Originally scheduled to face Polyana Viana at UFC Fight Night: Song vs. Simon, Emily Ducote now finds herself with a new opponent opposite her this weekend. Lupita Godinez steps in to replace Viana on just a week’s notice, after just having beaten Cynthia Calvillo in April of this year.
Ducote, the former Invicta Strawweight champion is just two fights into her UFC contract having already fought divisional pioneers Jessica Penne and Angela Hill going 1-1. A win over Lupita would be massive both in tilting her UFC record onto a winning track and also as Godinez is a popular prospect among fans.
Lupita Godinez vs. Emily Ducote takes place at this Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 224 event and will air exclusively on ESPN+.
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Betting Odds
Godinez will be the favorite at -150, meaning it costs $150 to make $100 back in profit should she win. The best odds for Godinez to win can be found at BetUS, whereas MyBookie has a solid offering on Ducote to be victorious this weekend.
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Fight Breakdown
Emily Ducote is a technician. She is tremendously well-rounded, and accurate. However, she fails sometimes to keep pace with her opponents because of this. If her opponents do not push her, she will evade, counter, go on the lead, and set up beautiful strikes. She has a wicked left hook to the body and a chopping outside low kick. Her head movement is solid, however, if her opponents refuse to let up, you will see her evade and miss opportunities to throw counters.
One area where Ducote has consistently struggled is in the clinch. She will often lose out on exchanges if her opponent can establish double Thai plumbs and land knees to the body. Although Ducote does well protecting her head, she has not really been able to disengage from this position on her own terms. She needs to use her footwork to stay at striking range with Godinez at all costs.
Godinez is a very sound striker in her own right. She sits much lower in her stance to set herself up for that takedown when she sees it, and her arsenal of attack is basic but effective. She likes the right cross on its own, but also often throws the 1-2-3 or jab, cross lead hook. Also, watch her return a counter-low kick on exiting opponents.
Where “Loopy” Godinez has the biggest advantage is in wrestling. She has a great outside reap and arm drag-to-trip combination, as well as a powerful double leg. What’s special about her is her ability to chain strikes to takedowns so well when she wants to. In her most recent fights, we’ve seen her take the foot off of the gas in terms of chasing a grappling gameplan, but when she does pursue it it’s typically her most dominant and impressive route to victory. In top control, she is very good at allowing just enough space for her opponents to move, while floating on top and landing strikes.
Prediction
The more well-rounded and aggressive style of Lupita Godinez is well-suited to the technical prowess of Ducote. Godinez has gone tow to toe with better strikers such as Angela Hill and largely held her own on pressure, output, power, and an ability to return at every opportunity. While this doesn’t in its own right get her the win over Ducote, it keeps her within range enough to make those opportunities in the clinch and to take her down much more applicable.
Pick: Lupita Godinez to win (-150 at BetUS)
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