UFC Vegas 73: Emily Ducote vs. Lupita Godinez Odds, Predictions, and Best Bets

The UFC is heading back to the Apex for a fight night event that is headlined by two straweight contenders in No. 8 Mackenzie Dern and No. 14 Angela Hill. These two were set to faceoff last weekend but seeing as this weekend’s event needed a main event they made the switch giving them a bump in salary and more time to prep.

In the featured bout in on the main card, we have a a fight in the straweight division between Emily Ducote and Lupita Godinez. Ducote is looking to get back on track after her first loss inside the octagon meanwhile, Godinez is looking to keep her winning ways going after a close split decision win over Cynthia Calvillo. With that said, let’s take a look at the odds and our predictions, and best bets for this weekend’s main event fight between Emily Ducote and Lupita Godinez.

Emily Ducote vs. Lupita Godinez Odds

Emily Ducote had a tough loss in her last fight against Angela Hill where she just couldn’t keep up with the striking of Angela Hill. It was a bizarre gameplan to try to beat Hill in kickboxing rather than utilizing her wrestling to mix things up. That could be the reason why she is a slight underdog in this matchup.

Lupita Godinez is taking this fight on about less than a month’s notice after Polyana Viana had to withdraw from the fight. Godinez did have a bit of trouble with the striking of Calvillo in her last fight which could be worrisome if she elects to not use her wrestling in this fight.

Emily Ducote vs. Lupita Godinez

Emily Ducote showed out in her long-awaited UFC debut after dominating the regional scene in Invicta FC as the straweight champion. She battered the lead leg of Jessica Penne en route to a dominant decision victory. She does have the striking advantage in this fight against Godinez and she will need to utilize that speed and precision striking to get the job done here.

Lupita Godinez is a little powerhouse that loves to fight as she has 7 fights since 2021 and just fought last month. When she is on and fights smart, not like the Angela Hill fight, she looks like a true contender in the straweight division. She has a wrestling and grappling background where she does some of her best work and that will need to be on full display if she wants to get another win streak going inside the octagon.

Emily Ducote vs. Lupita Godinez Best Bet

I had a ton of praise for Emily Ducote when she made her UFC debut and she performed exactly how I knew she would. This unfortunately is just a bad stylistic matchup for her against Godinez. While I do think Ducote is sharper on the feet, I believe Godinez will be hard to hit with her movement and her wrestling will be the deciding factor. Ultimately, Godinez will just be a bit much for the former Invicta FC straweight champion and take the unanimous decision victory.