logo
Loopy Godinez 'living the dream,' entered UFC on ESPN 64 with full confidence despite two-fight skid

Loopy Godinez 'living the dream,' entered UFC on ESPN 64 with full confidence despite two-fight skid

USA Today31-03-2025

MEXICO CITY – Loopy Godinez entered UFC on ESPN 64 with confidence that she would not only have the full support of the crowd, but also get her hand raised.
On the prelims of the event at Arena CDMX, Godinez (13-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) defeated Julia Polastri in what turned out to be one of the best fights of the entire night. Godinez clearly took the first two rounds of the fight, but Polastri (13-5 MMA, 1-2 UFC) made it an all-out brawl in the last frame.
Throughout it all, the crowd chanted for the Aguascalientes-born Godinez, which was something the 31-year-old strawweight certainly expected fighting on home soil.
'I wasn't surprised,' Godinez told MMA Junkie and other reporters during a post-fight news conference. 'I knew it was going to be a crazy night. I know I have all the Mexicans behind me, and I wasn't wrong.'
Godinez came into this matchup in a tough spot. She dropped back-to-back unanimous decisions to Virna Jandiroba and Mackenzie Dern, but those outcomes had no bearing on this fight, according to Godinez.
'I don't put stress like that on myself, because I'm living the dream,' Godinez said. 'I knew because I had such a great training camp and I knew how it went and how I was doing in my training camp, I knew I was going to get the win tonight.'
Check out Godinez's full post-fight interview in the video above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie's event hub for UFC on ESPN 64.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Kamaru Usman gets back on track with UFC Fight Night win
Kamaru Usman gets back on track with UFC Fight Night win

New York Post

time27 minutes ago

  • New York Post

Kamaru Usman gets back on track with UFC Fight Night win

Kamaru Usman returned to the win column Saturday night in the main event of UFC Fight Night in Atlanta, Ga., securing a unanimous decision over Joaquin Buckley 49-46, 49-46, 48-47. 'Those knockouts will come,' Usman said after the win. 'I just needed to get that monkey off my back.' The first two rounds of the headline welterweight attraction saw Usman (21-4 MMA) pitch the equivalent of a shutout, effortlessly taking Buckley (21-7 MMA) down and utilizing his ground-and-pound to out-strike the St. Louis native 16-0 in the significant strikes category. Round 3 started strong for Buckley as he found his striking range before Usman found his third takedown in four tries. The former champion kept Buckley there for the final two minutes, briefly securing the mount position as the seconds ticked down. Round 4 was primarily on the feet, as Buckley found his best combinations of the fight but couldn't find a comeback finish. Usman took Buckley down again, securing the back mount position as the round ended. Round 5 saw both men trade blows, but it was too little, too late for Buckley, who had a six-fight unbeaten streak snapped. It was Usman's first win since he held the title in Nov. 2021. Buckley was gracious in defeat, suffering his first loss at welterweight. 3 Kamaru Usman (above) punches Joaquin Buckley during his win at UFC Night on June 14, 2025. Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC 'We're just getting started, baby,' Buckley said. 'We'll be back.' The co-main event also needed the cards, as former two-time strawweight champion Rose Namajunas earned a highly competitive unanimous decision, 30-27, 30-27, 29-28 over Miranda Maverick. Namajunas (15-7 MMA) overcame adversity, nearly getting submitted by arm-triangle in Round 2. Namajunas has won three of her last four. She still seeks a belt in a second division, this time at flyweight. Maverick (17-6 MMA) had a four-fight winning streak snapped, dating to July 2023. 3 Kamaru Usman celebrates after beating Joaquin Buckley at UFC Fight Night. Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC A recurring theme continued: middleweight Edmen Shahbazyan nearly finished TUF alumnus Andre Petroski with a would-be third-round TKO before walking away with a unanimous decision, 30-27, 30-27, 29-28. The win marked Shahbazyan's first stretch of back-to-back wins since 2019, his first decision win since 2018. Shahbazyan (15-5 MMA) had little trouble controlling the Pennsylvania native in Petroski (13-5 MMA) in all aspects, who has lost two of his last three fights. Former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt fell short against Raoni Barcelos in a lackluster affair by unanimous decision, 29-28, 29-28, 29-28. Barcelos (20-5 MMA) has won three in a row, as Garbrandt (14-7 MMA), who won the title in December 2016, has won just three of his last 20 appearances. 3 Middleweight Edmen Shahbazyan (left) takes down Andre Petroski in his win on UFC Fight NIght. Brett Davis-Imagn Images Barcelos nearly secured a late third-round rear-naked choke, but Garbrandt was able to fend it off before landing a few strikes to close the fight. In middleweight action, Mansur Abdul-Malik earned a technical decision over Cody Brundage 30-27, 29-28, 29-28. Abdul-Malik nearly had a third-round TKO 36 seconds in, but an accidental clash of heads changed the direction of the fight, thus needing the judges to intervene. Abdul-Malik (9-0 MMA) moved to 3-0 in the promotion, whereas Brundage (11-7 MMA) dropped below .500 in the UFC and still seeks his first string of back-to-back wins in nearly three years. The UFC Atlanta main card began with Alonzo Menifield earning a unanimous decision over Oumar Sy in a light heavyweight bout, 29-28, 29-28, 29-28. Menifield (17-5-1 MMA) handed Sy (11-1 MMA) his first MMA loss, which snapped a two-fight UFC stint since making his debut last May. Menifield, meanwhile, has won two straight. The UFC's schedule goes international with a Fight Night installment a week from Saturday in Azerbaijan, headlined by a light heavyweight non-championship five-rounder between former champion Jamahal Hill (12-3 MMA) and ex-title challenger Khalil Rountree Jr. (14-6 MMA).

UFC on ESPN 69 bonuses: Phil Rowe's comeback snubbed in Atlanta
UFC on ESPN 69 bonuses: Phil Rowe's comeback snubbed in Atlanta

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

UFC on ESPN 69 bonuses: Phil Rowe's comeback snubbed in Atlanta

The UFC handed out four bonuses after Saturday's card in Atlanta, but left a comeback upset with its cheese out in the wind. After UFC on ESPN 69, four fighters picked up an extra $50,000 for their performances in Atlanta. Check out the winners below – which do not include Phil Rowe's TKO comeback against Ange Loosa on the prelims. At one point during the fight, the live odds were 21-1 against Rowe to win. He finished Loosa in the third round, only to be left absent a bonus. Performance of the Night: Jose Ochoa Jose Ochoa (8-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) went into the second round with Cody Durden (17-8-1 MMA, 6-6-1 UFC), but wasn't interested in staying there long. After a rough loss in his promotional debut, he got his first UFC win just 11 seconds into the middle frame. Performance of the Night: Malcolm Wellmaker Malcolm Wellmaker (10-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) continued to send shockwaves across the bantamweight division when he took out Kris Moutinho (14-7 MMA, 0-3 UFC) with one punch in the first round. It should be noted that Wellmaker did pretty much exactly what he was expected to do. He was the biggest betting favorite of the entire year in the UFC at as much as 20-1. Fight of the Night: Kamaru Usman vs. Joaquin Buckley Kamaru Usman (21-4 MMA, 16-3 UFC) used a wrestling-heavy attack to outwork Joaquin Buckley (21-7 MMA, 11-5 UFC) for a unanimous decision in the main event. Usman spent more than half the 25-minute fight on top in control on the canvas and grinded out a win to snap a three-fight skid. The ex-welterweight champion snapped Buckley's six-fight winning streak. This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC Atlanta bonuses: Phil Rowe's comeback snubbed

LIVE! Watch UFC Atlanta Post-Fight Presser Here
LIVE! Watch UFC Atlanta Post-Fight Presser Here

Yahoo

time2 hours ago

  • Yahoo

LIVE! Watch UFC Atlanta Post-Fight Presser Here

Getty Images With UFC Atlanta officially done after an exciting evening (Sat., June 14, 2025) of fights LIVE on ESPN/ESPN+ from inside State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Ga., fight fans can now check out the post-fight press conference video above for all the best reaction and official bonus winners. Advertisement On a night that featured a welterweight headliner between former UFC champion Kamaru Usman and red-hot contender Joaquin Buckley, a co-main event clash between former UFC women's strawweight champion Rose Namajunas and promising flyweight challenger Miranda Maverick, and the return of notable names like Cody Garbrandt, Michael Chiesa, and Paul Craig, there will be a lot to discuss now that the action has concluded. The post-fight presser is scheduled to go LIVE in the above video player around 1:00 a.m. ET (Sunday). It will feature the biggest winners and losers from the card, as well as UFC CEO Dana White. For more UFC Atlanta results, coverage, and highlights click HERE. More from

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store