Loopy Godinez thinks Zhang Weili will return to her original weight class – or at least she hopes so.
Weili (26-4 MMA, 10-3 UFC) relinquished her UFC strawweight title to challenge flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 322 this past November. She lost the bout by lopsided decision. In the meantime, Mackenzie Dern defeated Virna Jandiroba to claim the vacant belt at UFC 321.
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Prior to the Shevchenko loss, Weili had defended her strawweight title three times.
“I don’t scratch out Weili. I really think there’s a big chance that she will be back,” Godinez told MMA Junkie Radio. “If she does, I would love to fight her. She’s a great fighter. She’s been on top for a long time and definitely I would like to test myself with her. But if she doesn’t, then whoever is the champion – of course I want to fight for the belt.”
Godinez (14-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC), who meets former title challenger Tatiana Suarez (11-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC at UFC 327 on April 11 in Miami, is looking to emerge as No. 1 contender if she can notch her third-straight win.
“I think this is a huge opportunity for me,” Godinez said “This is a very important fight for me, and this is the fight I have to win to get to my goal which is fight for the title, be a champion, and we go from there.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Loopy Godinez hopes for opportunity to face Zhang Weili at strawweight
