Tomorrow on the main card of UFC Abu Dhabi, we are going to see a fun matchup between two top ten strawweights. 7th ranked Mackenzie Dern (13-5) will look to get back on track as she takes on 10th ranked Loopy Godinez (12-4).
Starting with Godinez, this is a big opportunity for her coming off her recent loss against Virna Jandiroba. Godinez was a favorite entering that fight having won four in a row, but she didn’t have the best strategy and lost a decision. That loss came on the heels of her winning a close decision over Tabatha Ricci last November.
Mackenzie Dern desperately needs a win in this matchup. When Dern really started to take off in the UFC, I thought she had all the makings of a future champion. She has elite jiu jitsu and is a former world champion plus she’s an incredible athlete. Her striking was coming along as well. After having her baby and shaking off the rust in her first fight back, Dern won four fights in a row before falling to Marina Rodriguez.
Since the Rodriguez fight, Dern is just 2-3 including losing her last two. In both of those fights against Jessica Andrade and Amanda Lemos, the UFC’s 7th ranked strawweight just looked incredibly wild on the feet and lacked the wrestling to get the fight to the ground. If she wants to beat Godinez, she has to be tight in her technique.
UFC Abu Dhabi Prediction
Loopy Godinez is so talented and as an overall fighter, I think she’s better than Mackenzie Dern. She doesn’t have the jiu jitsu that Dern has, but nobody in the division does. That said, Godinez has very good boxing and I think she has good enough skills on the ground to land takedowns and stay out of submissions.
If Godinez comes in with a good strategy, I think she keeps this on the feet. If they are striking, I really don’t like Dern’s chances at UFC Abu Dhabi. Had Dern continued to build off what we saw in her Angela Hill fight last year, I’d have more faith. However, she hasn’t come close to that form since then. I think Godinez avoids Dern’s takedown attempts and keeps this fight at boxing range which will ultimately allow her to win a comfortable decision.
Prediction: Loopy Godinez by Decision