The UFC has confirmed upcoming fights for Canadians Loopy Godinez and Diana (Warrior Princess) Belbita.
Godinez, ranked 11th among strawweight contenders, will take on American Julia (Psycho) Polastri on a March 29 UFC Fight Night card in Mexico City while Belbita faces Brazilian Dione (The Witch) Barbosa on an April 5 Fight Night show in Las Vegas.
Godinez (12-5-0) adds some more local content to the Mexico City show. She was 14 when the family left Mexico for Vancouver in search of safety after her father’s car business received threats from a drug cartel.
She regularly returns to Mexico, holding fight camps at former UFC flyweight champion Alexa Grasso’s gym in Guadalajara.
The 31-year-old Godinez is 7-5-0 in the UFC after back-to-back losses to Brazilian Virna Jandiroba and American Mackenzie Dern in 2024.
Polastri (13-4-0) is 1-1-0 in the UFC after earning her contract with a win in her second appearance on “Dana White’s Contender Series” in 2023. Polastri lost to Canadian Jasmine Jasudavicius in her first appearance in 2021.
The main event on the Mexico card sees former flyweight champion Brandon (The Assassin Baby) Moreno, a Mexican currently ranked second among 125-pound contenders, take on No. 9 Steve (Astro Boy) Erceg of Australia.
Belbita (15-9-0) last fought in February 2024 when she was submitted by England’s Molly (Meatball) McCann. That loss, her second to McCann, dropped Belbita’s UFC record to 2-5-0.
Originally from Romania, the 28-year-old Belbita is now based in Stoney Creek, Ont.
Barboa (7-3-0) is 1-1-0 in the UFC, coming off a loss to American Miranda (Fear The) Maverick.
The main event in Las Vegas has yet to be confirmed.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 14, 2024
The Canadian Press
