Mackenzie Dern Makes Decisions Against Loopy Godinez at UFC Abu Dhabi

The main card of Saturday’s UFC Abu Dhabi: Sandhagen vs. Nurmagomedov featured a women’s strawweight clash between No. 7 Mackenzie Dern and No. 10 Loopy Godinez.

Dern entered the fight hoping to bounce back from two straight losses. She had been beaten in four of her last six fights and desperately needed a win to stay in the division. Godinez had her four-fight winning streak snapped in her last outing. Hoping to get back in the win column, a win would move Godinez up several spots in the rankings.

Dern threw her jab early in the fight. Godinez kept her guard high and tried to close the distance. Godinez caught a kick and took Dern down, but immediately let the ground specialist get back up. Dern closed that distance behind the punches and clung on. Godinez separated and landed on the break. She landed a counter combination. Dern pushed forward with a right hand. Dern clung on and threw Godinez to the ground. She advanced to the mount with 95 seconds left in the round.

Dern isolated one arm and worked to extend her hips to secure an arm bar. She hammered and punched from the bottom and Godinez freed her arm. She was able to land a few punches from the top position as the round ended. MMAWeekly awarded the round 10-9 to Dern.

Dern continued to use her jab in the second round. She came out aggressively and pushed forward. The two clung after an exchange but quickly separated. Dern connected with a right hand. Godinez responded with a hard jab. Dern began to put pressure on Godinez. Dern had the most power as Godinez looked to counterattack. As Dern moved toward the pocket, Godinez met her with a right hand. Dern delivered a combination.

Godinez changed levels and took Dern to the ground. Dern quickly got back up and Godinez worked to lock in a standing arm triangle. Dern remained calm and the round ended. MMAWeekly scored the round 10-9 for Dern.

Dern threw her jab to start the final round. Godinez responded with a hard right kick. Dern kicked the leg, but Godinez countered with a left hand. Godinez began landing left hands. Dern changed levels, elevated Godinez and pinned her to the ground. Dern moved into side control. Godinez pushed her away and got to her feet. As she did, Dern worked to secure a guillotine choke. Godinez popped her head out and the two fought for position along the cage before separating.

Dern landed an uppercut. Godinez responded with a left hand. Godinez stepped into the pocket with a right hand. Dern responded with a leg kick. Godinez gritted his teeth and worked for position. They separated with 20 seconds left. Godinez rushed in and threw knees to the body as Dern fired right hands. MMAWeekly gave the round a score of 10-9 for Dern.

The judges awarded the fight to Dern by unanimous decision. The scores were 29-28, 29-28, 29-28.