The Women to Watch at UFC Fight Night: Vera vs Cruz
This weekend, the UFC heads to San Diego for a bantamweight match up between the OG Dominick Cruz (ranked #8) & another OG in his own right who has been riding on serious momentum, Marlon “Chito” Vera (ranked #5).
Although the main event is sure to bring fireworks, Godinez vs Hill beautifully tells the tale of a veteran that has worked to pave the way and the young prospect who has come to take the position of the veteran.
The Backstory:
Angela “Overkill” Hill, ranked #13 in the strawweight division of the UFC, began her professional mixed martial arts journey in 2014 against the current strawweight champion Carla Esparza. This fight took place on Season 20 of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ which, fitting Hill’s theme of setting records, was not only the first season to feature all female fighters but also the season that would determine the first strawweight champion of the UFC. Although Hill lost her TUF fight versus Esparza, 5 months later she was signed to the UFC as the first black American woman in the promotion & won her debut fight via unanimous decision. 8 years have passed with Hill making her mark in the UFC and she continues to break records, being the first woman in the UFC to have 4 fights in two separate years as well as the first black American woman to headline a UFC card in her September 2020 fight versus Michelle Waterson. Although Angela Hill has lost 4 of her last 5, she continues to deliver entertaining fights and has found herself in more than one controversial split decision loss over the years. One last important thing to note heading into her match with Godinez, Hill is one of the most difficult women to finish in the strawweight division with her only submission loss being from the former champion Rose Namajunas back in 2015.
Betting favorite Lupita “Loopy” Godinez may have just made it to the UFC in May of 2021 but the rising prospect already has 5 fights in the promotion. She won the fans over by stepping in on short notice to replace Hannah Goldy and going all three rounds with Jessica Penne, teammate and friend of Angela Hill. Although she did not take the decision win in that fight, there were many media members in the community that scored the fight for Godinez. The following month, although the fight did not end up coming to fruition due to visa issues, Godinez had agreed to step in on short notice for a second time against Sarah Alpar. In October of 2021, Godinez faced Silvana Gomez-Juarez and secured an arm bar submission to finish the fight in the first round. Hill is not the only record breaker we will be speaking about today because Godinez went on to break a record in her next fight, becoming the fighter to hold the title of the quickest turn around between two fights, coming only one week after her finish over Gomez-Juarez. Although she did not win this fight, she showed a tremendous amount of resilience and continued to steal the hearts of the mma community. Since her loss, she has gone on to win two fights in dominant fashion. Never having been finished in her pro career, Mexico born Godinez truly embodies the spirit of a Mexican fighter that will never hesitate to move forward and push through adversity.
The Breakdown & Prediction
Although this fight is happening 1 month before it was initially scheduled, as I mentioned before, both ladies come ready and are relentless including forward pressure in their game plan for every fight. Angela Hill is the more experienced fighter & uses her fight IQ, stamina and quick striking to intimidate her opponents and cause them to move backwards. I believe Angela has a larger arsenal of strikes that she throws & she is the quicker fighter, but the prospect Godinez is coming in with a boxing background and a wrestling advantage over Hill. Although it should be noted that Hill is not an easy opponent to get down to the ground, with an average takedown defense of 76%. The reason I chose to cover this fight is because I am sure that it will be a great fight regardless of the outcome & looking at the grit of both women, I predict it will go all 3 rounds. Godinez has the momentum on her side, Angela has the experience. I believe it will be a fairly dominant unanimous decision by Godinez due to her strong takedowns, her use of the clinch & her vicious ground and pound that every opponent that has been across from her has been forced to face. Enjoy the fights, fight family!
Prediction:
Lupita “Loopy” Godinez via Unanimous Decision
(Please note: This prediction is not associated with the MMAPlay365 packages, subscriptions or services)