Abu Dhabi sees a clash of ranked strawweight contenders both looking to bounce back from disappointing losses last time out. It’s a fight that could possibly have the Abu Dhabi fans salivating, however, this only occurs if one woman gets her way.
Mackenzie Dern meets Loopy Godinez in a 115lbs match-up which could set the winner up for a big fight next. Whatever happens, both women will be looking to get back in the win column.
Dern’s Disappointing Outing
BJJ phenom, Mackenzie Dern is coming off the back of two one-sided losses where she was both stopped and dominated over 15 minutes. Granted, these two losses have come to women at the very top of the division, however, a loss is a loss.
Firstly, she was badly beaten up and ultimately stopped by Jessica Andrade. In this one, she showed massive steps backwards in her stand-up game, an element that she’s always struggled with. In this one, however, she looked worse than ever. She was easily hit, falling over her own feet and didn’t show any threat on the ground.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 11: Jessica Andrade of Brazil knocks down Mackenzie Dern in a strawweight fight during the UFC 295 event at Madison Square Garden on November 11, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
Against Amanda Lemos she was better, however, yet again, she showed holes. Lemos was able to easily out-point Dern on the feet, score a knockdown and eventually cruise to a victory.
Godinez Looking to Bounce Back
Mexico’s Loopy Godinez is yet again staying active. Her bout with Dern marks her fifth bout since the beginning of last year, going 4-1. Crucially, that one loss came last time out in the biggest fight of her career against Virna Jandiroba.
She enjoyed a dominant five-fight winning run prior to this, however, defeating names including Tabatha Ricci and Elise Reed.
Keys to Victory
The keys to victory for each woman are fairly simple. One woman has to ground the fight and one woman would benefit from keeping it standing. One woman is a BJJ black belt and multiple-time ADCC champion and the other was largely controlled last time out.
Dern, as we know is the ground operator in this one. She looks elite when she can ground her opponents, however, it’s every element of her game outside of that grounding where she struggles. Her stand-up is amateurish as is her wrestling. Godinez is a solid wrestler and needs to lean on her defensive wrestling to keep this one on the feet.
She defended all six of Ricci’s attempts to ground her and seven of Jandiroba’s attempts. She boasts an 84% takedown defence and her recent history suggests that it’s a tough match-up for Dern. The fans in Abu Dhabi would love nothing more than Dern to be able work her ground game and submit Godinez, however, statistics would suggest that won’t happen.
It should be a great fight, regardless of who has their hand raised.
