Loopy Godinez sees difficult fights as the engine behind her rise in the UFC strawweight division, and she points to both wins and losses as the reason she is in contention today.
Since joining the UFC in 2021, Godinez has faced a steady run of ranked or fringe‑ranked opposition, with decisions against Angela Hill, Ariane Carnelossi, Loma Lookboonmee, Jessica Penne and others shaping her record.
Her recent stretch includes back‑to‑back unanimous‑decision losses to high‑level grapplers Virna Jandiroba and Mackenzie Dern in 2024, followed by rebound wins that restored her momentum and kept her in the top‑15 mix. That track record feeds directly into how she talks about her career: in a new interview promoting UFC 327, she says she “loves” having tough fights because they have “helped [her] to grow a lot as a fighter, as an athlete” and taught her “so many things.”
Godinez explains that she believes she is in her current position “because of those wins or those losses,” stressing that each defeat forces her to learn and adjust. She credits opponents “that beat me or I beat them” with giving her chances to grow, adding that “that’s why we’re here,” framing the UFC stage as a place where difficult matchups are a requirement, not a burden.
Loopy Godinez at UFC 327
The impact of those challenging matchups shows in how she and the division now view her next assignment. Godinez is booked to face Tatiana Suarez at UFC 327 on April 11, 2026, in Miami, a fight she calls “a huge opportunity” and “very important” because it could move her directly into title contention. Suarez is a former title hopeful with one career loss and strong wrestling credentials, continuing the pattern of Godinez taking assignments against established names rather than lower‑risk tests. Godinez says every bout is the “most important” of her career because each one takes her closer to a title shot, but she is clear that beating Suarez could make her the next challenger for the belt.
Her fight history supports that upward climb. She has a run of fifteen professional bouts, including UFC wins over Tabatha Ricci, Elise Reed, Emily Ducote and Cynthia Calvillo, alongside decision losses where she went the distance with more experienced opponents. Outside the UFC, she logged five‑round experiences in LFA and BTC, which added time under pressure before she joined the promotion.
After spending time with Lobo Gym and Alexa Grasso’s team in Guadalajara, she returned to Vancouver following her 2024 loss to Mackenzie Dern, seeking a reset near family and a new technical push. She now works with WKX Gym and PTT Vancouver while cross‑training with UFC flyweight Jamey‑Lyn Horth, and she says her last year of camps there has produced visible changes in her game.
She describes each camp as a chance to adapt to new opponents, “add things” and “take things” out, and she records her sessions on video so she can track improvements with her coaches. In the interview, Godinez compares fighting to a “dance” she has been practicing for months, a process that turns lessons from tough nights into fluid execution on fight day.
Looking ahead, Godinez lays out a simple path: beat Suarez, earn a title shot, win the belt and finish 2026 as champion before defending in 2027. She also says she is “trusting the process,” letting the UFC and circumstances shape the exact timing while she focuses on training and staying in a good place mentally in Vancouver. For her, difficult matchups are not a detour; they are the reason she believes she belongs near the top of the strawweight division.
