Lupita Godinez Dominates, Finishes Elise Reed in Noche UFC Featured Prelim Bout

LOOPY GODINEZ PUT ON A CLINIC 😤 #NocheUFC pic.twitter.com/m8FI57wq1G

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) September 17, 2023

Lupita Godinez has the potential to be a star in the strawweight division if she can stay consistent. Her time in the Ultimate Fighting Championship has been filled with ups and downs but she could be in the midst of a serious winning streak after securing her third straight against Elise Reed.

Godinez looked incredible from the start. She nearly shut Reed’s lights off with a wicked left hook before following her to the mat and securing a tight armbar attempt. Reed’s toughness and dexterity shined through as she withstood several deadly submission attempts to survive the round.

Godinez wouldn’t let Reed off the hook, though. The beatdown continued into Round 2 as Godinez pieced up Reed along the fence before dumping her back onto the canvas. Goodinez put her final stamp on the fight by taking Reed’s back and sinking in a rear-naked choke (R2, 3:30) for her first finish since October of 2021.

Surging Kopylov Stops Fremd

Five-time world Sambo champion Roman Kopylov (12-2) has his sights set on UFC gold and the Russian middleweight is well on his way. After dropping his first two fights in the Octagon, Kopylov has ran through his last four opponents, including a second-round beatdown of Josh Fremd.

Fremd on paper looked like a solid matchup for Kopylov. Successful in his last two meetings and coming off a unanimous decision win over Jaimee Pickett just five weeks ago, Fremd was confident he could give Kopylov issues on the feet. He was wrong.

Kopylov toyed and pieced up the Pennsylvania native with punches and kicks and had Fremd bloodied by the start of the second round. Despite his success upstairs, Kopylov would ultimately end Fremd’s night with a body shot at the 4:44 mark of the second round.

Related » Noche UFC Round-by-Round Scoring

Tognoni Botches Guillotine Stoppage

The job of a referee can be tough. Just ask Chris Tognoni. While overseeing the flyweight contest between Edgar Chairez and Daniel da Silva, Tognoni prematurely stopped the bout at 3:40 seconds of the first round in favor of Chairez. Unfortunately for Da Silva, who was in a tough position but certainly not out, the early call would’ve given him his fifth straight loss.

After minutes of pleading, the bout was reviewed and overturned as a No Decision.

Cortez Returns in Style

Fresh off a 16-month layoff, fan-favorite Tracy Cortez shook off the ring rust against the lanky Jasmine Jasudavicius. It was evident early that Cortez was the faster and harder puncher, and she often made Jasudavicius pay for her weak jab.

Jasudavicius struggled to find her range in Round 1 but began to connect in the second. Mixing in some takedowns and a high work rate closed the gap in many eyes. Heading into the final round it looked like it was anybody’s fight to lose.

Cortez spent most of Round 3 countering Jasudavicius with check hooks and overhand rights, but ate some leather for her trouble. She definitely left an impression on the judges with two clear stuffed takedown attempts and ended the bout slugging it out on her feet. Despite the close fight Cortez, the UFC’s No. 14 ranked flyweight, kept her 11-fight win streak intact with a unanimous decision victory (30-27, 30-27, 29-28).

Campbell Roughs Up Reyes

Charlie Campbell’s first shot at UFC glory came to a crashing halt after suffering a KO loss on Dana White’s Contender Series 13 months ago. Campbell rebounded from that loss with a win in the Cage Fury Fighting Championships, and was called up for another shot against Alex Reyes — the younger, smaller brother of former UFC light heavyweight contender Dominick Reyes.

“The Cannibal” (8-2, 1-0 UFC) made mincemeat of Reyes during their lightweight clash on Saturday. Campbell sat behind a stiff jab and consistent, punishing body work to pummel Reyes in a single round (3:38). Campbell showed Reyes he could hurt him early but instead of rushing in to potentially get clipped, he systemically walked him down and took him out with precision.

Knutsson Overwhelms Mann

In a battle of UFC debuts, Josefine Lindgren Knutsson proved she was more prepared for the big stage than her strawweight foe Marnic Mann. Knutsson had her way with Mann for the entirety of their 15-minute bout on the feet and the ground, en route to a wide unanimous decision win (30-24, 30-25, 30-27).