5 Things You Might Not Know About Emily Ducote

Emily Ducote would like nothing more than to establish some continuity and stability as a member of the Ultimate Fighting Championship roster.

The 29-year-old Los Angeles native will step back into the spotlight at a 120-pound catchweight when she meets former Legacy Fighting Alliance champion Lupita Godinez—a short-notice substitution for Polyana Viana—in a featured UFC Fight Night 223 attraction on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Ducote has rattled off four wins across her past five appearances. However, she finds herself on the rebound following a unanimous decision defeat to Alliance MMA’s Angela Hill at UFC on ESPN 42 in December. The setback evened Ducote’s record inside the Octagon at 1-1.

As Ducote shifts her attention to the upcoming three-round battle with Godinez, here are five things you might not know about her.

1. Adversity was an immediate companion.

Ducote came up short in her professional mixed martial arts debut, as she dropped a unanimous decision to Emily Whitmire at a Freestyle Cagefighting event on Sept. 19, 2015. Just 21 years old at the time, she rebounded to win her next four bouts—two of them under the Bellator MMA banner.

2. Her path was paved in gold.

“Gordinha” captured the vacant Invicta Fighting Championships strawweight crown in August 2021, when she cut down Danielle Taylor with a chopping right hand and follow-up head kick in the first round of their Invicta 44 headliner. Ducote made one successful title defense with a second-round technical knockout of Alesha Zappitella, then signed with the UFC.

3. She has not yet had need for a passport.

Ducote has never fought outside of the continental United States. In fact, her appearances have been confined to Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, Pennsylvania, New York and Florida.

4. She found a reputable outlet for her talents close to home.

A black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and taekwondo, Ducote operates out of an American Top Team affiliate in Oklahoma City. The gym has been home to a number of accomplished fighters, UFC veteran Jerrod Sanders and three-time Bellator heavyweight tournament quarterfinalist Mark Holata among them.

5. Durability has been a selling point.

Ducote has only been finished once in her 19-fight career. Ilima-Lei Macfarlane was the perpetrator, as the Hawaiian called upon and executed a fifth-round arm-triangle choke in their Nov. 3, 2017 battle for the inaugural Bellator women’s flyweight championship.