This weekend the UFC travels to the United Arab Emirates for Saturday’s UFC Abu Dhabi fight card. The event, also known as UFC on ABC 7, takes place Etihad Arena. In the headlining bout, Cory Sandhagen faces Umar Nurmagomedov in a pivotal bantamweight battle. Earlier on the main card, Mackenzie Dern faces Loopy Godinez in an important strawweight scrap.

UFC Abu Dhabi begins at 3:00 pm ET on ABC, following prelims at 12:00 ET on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

Dern is the No. 7 ranked fighter in the official UFC strawweight rankings, while Godinez enters Saturday’s fight card as the No. 10 fighter in the 115-pound weight class.

Below, we take a deep dive into the Dern vs. Godinez matchup.

Careers

Mackenzie Dern

Dern (13-5) joined the UFC in March 2018 with five professional MMA bouts to her name. At the time, she was best known for racking up braces on the Brazilian jiu jitsu scene, including world championship gold medals.

Dern showed great grappling skills, as could be expected, in the early days of her UFC career, going 6-1 in her first seven fights, winning four of those bouts via submission. Her only loss between March 2018 and April 2021 was an October 2019 setback to Amanda Ribas.

As Dern picked up experience in the Octagon, she improved her striking skills. However, with the improvement in that aspect of her game, she, at times, relied too heavily on her striking instead of her strong grappling base, which cost her some fights. While Dern developed her striking skills, she has never improved her takedowns, which is also hurt her, especially when takedowns could have helped her get her opponents to the mat.

Dern has struggled in her past six fights, going 2-4 with losses to Marina Rodriguez, Yan Xiaonan, Jessica Andrade, and most recently Amanda Lemos. Dern’s wins came against Angela Hill and Tecia Torres.

At 31, Dern must put together a complete effort and pick up a win in Abu Dhabi. She came to the UFC with a lot of hype, and she has improved as an MMA fighter in the past six years, but it’s hard to call her a complete fighter. Her bout against Godinez is a must-win if Dern ever hopes to get close to a title shot.

Loopy Godinez

Godinez (12-4) joined the UFC in April 2021 after winning the LFA strawweight title with a decision over Vanessa Demopoulos. That victory moved Godinez to 5-0 as a pro fighter.

She made her UFC debut as a late replacement against former UFC strawweight title challenger Jessica Penne. Penne won that fight by split decision. Godinez then went 3-2. The second loss of that run was a decision setback to Angela Hill in August 2022.

After her loss to Hill, Godinez went on a four-fight winning streak. Her UFC 295 split-decision victory over Tabatha Ricci earned her the No. 10 ranking in the division and a matchup against Virna Jandiroba, who was ranked No. 5 when they met in March in Atlantic City. Jandiroba won the fight via decision.

The 30-year-old Godinez has never lost back-to-back bouts in her career.

UFC Abu Dhabi Betting Odds: Mackenzie Dern vs. Loopy Godinez

The odds have shifted since the UFC first announced this fight. Godinez was the betting favorite at opening at -148, while Dern was listed at +124. As fight night approaches, Dern is now the favorite at -140, with Godinez as the +104 betting underdog.

Significant Stats

Dern lands 3.31 significant strikes per minute with a striking accuracy of 40 percent. Her striking defense is 51 percent, and she gets hit 4.09 times per minute. Dern picks up 0.79 takedowns per 15 minutes with a takedown accuracy of 15 percent. Her takedown defense stands at 28 percent.

Godinez has better striking stats than Dern in all categories. She lands 4.13 significant strikes per minute with an accuracy of 48 percent. Godinez gets hit 3.58 times per minute, and her striking defense stands at 63 percent. Godinez lands 3.04 takedowns per 15 minutes with an accuracy of 46 percent. Her takedown defense is 84 percent.

UFC Abu Dhabi Prediction and Pick: Mackenzie Dern vs. Loopy Godinez

Godinez is the better all-around fighter of these two, but she tends to make mistakes that cost her fights, making her a risky bet. However, the pick is for Godinez to beat Dern by decision.

Related Stories

Noche UFC / UFC 306 Ticket Prices Top Out At $17,507

Dana White Ends UFC Bonus Increases After UFC 304: ‘Never Again’

The Paddy Pimblett Business Is About To Pick Up After UFC 304

UFC 304 Results: Winners And Losers From Edwards Vs. Muhammad 2 Card

Dana White Officially Announces Top 3 Fights For Noche UFC / UFC 306