Lauren Murphy edges Joanne Calderwood in back and forth brawl
In a women’s flyweight bout, Lauren Murphy faces Joanne Calderwood in what is expected to be an action packed fight.
Murphy, who is currently riding a three fight winning streak put Lillya Shakirova away in the second round via submission in her last outing. Tonight, she looks to keep her streak alive against the slight favorite, Calderwood.
Calderwood has had her ups and downs in her rollercoaster of a UFC run, but she’s consistently faced the toughest the decision has to offer. Coming off of an impressive win over Jessica Eye at UFC 257, Calderwood is aiming to take the steam away from Murphy in their scheduled bout.
Here’s how the flyweight bout between Lauren Murphy and Joanne Calderwood went down at UFC 263, including round-by-round scoring. For full results of the event, check them out right here.
Round 1: A slight feeling out process from both fighters with few strikes thrown. Calderwood is finding success with her punching and kicking combinations early. Murphy closes the distance for a clinch against the fence looking to dirty box. Calderwood lands a knee on the way out and gets back to center-cage. The females trade hard punches. Murphy is attempting to press forward with her punches while Calderwood meets her with nasty calf kicks and teep kicks to keep her at bay. In the closing moments Calderwood lands some beautiful strikes including a hard spinning back fist to put a stamp on the round.
MyMMANews scores round 1 for: Joanne Calderwood. 10-9
Round 2: Calderwood starts the round aggressively with her kicks leading her way into her punches. Murphy is light on her feet and changes levels for a takedown early. She muscles Calderwood to the floor and gets top position. Murphy begins raining down heavy blows while Calderwood defends with one arm with the other arm trapped behind her back. Murphy transitions looking for an arm triangle. However, Calderwood defends well as Murphy gets to the side and softens Calderwood’s midsection with blows to close the opening round.
MyMMANews scores round 2 for: Lauren Murphy. 10-9
Round 3: Both fighters trade the strikes to open the round. Calderwood looks to have a sense of desperation as she picks up the pace of her strikes in the closing round. Towards the middle of the round, Calderwood utilizes her jab to keep Murphy at bay. They clinch briefly trading knees and Calderwood gets back on the outside utilizing her punches. Murphy has a knot swelling above her right eye and looks for a last second takedown that is easily fenced off. In the closing seconds, they throw caution to the wind and trade until the final bell.
MyMMANews scores round 3 for Joanne Calderwood. 10-9
Official result: Lauren Murphy defeats Joanne Calderwood via split decision. (29-28), (28-29), 29-28)
