UFC strawweight contender Loopy Godinez thinks there could be more to the story as to why Rose Namajunas/Carla Esparza 2 was lackluster.
Esparza defeated Namajunas via split decision in the UFC 274 co-headliner. It was an odd fight from start to finish with very little output from both women.
Namajunas, in particular, has come under harsh criticism from many in the UFC community, including Daniel Cormier. But Godinez thinks most don’t understand what goes on behind the scenes leading up to a fight.
During an exclusive interview with MMA News, Godinez gave her thoughts on how Namajunas vs. Esparza 2 played out.
“I think we don’t know what either one of those fighters have been going through,” Godinez said. “You don’t know what’s happening in their lives. Because other than just fighters, we have our life too. So sometimes, stuff happens in life that will make us not perform in the cage. Maybe some people are stronger than others, some people can deal with things differently. But we don’t know what they’ve been through. Maybe that’s why they couldn’t pull the trigger. There are a million reasons. We don’t know.
“They only know, so now why do we need to be hard on them? They’re still human beings. They still have problems in life, so I have nothing to say, it just is what it is. It sucks it went that way, but you move forward.”
Namajunas has been honest and open regarding her mental health over the years, but it’s unclear if this had an impact on her rematch with Esparza. She fell to Esparza for the then-vacant strawweight title on The Ultimate Fighter 20 Finale.
Godinez could be on the verge of title contention by the end of 2022, and she believes that both Namajunas and Esparza should be treated as the current and former champions they are.
Do you agree with Loopy Godinez?
Continue Reading Godinez: Outside Factors May Have Led To Rose/Esparza II Performances at MMA News.