Preview: UFC on ESPN 22 Prelims

Women’s Strawweights

NR | Lupita Godinez (5-0, 0-0 UFC) vs. NR | Jessica Penne (12-5, 1-3 UFC)

ODDS: Godinez (-310), Penne (+255)

For the first time in nearly four years, Penne returns to the Octagon. As a former atomweight champion in Invicta Fighting Championships, Penne was well-regarded heading into the all-strawweight season of “The Ultimate Fighter” in 2014—enough so that after her win over castmate Randa Markos, Penne was tabbed to face Joanna Jedrzejczyk for the 115-pound title. Her career has gone downhill ever since. Her title challenge turned into a one-sided beating at the hands of Jedrzejczyk, and after recovering from her injuries, she had the poor fortune of welcoming Jessica Andrade to the strawweight division in what turned into another violent loss. By the time of her 2017 defeat to Danielle Taylor, there just was not much working for Penne. The best part of her game has always been her submission grappling, and she just does not have enough ways to set it up, especially with her tendency to get pushed backwards on the feet. Thanks to injuries and issues with USADA, Penne has not fought for nearly four years, so the vibes are not exactly great heading into this return fight against a UFC newcomer. Godinez is probably getting to the UFC a bit early, but “Loopy” is still a prospect to watch. She has shown some solid wrestling and punching power, as well as a commitment to moving forward, and her Legacy Fighting Alliance title win in October showed that she is capable of keeping that pace for five rounds. There is a chance that the four-year layoff may have served Penne well, and Godinez wrestles enough that there's the chance that the Alliance MMA rep can catch her in a submission. Otherwise, this appears to be one-way traffic for Godinez. While she is consistent enough in her pressure that a finish would not be surprising, the pick is Godinez via decision.

Continue Reading » Fabinski vs. Meerschaert