Preview: UFC Fight Night 202 ‘Makhachev vs. Green’

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Women’s Flyweights

NR | Ji Yeon Kim (9-4-2, 3-4 UFC) vs. NR | Priscila Cachoeira (10-4, 2-4 UFC)

ODDS: Kim (-165), Cachoeira (+145)

It is a bit of a surprise to see Cachoeira still in the UFC. Her UFC debut in 2018 was an all-time mismatch. After some other plans fell through for Valentina Shevchenko’s move down to flyweight, it was Cachoeira who got the call to welcome “Bullet” to her new division. A raw brawler at her best, Shevchenko had her way with Cachoeira in brutal fashion, laying down an extended beating that left the Brazilian out of action for over a year due to various injuries. From there, Cachoeira was at least a reliably entertaining fighter, if not a winning one, owing to her durability and willingness to charge forward and throw down in lieu of any other game plan. She finally got in the win column with a quick knockout of Shana Dobson and by outlasting Gina Mazany. Since that Mazany victory in May, it has been all bad news for Cachoeira. She first withdrew from a fight amid domestic violence allegations and then suffered a quick submission loss to Gillian Robertson during a December pairing in which Cachoeira blatantly gouged her counterpart’s eyes while in the fight-ending choke. Despite that incident, Cachoeira is back for another trip to the Octagon, and she gets a willing dance partner for a war in Kim. South Korea’s Kim has been a solid middle-of-the-road flyweight on the back of a simple approach, returning fire as hard as possible whenever her opponent decides to strike. It is a style that creates constant clashes, and while Kim has often been outdone by wrestlers, that will not be a concern here; neither woman has landed a takedown in her UFC career thus far. Cachoeira’s sheer persistence may find her a finish, but Kim loves to scrap just as much and is also quite durable, along with being the much sharper fighter. Even if she is not a takedown threat—it might still be an available avenue, given Cachoeira’s poor wrestling defense—Kim should at least be able to spend time controlling the Brazilian in the clinch as a failsafe if things start to go south. The pick is Kim via decision.

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