Preview: UFC Fight Night ‘MacDonald vs. Thompson’

Women’s Flyweight

Valerie Letourneau (8-4) vs. Joanne Calderwood (10-1)

THE MATCHUP: Letourneau fought as a bantamweight in her UFC debut. In that bout, she threw a remarkable 278 strikes, landing 106 of them. Since making the grueling cut to strawweight, Letourneau has enjoyed a massive size advantage but at the cost of that volume. Her statistics were halved in her next two bouts, and she only managed to surpass that impressive three-round total in her most recent fight -- a five-round tilt with strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Volume wins fights; and for Letourneau, the evidence suggests an easier cut means more volume. With that said, it is good to see her and Calderwood fighting in the UFC’s first women’s flyweight bout, 10 breathe-easy pounds above the strawweight limit.

Calderwood is no small strawweight, either, and she agreed to meet Letourneau at flyweight for a reason. Just an inch shorter than Letourneau, Calderwood is also the better kicker, with a great deal of variety to her lower-limb attacks. “Jojo” likes to shuffle forward, throwing long, straight kicks off of either leg and using these strikes to bridge her way into the clinch, where she more than earns her other nickname, “Dr. Kneevil.” Calderwood possesses vicious elbows and short punches, all of which serve to draw a defensive reaction out of her opponent, at which point she likes to throw concussive knee strikes. Calderwood is comfortable throwing these knees with or without head control, showing off her leg dexterity in short range as well as at distance.

Between those two phases is where Letourneau will find her openings. Calderwood’s upright style and fondness for counter kicks and knees leave her exposed to straight, technical punches, which happen to be Letourneau’s strength. Letourneau relies on a stiff and sneaky jab to counter her opponents’ attacks and maintain distance, following it with a deceptively heavy right hand, which is often followed by a slicing left kick to the body or head if her opponent chooses to retreat. Though her kicking game will allow her to compete with Calderwood at long range, her best bet will be to press the boxing advantage as often as possible.

Letourneau and Calderwood are both willing grapplers, as well. Both women can be a little sloppy with their takedowns and transitions -- they often pursue passes and submissions before fully locking in position -- but this aggression makes them dangerous on the ground. Letourneau is likely the better wrestler, with a stout body-lock game in her favor, but her strength may not be there against the sizeable Calderwood. “Jojo” is more dangerous from top position, using those patented elbows to do damage, but she will need to be cautious, as Letourneau has shown a crafty guard game.

THE ODDS: Letourneau (-177), Calderwood (+152)

THE PICK: This is not only a battle between two excellent flyweights but a battle between two excellent camps. Calderwood has Firas Zahabi and the Tristar Gym team at her back, while Letourneau will most likely be cornered by Mike Thomas Brown and Marcos da Matta of American Top Team. Letourneau seems to have benefitted more from the elite training thus far, perhaps as a result of her greater experience against tougher competition. That experience, coupled with ATT’s excellent game planning, should be her edge in a nip-tuck battle between two skilled strikers. Letourneau by unanimous decision is the pick.

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