For the UFC, their UFC Noche event on Mexican Independence Day couldn’t have been more of a success for the company. But for UFC strawweight Loopy Godinez (11-3), her Performance of the Night fight and dominant submission win over Elise Reed have all those watching now very excited to see what she would do next. “I think it was a great performance,” said Godinez. “I really enjoyed the card, and I really enjoyed the fight.” And because she was the talk of the town that next week, she was quickly signed on to face Tabatha Ricci (9-1) this Saturday night in the prelims portion of UFC 295: Prochazka vs Periera. “It just happened very quickly,” explained Godinez. “I wasn’t planning on it, but it just happened. They asked me and I’m always down to fight, so I said ok, let’s do it again.”
This fight being her second since making the switch to Lobo Gym in Guadalajara, Jalisco in Mexico, home to current UFC women’s flyweight champion, Alexa Grasso, Godinez credits much of her new success to that change and those around her. “The change of camp I feel plays a big part of it,” said Godinez. “Just more confidence and the type of work we put in and the kind of training partners we have now and the coaches I have around me now has a lot of impact. I feel really secure about myself.”
As Godinez is now the star that kids and up and coming fighters look up to now, she actually was very close to taking a different path before choosing MMA. “I used to watch WWE and that’s pretty much what I wanted to do when I grew up,” said Godinez. “Then when I saw there was actually fighting and actually people punching their faces, I was like oh no, I want to actually do it like that.”
And her newfound fame after her last fight sits just fine with the Mexican rising star as well. “It’s funny because I went to downtown Guadalajara to this mercado and all of the sudden I hear Loopy,” explained Godinez. “And I was waiting for it to be for my teammates, but it was a just a random guy for me. It was pretty cool. It’s not distracting, I know it’s part of it and comes with it.”
If Godinez has another fight like she had this past September, there is a good chance she will break into the top ten of her division, but continuing to perform at the peak of her ability is more important to her now than where she falls in the rankings. “I’m not looking at that right now,” said Godinez. “I’m just looking to have the best performance ever on Saturday.” “I know everything will come if you perform well, so all I have to focus on is to train hard and have good performances.”
Loopy Godinez will face Tabitha Ricci this Saturday, November 11th at UFC 295 Prelims live on ESPN+ at 7pm CT.
Photo credit: Zuffa LLC