Joanne Wood Announces Retirement Following Victory at UFC 299

Left it all out in the Octagon 👏

Joanne Wood retires from MMA on top, securing the split decision win at #UFC299 💪 pic.twitter.com/u0b0GcixAm

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) March 9, 2024

If this truly is goodbye, Joanne Wood went out on a high note.

The Scottish muay thai stylist announced her retirement following a split-decision triumph against Maryna Moroz in the opening bout at UFC 299 on Saturday at the Kaseya Center in Miami. The 38-year-old Wood leaves the sport with a 17-8 career career that included a 17-bout stint in the Las Vegas-based promotion.

“Jojo” left a lasting impression in the late stages of her swan song, as she wobbled Moroz with a spinning backfist and aggresively pursued the finish until the final horn. While that moment didn’t arrive, Wood did avenge a first-round submission loss to Moroz that occurred at UFC Fight Night 64 on April 11, 2015.

"It’s hard to get to the UFC, never mind stay in the UFC," Wood said in a backstage interview. "I’ve had a lot of ups and downs. My career has not been perfect. So just to get here and get to the end and finish it on a high … I never asked for this fight. I got this fight, which is one fight that I’ve always wanted to get back. That Jojo that faced her [Moroz] the first time is well and truly under the ground, you know."

Wood went 9-8 during the course of her UFC tenure, earning notable victories against the likes of Jessica Eye, Andrea Lee, Ariane Lipski, Valerie Letourneau and Seo Hee Ham. The Glasgow native also went 4-0 during a brief stint with Invicta Fighting Championships prior to signing with the UFC. Wood was scheduled to challenge Valentina Shevchenko for the flyweight title at UFC 250, but the bout fell through after Shevchenko pulled out of the event due to injury. She would lose her top contender status when she suffered a first-round submission loss to Jennifer Maia in her next outing.

"It feels pretty good to know that I got here."

Joanne Wood (@DRkneevil) reflects on her @UFC career and what it meant for her to get a win in her final trip to the Octagon 🔊🆙

All #UFC299 Fight Results ➡️: https://t.co/zmOumBMjch

— UFC News (@UFCNews) March 10, 2024