Six months ago, Loopy Godinez walked out of Miami after Tatiana Suarez choked her in the second round of UFC 327. On Saturday night in Las Vegas, she walked out with her hand raised, edging Ketlen Souza on all three cards at UFC Vegas 122. That swing changes the conversation around the Loopy Godinez next fight: the question is no longer whether she can hold her place in the top 10, but who sits close enough to test her there.
The result was a unanimous decision, 29-28 on every card, against an unranked Brazilian who arrived on a two-fight winning streak. For a No. 8-ranked veteran coming off a submission loss, that kind of fight either steadies a career or sends it sideways, and it sets up the Loopy Godinez next fight as a ranked booking.
How Godinez got past Souza on the scorecards
This was not a clean night. Souza’s power was the louder weapon early, and the official UFC results recap notes she hurt Godinez and stopped her from settling into her wrestling through the opening two rounds. Even so, all three judges handed Godinez the first round, then gave the second to Souza.
The third round decided it. Godinez finally got the fight to the mat, and while Souza did enough from her back to keep her from posting up and doing real damage, top position plus pressure was enough to take the frame on every card. It was also the first bout of the night since the opener to reach a third round, which tells you how rare a full 15 minutes was on a card we previewed as a grappler-versus-striker night.
There was a weight story too. Godinez came in at 115.5 pounds, while Souza hit 117, a pound over the 116-pound strawweight limit. Under the official weigh-in terms, Souza handed over 20% of her purse to Godinez, so the Mexican-Canadian left Nevada with a win and a bigger check.
Loopy Godinez record and recent UFC results
Her UFC.com athlete page listed her at 15-6 going into the weekend, with 12 of those 15 wins coming on the cards. Another decision makes her 16-6 and fits her usual pattern of grinding through three rounds rather than chasing a finish. Born in Aguascalientes, Mexico, she trains at WKX / PT Team Vancouver and is 33.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct. 10, 2026 | Ketlen Souza | Win | Unanimous decision (29-28 x3) |
| Apr. 11, 2026 | Tatiana Suarez | Loss | Rear-naked choke, R2, 2:29 (UFC 327) |
| Aug. 16, 2025 | Jessica Andrade | Win | Unanimous decision (UFC 319) |
| Mar. 29, 2025 | Julia Polastri | Win | Unanimous decision |
| Aug. 3, 2024 | Mackenzie Dern | Loss | Unanimous decision |
| Mar. 30, 2024 | Virna Jandiroba | Loss | Unanimous decision |
Read that table and a pattern appears. The three losses came against Jandiroba, Dern and Suarez, who now sit at No. 3, champion and No. 2. The wins came against fighters outside that tier. Any serious discussion of the Loopy Godinez next fight starts from that line between the elite and everyone else.
Where she sits in the strawweight title picture
The most recent official UFC rankings, updated Oct. 3, have Mackenzie Dern as champion, with Zhang Weili, Suarez, Jandiroba, Denise Gomes and Gillian Robertson filling the top five. Godinez is No. 8, sandwiched between Fatima Kline at No. 7 and Alexia Thainara at No. 9, with Jessica Andrade, a fighter she has already beaten, at No. 10.
Beating an unranked opponent rarely moves anyone up, so expect her to hold roughly the same spot when the next update lands. The real gain is defensive: Godinez protected her ground, which keeps the Loopy Godinez next fight pointed at ranked opposition.
Her history also makes the matchmaking puzzle tricky. She has already faced the champion plus two of the current top three, including Jandiroba, who outgrappled Tabatha Ricci at UFC Vegas 115, so a rematch-free path toward the belt is thin. That is why the Loopy Godinez next fight is likely to come from the fighters directly around her rather than above her.
Loopy Godinez next fight: three matchups that make sense
The UFC has not announced her next opponent, and no booking or callout has been reported. Based on the rankings, these are the fights we would make.
- Fatima Kline (No. 7). The cleanest ranked-neighbor fight in the division. The winner earns a claim to the top six.
- Alexia Thainara (No. 9). The classic gatekeeper booking. Thainara is the next name trying to climb, and Godinez is precisely the kind of experienced, durable test a rising contender needs.
- Gillian Robertson (No. 5) or Yan Xiaonan (No. 6). The ambitious option. A win over either would be the best of her UFC run and put her on the edge of contention for the first time at 115.
Of the three, Kline is our pick for the Loopy Godinez next fight. It rewards the Souza win without overreaching.
What we still don’t know
Timing is the first unknown for the Loopy Godinez next fight. She sat out almost exactly six months between UFC 327 and this card, a break she called longer than normal, so a quicker turnaround is possible if she came through healthy.
The second is how the rankings panel weighs a close decision over a fighter who missed weight. A comfortable win would have strengthened her case for a jump. A 29-28 sweep with a lost middle round keeps her steady but does little to move the needle, which is why the Loopy Godinez next fight needs to be against a ranked name if she wants to climb again.
Frequently asked questions
Who did Loopy Godinez fight last?
She beat Ketlen Souza by unanimous decision, 29-28 on all three cards, at UFC Vegas 122 in Las Vegas on Oct. 10, 2026.
Where is Loopy Godinez from?
She was born in Aguascalientes, Mexico, and is a Mexican-Canadian fighter who trains at WKX / PT Team Vancouver.
Has the UFC announced Loopy Godinez’s next opponent?
No. As of Oct. 11, 2026, the UFC has not announced who or when she fights next.
Why a ranked opponent is the right call for Godinez
Godinez did her job on Saturday, even if it took a third-round push to secure it. The smart Loopy Godinez next fight is a ranked neighbor like Kline, a bout that shows whether she can beat someone ranked above her. Strawweight has room for a veteran who keeps showing up; the next step is proving she can do more than hold the line.