UFC Vegas 40 will go down this weekend at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. In the featherweight main event, Aspen Ladd will take on Norma Dumont. In the preliminary card Lupita Godinez will step inside the UFC octagon once again, just after a week from her win over Silvana Gomez Juarez. Godinez will be facing Luana Carolina in a Flyweight bout.
Lupita Godinez (6-1) comes to UFC Vegas 40 on one of the craziest turnaround in modern UFC history. People were raving about Khamzat Chimaev taking a fight just ten days after his last victory out on Fight Island. Godinez will be doing so just seven days after her win over Silvana Gomez Juarez, a fight she won by a first round armbar submission.
Now, instead of going home to recover, Godinez steps up to flyweight to face off against Luana Carolina. Prior to her win over Juarez this past weekend, Godinez was coming off a split decision loss to Jessica Penne in her UFC debut.
Luana Carolina (7-2) is another fighter who graduated to the UFC after a win on the Contender Series. Since coming to the UFC, she has decision wins over Poliana Botelho and Priscila Cachoeira. Carolina was on a six-fight win streak when she violently lost to Ariane Lipski via a kneebar.
Lupita Godinez vs Luana Carolina Stats
Lupita Godinez
Win/Losses: 6/1
Height/Reach: 5 ft 2 inches/ 61 inches
Stance: Orthodox
Luana Carolina
Win/Losses: 7/2
Height/Reach: 5 ft 6 inches/ 69 inches
Stance: Orthodox
Lupita Godinez vs Luana Carolina Fight Breakdown and Prediction
Godinez only fought last week, moves up a weight class and has had no time to prepare, but this will still be a tough fight for Carolina as the Mexican is still on a massive high and has the skill set to threaten Carolina.
The Brazilian is a Muay Thai national champion and boasts a significant size advantage with eight inches in reach and four inches in height. Godinez can scrap but Carolina should dictate the striking exchanges and will have no problem in finding the chin.
However, her biggest threat is Godinez’s grappling. She doggedly hunts the takedown and forces a crazy pace. She is clearly in fight shape and if she can close the distance, she can exploit the holes in Carolina’s game.
It is somewhat surprising to see Godinez as such a big favourite, but we can certainly see her charge Carolina down, drag her to the mat and even pull off another submission. There is clear value on the Brazilian especially considering her size, but we are predicting Godinez’s momentum to cap off a perfect fortnight.
Lupita Godinez vs Luana Carolina Prediction: Lupita Godinez via decision
