Lupita Godinez steps in for Cheyanne Buys to fight Loma Lookboonmee at UFC Vegas 43

Lupita Godinez is once again taking a fight as a short-notice replacement.

MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck and Damon Martin confirmed with sources with knowledge of the new matchup that Godinez (6-2) is stepping in for Cheyanne Buys to fight Loma Lookboonmee (6-2) at UFC Vegas 43 on Nov. 20. MMA DNA was first to report the change.

Buys announced via Instagram that her withdrawal was due to a positive COVID-19 test.

This marks the third time that Godinez has accepted a UFC bout as a short-notice replacement and her third fight since Oct. 9. She debuted at UFC Vegas 24 in April as a replacement for Hannah Goldy and subsequently lost a split decision to Jessica Penne. Godinez rebounded with a first-round submission win over Silvana Gomez Juarez in October, then fought Luana Carolina just one week later as a replacement for Sijara Eubanks. Carolina defeated Godinez by unanimous decision.

Lookboonmee seeks her third straight UFC win. The Thai fighter is 3-1 in the UFC, with consecutive victories over Sam Hughes and Jinh Yu Frey heading into UFC Vegas 43.

In the UFC Vegas 43 main event, Ketlen Vieira fights former bantamweight champion Miesha Tate.