With their fight bumped up from October to this Saturday’s UFC San Diego, Angela Hill and Lupita Godinez faced off at a 120 pound catchweight on Saturday.
Godinez came into the bout with a lot of hype based on her comprehensive win over Ariane Carnelossi in which she mixed the martial arts as well as anyone in the division ever has. Her wrestling was especially impressive; it has a high pedigree based on her sisters’ wrestling accolades for the Canadian National Team and one of them, Karla Godinez, is a two-time NCAA National Champion.
For her part, Angela Hill has consistently been one of the most game fighters in the sport. Fans have ever referred to her as “The Female Cowboy” due to her propensity to accept short notice fights and fight several times a year. There is an interesting parallel there as Loopy Godinez has also accepted many short notice fights, even setting the record for least time between three fights in UFC history. Although Hill was on a losing streak coming into the fight – all losses against ranked opponents – she still remains a tough challenge for fighters looking into break into the top fifteen, which naturally describes Loopy.
The fight started out bad for Angie. She was rocked badly by a right hand from Loopy and the three-to-one favorite looked like she was close to the finish. In true Angela Hill fashion, she fought back from that rough start to make the round close, looking like she was winning the last two minutes. Loopy bafflingly did not shoot a single takedown in that first stanza.
In the second round she kept that momentum going by out-striking Loopy, forcing her to shoot a takedown, and using a guillotine attempt to sweep and get back to her feet. The pressure from Hill was constant; although Loopy more than held her own in the striking she was constantly on the back foot, presenting unfavorable optics. Late in the round Angela surprised everyone when she attempted a takedown of her own and muscled her opponent down. She sealed the round there with powerful strikes and a rear-naked choke attempt.
The third round was a war, as even as can be. They went back and forth the whole time. It appeared Loopy had a slight advantage early while Angie did late. Both athletes were bloodied and bruised when the final bell rang, but it was Angela Hill who got the unanimous decision when the scorecards were read, ending her three-fight losing streak and defending her spot in the rankings against a vaunted prospect.
Official Result: Angela Hill def. Lupita Godinez by unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 29–28)
