The Prelim Breakout Star is a once-per-event article that helps fans get to know those who will be entertaining them from the undercard. The intention of the article is not to bring attention to the most talented fighter on the preliminary card, but rather one that the common fan may have overlooked or underestimated.
We avoided our 100th loss on this segment last weekend, instead picking up our 216th win. Can we do it again? See who we’re riding with to try.
Loopy Godinez
Affiliation – Titan MMA
From – Aguascalientes, Mexico
Height – 5’2″
Weight – 115 lbs (Strawweight)
Record – 5-0 (0-0 UFC)
What makes him impressive
While I think the power that Godinez possesses is pretty underrated, the key aspect of her game is the way that she moves in and out of range. She is very good at hitting people and not getting hit due to the way she measures each of her strikes, and it doesn’t take long for her to find this range. In addition, she pairs that well with head movement that makes it hard even when her opponent does time her correctly. And although all of this is already going to get her far in the UFC, the fact that she doesn’t use it to get complacent and instead has lots of volume, just makes it more impressive.
Why he has been overlooked
Godinez turned pro in the summer of 2018 and has fought just five times since then. That’s not exactly a wealth of experience when you consider where she is now and who she’ll be facing. However, her amateur career is extensive and it is against high-level competition as well. She fought UFC veteran Sam Hughes twice as well as Invicta veteran Jamie-Lyn Horth Wessels. So while she may not seem like she’s been around for all that long, she is not short on cage time.
What makes this a good match-up
Former title challenger Jessica Penne steps into this bout with a lot of time on the shelf. She last fought in 2017, before Godinez was even a professional. It’s hard to come up with a game plan for someone who was away for that long, but striking volume has always been a problem for Penne. In her last bout against Danielle Taylor, Taylor landed over five strikes per minute. Although that sounds bad, it was the lowest output of any of her last three opponents. As a result, I sort of expect the same issues here with Godinez.
Prelim Breakout Star Record: 216-99-1 (2 NC) (13 DNF)
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