Women’s strawweight contender Guadalupe Medina is looking to follow in the footsteps of Los Angeles boxing legend Seniesa Estrada as she begins what she hopes will be a run toward the top of the division.

Medina will enter her second eight-round bout against veteran Maria Micheo Santizo on Saturday at the Commerce Casino in Commerce, California. The bout will stream on UFC Fight Pass.

Medina, 9-0 (2 KOs), is 21 and is approaching 10-round fights. She is nearly there, and facing a veteran means her world ranking will only improve with a win. Medina, of Maywood, California, had sparred Estrada in formative years as an emerging amateur. Edgar Jasso, her trainer, told BoxingScene: “We helped Seniesa for a few camps. Seniesa has a little bit of a more awkward style with the way she moves, but they're both very technical. I see a resemblance in that. Lupita also admires Seniesa. She grasped a lot from her as well.”

Jasso isn’t underestimating Santizo, who is 12-5 (6 KOs), the 39-year-old from Guatemala, and hails from Eastvale, California, and he admits it is a challenging assignment. Santizo snapped a two-fight losing streak, defeating Yanissa Castrellon in March. She hadn’t fought since 2023 before her latest win. 

“It's not an easy fight,” Jasso said. “People who have experience and have been there at the big stages, it is a little bit complicated for Lupita. I think she's going to push her and make her grow.”

“The fact that she has experience, she fought Seniesa Estrada, she fought Yokasta Valle, she is world-ranked, and I think this fight is going to test her.”

Jasso also points to veteran tactics as things that he wants Medina to be aware of ahead of her upcoming fight. 

“What I've been getting in her head and telling her is she's going to try to overwhelm you with her experience,” Jasso said. “Little flurries here and there, tie you up, just make it rough for you, and to try to use that to get you out of your comfort zone, and get you frustrated.

“I think we can hurt this girl and maybe take her out. I think there's going to be some great opportunities for Lupita there. But we're aware of her experience and the stuff that she does, and we prepared for it in our preparation.”