NEW YORK – UFC strawweight [autotag]Loopy Godinez[/autotag] has set a record by just showing up and doing what she does best. If you ask her, it happened by accident.
At UFC 295 in Madison Square Garden, Godinez (12-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) set a record in the promotion by becoming the first woman to win four fights in a calendar year. She picked up a split decision win over Tabatha Ricci (9-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC), a result which had a controversial scorecard in her opponent’s favor.
Setting the record is just something that happened while simply trying to be an active fighter in the UFC who is doing what she loves.
“I’m making records by accident I think, because it’s not like I’m doing it like, ‘Oh, I want to do this,'” Godinez told reporters at a post-fight news conference. “I just love fighting. That’s what I do every day, I don’t do anything else. That’s my life. So of course, I just put all of my love and heart into this, and of course, good things are going to come out of this.”
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The fight against Ricci appeared to be a clear decision win in her favor after the final horn in the third round. However, one of the official cageside judges gave everyone pause when Bruce Buffer announced a score of 30-27 in Ricci’s favor. Godinez thought she won the fight, but knows MMA judging can produce some wild results.
“You never know with the judges, and we’ve seen it in so many fights, like weird decisions,” Godinez said. “I wasn’t surprised because of that reason, because never leave the fight to the judges. We all see different things and we all root for different people. So, that happens.”
Making Godinez’s new record even more impressive is that she didn’t have her first fight of 2023 until April. If she has it her way and stays healthy, she would like to see what happens in 2024 if she begins earlier in the year with a similar pace. It’s all a part of her plan to eventually become the first Mexico-born UFC strawweight champion.
“Of course, my goal is to get the strap and be a dominant champion and we’re working for that,” Godinez said. “I know I have a lot to improve, a lot to learn and a lot to do, but we’re doing it. I recently made the move to Guadalajara to change camps, and I feel like I can see it, I can feel it. We’re just getting better. I’m just showing that I’m in. I’m 100 percent in this game.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.