Preview: UFC Fight Night 227 Prelims

The UFC Fight Night 227 undercard has taken some hits, but there is still a lot to like among these six fights on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Lupita Godinez, who seems to be the one who first broached the idea of a Mexican Independence Day show, earns a fun assignment against Elise Reed in the featured slot, but the best bout of the bunch sees Tracy Cortez make her long-awaited return against fellow surging flyweight Jasmine Jasudavicius. Also of note: the comeback of Alex Reyes, who finds his way back to the Octagon following a litany of major health issues six years to the day of his unsuccessful Ultimate Fighting Championship debut.

Now to the preview for the UFC Fight Night “Grasso vs. Shevchenko 2” prelims:

Women’s Strawweights

Lupita Godinez (10-3, 5-3 UFC) vs. Elise Reed (7-3, 3-3 UFC)

ODDS: Godinez (-410), Reed (+320)

This is yet another litmus test for Godinez, whose UFC career has been equal parts frustrating and promising. Notable for her willingness to step in for a fight whenever possible—“Loopy” once fought three times in six weeks during 2021—Godinez came to the UFC as a fairly straightforward pressure fighter with an impressive level of wrestling. That wrestling was essentially the crux of her success, as there was a clear pattern between her wins and losses. Godinez built plenty of momentum and looked like an absolute terror whenever she could get her takedown game going, but every bit of her game fell apart without her ability to establish that threat. After a loss to Angela Hill at UFC on ESPN 41, 2023 has been an interesting point of evolution for Godinez. While wins over Cynthia Calvillo and Emily Ducote have not been particularly exciting, it has been nice to see Godinez win those fights entirely on the feet, even though there is now the worry that she may be losing the aggression that made the best parts of her game click. That all makes for an interesting pairing against Reed, who is in the process of figuring out her own game. A former atomweight, Reed’s physicality has held up surprisingly well at 115 pounds, though she has put forth her best work with an increasingly effective range striking game. This would be a nice time for Godinez to get back to her pressuring ways, as she will probably clear the bar of being able to press a wrestling advantage here, but her more patient approach in recent fights does raise the possibility that Reed can just outpoint her to take a frustrating decision. This will probably wind up a coinflip in practice, but the bet is that Godinez can leverage her talents to find a way to a victory. The pick is Godinez via decision.

Jump To »
Godinez vs. Reed
Kopylov vs. Fremd
Chairez vs. da Silva
Cortez vs. Jasudavicius
Campbell vs. Reyes
Knutsson vs. Mann