Strawweight Loopy Godinez surprised with UFC booking Zhang Weili vs. Amanda Lemos (Exclusive)
UFC strawweight Loopy Godinez has admitted to being suprised by the decision not to book Zhang Weili against her fellow compatriot Yan Xiaonan.
The UFC has instead opted to book Amanda Lemos from Brazil against Weili and the pair are set to go head-to-head at UFC 292 on August 16 for the 155lb belt.
Lemos is currently on a two-fight winning run, most recently defeating Marina Rodriguez by a third round KO.
For Xiaonan, the 33-year-old is No.3 in the strawweight rankings and recently shot her self into the title picture after her victory over former champ Jessica Andrade. 'Fury' stopped the Brazilian with a stunning first round KO and earned herself a peformance bonus to boot.
WE HAVE A NEW STRAWWEIGHT CONTENDER!!
Yan Xiaonan stops Jessica Andrade in the first round!! #UFC288 https://t.co/l0Jb7xHMWk
Weighing in on the strawweight title scene was Loopy Godinez, who spoke exclusively to Sportskeeda MMA. According to the 29-year-old, she expected the UFC to book Zhang Weili against Yan Xiaonan in order to cash in on the all Chinese clash. She said:
"I was a little bit shocked by that. You just never know with the matchmakers with the UFC. You can get the call any time, no matter if you're here or there. I think it would be a great fight though...I think I watched a video where Dana said he wants to book that fight [Weili vs. Xiaonan] in China."
Check out Loopy Godinez's full interview here (7:31):
When Dana White compared Loopy Godinez to Khamzat Chimaev
Loopy Godinez recieved some high praise from the UFC president last year when she competed in two fights in the octagon in just one week.
Godinez fought both Silvana Gómez Juárez and Luana Carolina in October 2021. The first bout she won via first-round submission and in the second, seven days days later, she made her flyweight debut and came up short via unanimous decision.
Following her ability and willingness to have a quick turn-around between fights, Dana White compared her to Khamzat Chimaev, who had two fights in 10 days back in 2020:
"You know me. I love people that turn around and keep fighting and stay active and stay on the top of people's minds. The best one that I can even compare to is Khamzat Chimaev. Look at how fast he blew up and what a huge star he is on social media and all that stuff."
White continued:
"It's never a bad idea to stay active and if you get the opportunity to fight again and you're healthy, you should take every advantage you can get from fighting as much as possible," said Dana White.
Check out his comments here (10:22):