Yesterday we learned what the main card would be for UFC Abu Dhabi on August 3rd. Dana White took to social media and announced a number of fights including Nick Diaz – Vicente Luque as well as Tony Ferguson – Michael Chiesa. He also announced a strawweight matchup between two top ten contenders.
Seventh ranked Mackenzie Dern (13-5) will look to defend her spot in the top seven as she takes on tenth ranked Lupita “Loopy” Godinez (12-4). This is a big bounce back opportunity for both of these ladies on what’s turning out to be a pretty massive Fight Night.
Starting with the UFC’s tenth ranked contender Loopy Godinez. Loopy had won four fights in a row as she entered 2024 which included a nice win over Tabatha Ricci to close out the year. However, then she ran into Virna Jandiroba in March and lost her first fight in over a year. Now, she’ll look to take out Dern and start moving her way back up the rankings.
UFC Abu Dhabi
It’s been an interesting journey for Mackenzie Dern inside the UFC. She made her octagon debut back in 2018 and won her first two fights which moved her to 7-0 as a professional. Dern then took time off to give birth to her daughter. Upon her return, she looked a little rusty and lost her first professional fight to Amanda Ribas.
However, after sharpening up, Dern won four fights in a row including three first round submissions which got her into the UFC title picture at 115 pounds. She then lost a decision to Marina Rodriguez and really hasn’t approached the title picture since. It’s been really up and down for Dern.
Last May, she put on her best career performance in terms of her overall game in a dominant decision win over Angela Hill. However, she followed that up with two lackluster performances against Jessica Andrade and Amanda Lemos. She really needs a win her to show she belongs amongst the UFC’s best at 115 pounds.