Loopy Godinez (11-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) extended her winning streak to three in a big way at Noche UFC on Sept. 16.
In front of a Mexican-friendly crowd on her native country’s Independence Day, Godinez submitted Elise Reed via rear naked choke in the second frame of their strawweight contest after dropping her and nearly sinking in an armbar earlier in the bout.
Godinez said it was “amazing” to have a pro-Mexican crowd behind her on the holiday.
“It was pretty fun,” Godinez told MMASucka. “The energy was great. I started with Lobo Gym, so just to have that performance, it was everything. It was perfect.”
Godinez indeed moved to Lobo Gym in Mexico, where one of her training partners is none other than UFC flyweight queen Alexa Grasso, who, on the same card, fought to a draw with former champion Valentina Shevchenko.
Godinez said she watched Grasso’s career progress at Lobo Gym in Mexico and saw her continuously improve. She said everyone in the gym loves each other, too.
“It’s like a big huge family. It’s in Mexico, and I’m Mexican, so there’s a real connection,” Godinez said.
Training with Grasso has been “amazing,” she said.
“We’re really good friends. We really push each other every single day up and down during camp, of course. We were always there to tell each other that, ‘We can do it. It’s almost there. We’re going to have a great fight.’ We make a great team together.”
The duo went undefeated at Noche UFC, as they were buoyed by the crowd.
“We really cheer for our athletes,” Godinez said. “When someone is Mexican, I feel like we have a really strong energy when we are celebrating something. That’s part of us. That’s part of our culture. It was booming. It was insane. It was crazy.”
Godinez said the camp for Reed was the best she ever felt before a fight.
“All the work we put in really paid off. This time, I had the opportunity to have multiple partners to train with, great coaches around me, so it was just great. Everything was perfect.”
Godinez put on a dominant performance and nearly submitted Reed via arm bar in the first round. But Reed managed to tough it out and survive the attempt.
“Yeah, that was pretty surprising,” Godinez said. “I was like, ‘What the hell? What is her arm made of, right?’ It was stretched out. It was nuts. Props to her.”
Godinez now finds herself as the No. 14-ranked strawweight – she’s newly minted in the rankings. She said it feels “so great.”
“Every fighter works really hard to be ranked and to go for the belt. Now to see my name with a number beside. It’s great. That’s why I’m here. That’s why I’m doing this; to be the best. We are climbing that ladder slowly, and my time will come to fight for the belt and be the champ.”
Godinez said she doesn’t care who the UFC gives her to fight next as long as they are above her in the division.
“We have so much talent in the division, the top-10 and top-15. Any of those girls will make me better. If I have to train for one of those girls, I’ll just excel even more.”
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