Joanne Wood's 17th walk into the Octagon was her last as a professional. However, considering the moment of her weight loss and how she felt backstage before the match, this may have been a first for her.
“This is ridiculous, this sucks,” she said of her inner monologue. MMA hour. “Why would you do this? It's terrible every time. …You'd think it would get better, lead-up. It doesn't. In fact, it makes things worse.”
Last Saturday, Wood avenged a split decision loss to Marina Moroz at UFC 299, ending a career that spanned more than a decade. She made it clear that this match was her last and there was no turning back for her.
“When you wake up already tired and sore, it's just time to move on to the next chapter,” she said. “I have a great life and I'm ready to enjoy it.”
Now married to MMA coach John Wood, “JoJo” plans to spend the rest of her days training with Syndicate MMA. She is the mother of Wood's girlfriend's son from a previous relationship and plans to spend more time with her family.
The flyweight UFC veteran gets emotional thinking about how much he has sacrificed to get to this point in his professional and personal life. She found her syndicate after working at several gyms, including one in her native Scotland.
When Wood had just moved to Las Vegas, a spike to the canvas in a gym put her entire career in jeopardy. She didn't know if she would be able to move again, let alone fight and be with her future husband.
The decision to retire was easy for Wood, an Invicta FC veteran. He was once a title contender, but then-champion Valentina Shevchenko was forced to withdraw from UFC 251 due to an injury. Wood decided not to wait for the championship and struggled with injuries. He lost his next match by submission to Jennifer Maia.
“I'm not a spring chicken anymore. I train two or three times a day, this is hard, this is hard,” Wood said. “The injuries that we go through, the things that we put our bodies and minds into, it's not easy, and as you get older, it gets even harder, because you're not as active as you were when you started training, or Because I can’t do much. I feel like it’s a good time, so let’s go out with a bang.”
After his match with Maia, Wood passed out backstage and was taken to the hospital. Her heart rate dropped rapidly and she “saw lights” in her ambulance, she said. Although she was okay in the end, she “seriously thought about” whether or not to continue fighting.
After six games, Wood closes out his career with two straight wins. Camping for the rematch with Moroz was not without its problems. She injured her hip two weeks ago and had to give up the rest of her work. Therefore, it wasn't a difficult decision to take off her gloves.
Wood finished his Octagon career with a record of 9 wins, 8 losses, and a winning percentage of just over .500. She does not think about what happened with Shevchenko.
“I have a lot of regrets, but I'm not going to live with that,” she said. “I’m happy to be here at this moment.”
No more sauna pain or backstage frustration. That's the current moment Wood wants to live in.
