Ana and Loopy Godinez are set to have quite a week in combat sports. Ana Godinez is set to wrestle in the Olympics while Loopy is booked against Mackenzie Dern in the UFC. One will be going for gold, while the other is rallying for a spot in the top rankings.
Ana and Loopy Godinez: The Power Sisters
The Godinez family moved from Mexico to Canada, running from the cartel, when they were younger and the sisters took up combat sports there. It started with rugby and judo and would eventually lead to wrestling.
Ana Godinez is one of the top female freestyle wrestlers in Canada. She has won two gold medals in the Pan Am Games and had other success elsewhere. At the age of 24, she will be representing Canada in the 62 kg freestyle wrestling category at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Eventually, she would like to compete in MMA.
Loopy Godinez began her martial arts journey with Judo and would eventually pick up Jiu Jitsu as well. Since making her professional debut in 2016, the Mexican-Canadian has put together a record of 12-4. Along the way, Loopy Godinez has defeated notable fighters such as Tabatha Ricci, Emily Ducote, and Cynthia Calvillo, among others. This weekend, live from Abu Dhabi, part of UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Nurmagomedov, Loopy Godinez will face fellow top-ten-ranked opponent Mackenzie Dern.
Their third sister Karla Godinez is also an impressive freestyle wrestler. She has medaled in the Pan Am games and nearly qualified for the 2024 Olympics hosted in Paris, France.
In an interview with MMA Fighting, Loopy Godinez said:
“I think she’s really focusing on training, focusing on herself. Once I’m fighting and she’s competing, of course it’s nerve-racking and you feel nervous. You just try to focus on yourself, and once it’s time to get nervous, I’ll get nervous. But for now, I’m just really happy for her. She’s worked so hard … [My sisters are] way better wrestlers than I am. Now they can kick my ass. I’m so happy for them. You don’t see a full family of athletes and doing so good. I’m really proud of my family.”
On competing in the Olympics, representing Canada, Ana Godinez said:
“I was wrestling internationally and I [realized] I’ve only been wrestling for like five years at that point. I’m wrestling internationally and I never would have dreamed of this. When I first started wrestling, I didn’t believe I could win provincials (high school championships in Canada). It wasn’t an achievable goal for me, but I feel like I just tried to catch up. I played the catch-up game and I worked really, really hard with Karla and I was just super obsessed. I feel like I have an addictive personality, so I was super obsessed, I would watch video all the time, I would be in the gym and be on the mats for way too long. That caught me up.”