Loopy Godinez and Mackenzie Dern faced off in a key women’s strawweight fight as part of the UFC Abu Dhabi main card on Saturday.
Both men were looking to return to the win column at the Etihad Arena and advance up the UFC’s 115lb ranks, though Dern had a high-profile grappling match lined up next. As for Godinez, she had seen a four-fight win streak snapped by Virna Jandiroba last time out.
Godinez, whose sister Ana was representing Canada in wrestling at the Paris Olympics, caught a kick just over a minute in, dumping Dern to her back. Of course, going to the ground with Mackenzie Dern wasn’t tops on Loopy’s list, and she wisely backed off, taking the fight back to the feet.
Moments later, it was Dern looking for a takedown along the fence, but Godinez reversed, and they moved back to center. Dern then landed a jab, only to be countered and forced back. With two minutes on the clock, Dern did take the fight down, moving to mount with ease. Mackenzie stayed tight to her opponent and nearly swiveled around into an arm-bar. A moment later she did just that, with Godinez trying to stack Dern up in defense. Time was a factor now, but Dern was throwing hammer fists off her back; Godinez finally broke free, but had seen the round slip away in that final sequence.
Round two saw more of a stand-up, back-and-forth battle unfold. Dern held her own on the feet, continuing to show the improved striking she had developed in recent years. And when Godinez did sit Dern down (perhaps a slip more than anything), Godinez showed zero inclination to follow her to the ground.
With the arrival of round three, it was clear that Godinez likely needed a finish, or was at best tied. Godinez did her best to hold center, firing her jab and looking to land an uppercut. 90 seconds in, Dern shot in on a takedown, hoisted Godinez up, and landed it with authority! Dern looked to hit a mounted guillotine, but didn’t have it. That allowed Godinez to scramble out just ahead of the midway mark of the round.
A positional battle along the fence ensued, before Godinez peeled away, getting back into open space. Godinez then had to contend with Dern unleashing a flurry of strikes, lefts and rights, a kick or two mixed in. Lateral movement had Dern out of the way for most of Loopy’s strikes, and by the 90 second mark, the sense of urgency on the part of Godinez was unquestionably high. Dern flashed a front kick that fell short; Godinez answered with her hands. A clinch against the fence saw Dern land a knee, then another.
Official Result: Mackenzie Dern def. Loopy Godinez by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
