Athletes
Loopy Godinez: A New Level Of Confidence
Women’s Strawweight Loopy Godinez Looks To Build On Impressive Noche UFC Submission Against Elise Reed As She Readies To Take On Her Fourth Fight Of 2023.
There could have been skydiving on the agenda for flyweight champion Alexa Grasso and her teammate, strawweight contender Loopy Godinez, after their September fights, but apparently, Godinez enjoys fighting more than jumping out of a plane.
“There was no time,” she laughs. “I didn't get time to do anything.”
Order UFC 295: Procházka vs Pereira
Well, except train, because soon after Godinez submitted Elise Reed at Noche UFC in Las Vegas, she got the call to face fellow contender Tabatha Ricci at UFC 295 in Madison Square Garden this Saturday. And taking the fight, her fourth of the year, was a no brainer.
“Everyone that knows me knows that I like to be active, and now with this new team, I have a whole different type of confidence,” she said. “So yeah. I'm happy to get back in there.”
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While spending portions of her camp with the Lobo Gym team in Guadalajara has been part of her routine for a while, before the Reed fight, she made a full-time switch, and she couldn’t be happier.
“It's a mix of everything, because I get all the best training partners here, and I also get amazing coaching, and that just brings the confidence up. Of course, it's always nerve wracking. You never know what you’re going to do or how many rounds you're going to do, because there is no time limit here when you're training. But honestly, that just gives you a whole different view of everything, and now, when I step in the cage, nothing is new. I've been in every position, so it's just so much better.”
Loopy Godinez Submits Reed To Cap Off A Dominant Performance | Noche UFC
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Loopy Godinez Submits Reed To Cap Off A Dominant Performance | Noche UFC
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That confidence was never more evident than in the Reed fight. Now Godinez has always been good, but she hasn’t been as good as she was against the striking standout from New Jersey, who had no answers for the Aguascalientes native. The second-round finish was Godinez’ third victory in a row for 2023, and after “just” two fights in 2022, she’s back to the schedule everyone knows and loves her for. She’s loving it, too, and it’s all about the fight, not necessarily the location or the hype surrounding it.
Preview Every Fight On UFC 295: Procházka vs Pereira
“I don't really care where I'm fighting,” she said. “At the end of the day, I'm stepping into the ring, I'm doing the fight week and I'm fighting someone else. So it's the same thing; if I fight in Vegas, in Mexico, it doesn't matter, right? I'm doing the same thing. Of course, I'm excited to fight on that card and in that city because of the whole history and the card is amazing. I’m just thankful to the UFC for giving me the opportunity and that they want me there. That's a big plus.”
It is, because with a fourth straight win, the 30-year-old will likely move up from the thirteenth spot in the strawweight rankings and start looking at the big names that could lead her to a title shot. Will that be in 2024? She hopes so.
“I had that in my mind, and I do believe that going the way I'm going, at the end of next year, we could be in talks for the belt.”
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Don’t expect that hardware or notoriety to change her, though. She’s always going to be Loopy.
“In my mind, I'm just a fighter,” Godinez said. “What's my job? Training. I’m not a Hollywood star and I don't give any concerts. I'm not like that. I'm a fighter. It’s just happened that people like fighting, and they like to watch fighting and they become your fans, but my job is to fight and train. I'm really focused on what's ahead of me, and that’s my job.
UFC 295: Procházka vs Pereira took place live from Madison Square Garden in New York City on November 11, 2023. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
