Athletes
Loopy Godinez Is Keeping Her Feet To The Ground
Staying Humble And Hungry Is A Priority For Loopy Godinez As She Continues Her Rise Through The UFC Strawweight Ranks At UFC Fight Night: Vera vs Cruz.
Every fighter’s story has a little bit of Rocky to it. That may go double for rising UFC star Loopy Godinez, right down to the same quote used by Mr. Balboa on his first date with future wife Adrian.
To be honest, I always wanted to be a singer or a dancer or something where I could perform for people,” said Godinez. “Of course, I'm not a singer - I sing horrible and I dance horrible - so it happened that fighting came to my life. Since I was a little kid, I always imagined myself being in front of so many people and it's happening.”
Rocky became a fighter because he couldn’t sing or dance, either, and Godinez is just fine with that comparison. Luckily, there haven’t been any club fights in dingy churches for the 28-year-old from Aguascalientes, Mexico, but there have been struggles to make it to the Octagon, where she will make her sixth appearance this Saturday against Angela Hill. It’s the biggest fight of Godinez’ four-year pro career, but she’s ready for that challenge and what comes after it.
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“She's the most important fight of my career right now, and I think after this one, I'm gonna be facing tougher and tougher opponents, and soon enough I'll be fighting for that belt, and I'll win the belt and defend it,” she said. “But right now, she's in front of me and I cannot wait.”
There is only truth coming out of the mouth from Godinez whenever she speaks. There are no cliches, no desire to say “the right thing” about this fight being the only thing on her mind. Yes, she is focused on this weekend’s bout, but she also knows that it’s only the beginning for her. That would frighten, or at least intimidate, some, but not Loopy.
No, it's not scary at all,” she said. “I love it. It's just weird. I'm a weird person. (Laughs) It's just happening and it's what it is and I'm fighting tougher opponents and, of course, I'm gonna go higher and it's just what happens. I look at it like that because in 20 years in the future, we're gonna look back and be like, I did this, I did that, so I might as well just make the best of it.”
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Godinez, who now makes her home in Vancouver, B.C., Canada, has made the best of every opportunity since her short notice debut in April of 2021 against Jessica Penne. Just five fights into her career, Godinez extended the former world title challenger the full three-round distance before losing a controversial split decision, and since then she has become everybody’s favorite fighter for her willingness to take on anyone, anywhere, at any time, and in any weight class.
So when Godinez and Hill were approached with moving their October matchup up a couple months, that was no problem with either fighter.
“I said, ‘I'm in, I'll do it. Just let me talk to my team, but yeah, let's do it.’ The only thing I said was no way I'm going to 115 because I'm not about to kill myself in a week and do a big weight cut. I said let's do it at 125, and she said 120, and I said, okay, that's fine.”
That’s Loopy in a nutshell. She said yes to the fight and just added that she would talk to her team as a courtesy to them. She was fighting, no question about it. She laughs, in good spirits early on fight week, which is usually a stressful time, but not for her.
“Oh yeah, I'm eating all the PI meals that they're giving me and I ask for extra sometimes because I like to feel good,” said Godinez, who has embraced the lifestyle of a full-time UFC fighter.
“It's amazing. I get to train full-time, I don't work anymore, my job is training, I've met so many people and got to go to different places. It's been a dream come true.”
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Guess she’s planning on sticking around for a while.
“Oh yeah, I'm here for the long run,” she laughs, secure in the reality that she’s gone from unknown fighter slugging it out on the regional circuit to a competitor some have called the female Donald Cerrone. That’s high praise, and she’s enjoying the ride, in and out of the Octagon.
Loopy Godinez Locks In First-Round Arm Bar | UFC Fight Night: Dern vs Rodriguez
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Loopy Godinez Locks In First-Round Arm Bar | UFC Fight Night: Dern vs Rodriguez
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I'm not surprised,” Godinez said. “I always imagined myself in this position and in an even better position in the future, so it doesn't bother me at all or distract me at all. It's just part of it. My feet are on the ground, and it (the attention) just comes along with what I'm doing. I like to look at it as simple as that. I don't like to overthink it. the more you think about it, it's as big as you want to make it, and I haven't even got started yet, honestly. It's just the beginning.”
But why her? Of all the fighters on the roster, why have fans gravitated to her? It’s quite simple in her eyes. The way she sees it, her story is one shared by so many in different walks of life, so they can relate to it – and her. And unlike Rocky, Godinez plans on writing a book about her life sooner rather than later.
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“There are a lot of people who have overcome things and I feel like I've overcome a lot of things,” said Godinez. “But I don't consider myself a celebrity; I see myself as a human because, at the end of the day, I'm like everyone else. And that's the connection with people, which is better than if someone just sees you as someone super big that they can never reach. What's the point of that?”
UFC Fight Night: Vera vs Cruz took place live from Pechanga Arena in San Diego, California on August 13, 2022. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive all the action on UFC Fight Pass!
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