life to know what it takes to succeed in the world. That’s an edge that can’t be stressed enough, because while younger fighters might be taking in their new star status or doing things 20-somethings usually do, Calvillo finds her peace in her work.
