Loopy Godinez earned a potentially breakthrough win and made some UFC history in the process.
Godinez displayed superb striking Saturday night at UFC 295 where she secured a split decision over Tabatha Ricci in their strawweight bout at Madison Square Garden. Godinez, who was No. 13 in the official rankings, earned scores of 29-28 from two judges, but Ricci, ranked No. 10, was awarded a questionable score of 30-27 from judge Bryan Miner.
“I knew it was close,” Godinez said afterward. “For sure, yeah, she’s a tough opponent. She’s (No. 10) for a reason.”
While that description of Ricci shouldn’t be questioned, neither should Godinez’s performance as she displayed a clear advantage striking for 15 minutes and defended all six of Ricci’s takedown attempts.
Godinez (12-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) got off to a strong start in the first round, looking sharper on the feet and landing the crisper punches. She dropped Ricci (9-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) with about two minutes remaining, although Ricci clipped Godinez with a left hand just before the buzzer that might’ve swayed Miner.
Godinez remained composed and balanced with her attack through Rounds 2 and 3 as Ricci struggled to consistently find her range. But the moments Ricci did land, they were significant. It just wasn’t nearly as frequently as Godinez.
With the win, Godinez became the first woman in UFC history to win four fights in a calendar year. Her streak began with Cynthia Calvillo in April, then continued with Emily Ducote (May) and Elise Reed (September) before the win over Ricci, who had a three-fight winning streak snapped.
“I’m super happy,” Godinez said. “To be able do four fights in a year and actually go through and win, it takes a lot of work. It takes discipline. It takes a great team. I recently did the move to Lobo, and I’ve never been happier with my career, with my life.”
Up-to-the-minute UFC 295 results include:
- Loopy Godinez def. Tabatha Ricci via split decision (27-30, 29-28G, 29-28)
- Mateusz Rebecki def. Roosevelt Roberts via verbal submission (armbar) – Round 1, 3:08
- Viacheslav Borshchev vs. Nazim Sadykhov declared majority draw (29-28, 28-28, 28-28)
- Jared Gordon def. Mark Madsen via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:42
- John Castaneda def. Kyung Ho Kang via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Joshua Van def. Kevin Borjas via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Jamall Emmers def. Dennis Buzukja via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 0:49
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.
