Loopy Godinez spent the entire 2023 calendar year running through the UFC’s strawweight division. She took home four wins without a loss and positioned herself for some big fights in 2024. The first of those fights came back in March, when she faced now number one contender Virna Jandiroba.
While the fight with Jandiroba didn’t go her way, the style of that fight, she feels, set her up well for her showdown on Saturday.
“I’m excited for this matchup [with Mackenzie Dern]. I think it’s a really good matchup,” Godinez said. “Especially coming off of Virna’s [Jandirboa] fight.”
Much like Jandiroba, Dern is a wizard on the mats. While that wound up being a thorn in the side of Godinez last time around, she thinks she’s made the adjustments and has the style to get back to her winning ways.
“We know that Mackenzie [Dern] is really good in her jiu jitsu game – she’s amazing,” she said. “But I bring my game, my heavy pressure, my heavy wrestling. I got my hands.”
While she feels comfortable with what’s going to go down, she recognizes that Dern is a tough competitor. However, all fights in this division are tough and she’s one that they’ve had an eye on.
“I kind of had a feeling she was next. With everyone in the division, there is no easy fight, just different styles, different kinds of preparation,” she shared.
With all of that in mind, Godinez can’t predict exactly how the fight will go, but she does have one expectation for things.
“It’s going to be dirty,” Godinez said with a laugh. “That’s all I can say.”
You can catch this fight at part of the main card of UFC Abu Dhabi this Saturday. The main card begins at 3pm EST and will air on ABC.
You can hear the entire audio of this interview at 2:09.
