Ji Yeon Kim and Priscila Cachoeira fight Saturday in UFC Fight Night 202 at the UFC Apex. Kim enters this fight with a 9-4 record and has won 44 percent of her fights by decision. Cachoeira enters this fight with a 10-4 record and has won 60 percent of her fights by knockout.
Kim has split her last eight fights and is coming off a September loss to Molly McCann. Kim is averaging 5.04 significant strikes per minute, with an accuracy percentage of 34 percent. Kim is averaging zero takedowns with an accuracy percentage of zero percent. Kim is coming off a decision loss at UFC Fight Night 191 where she landed 134 total strikes and ate 130 total strikes. Kim has lost back-to-back fights and still looks for her first win since UFC 243. Kim is now 3-4 under the UFC banner and has missed weight in two of her last four fights. Kim is a highly decorated fighter with a brown belt in BJJ, and black belts in Hapkido and Wushu. Kim is fast with her hands and has some power to her shots with two career knockouts, and she throws heavy knees in the clinch. Kim could be better with her takedown defense, but she scrambles well and has never been finished despite four career losses. At 32 years old, Kim needs a win here to kind of right the ship. This will be Kim’s fourth career fight in Nevada.
Cachoeira has split her last eight fights, and she’s coming off a December loss to Gillian Robertson. Cachoeira is averaging 3.82 significant strikes per minute, with an accuracy percentage of 41 percent. Cachoeira is averaging zero takedowns with an accuracy percentage of zero percent. Cachoeira is coming off a submission loss at UFC 269, the second time she’s been finished in her career. Cachoeira falls to 2-4 under the UFC banner after entering with an 8-0 record. Cachoeira has won all 10 of her fights by either knockout or decision, and she brings an exciting style to the octagon, as she’s always pressuring her opponent and throwing volume strikes. Cachoeira has a kickboxing and Muay Thai style, and she is aggressive, has heavy hands and a proven chin that allows her to get the best of her opponent. Cachoeira has to improve her technique and could show more ability on the canvas, but she’s an exciting fighter at 33 years old. This will be Cachoeira’s second career fight in Nevada.
Cachoeira and the plus money is attractive when you figure she should get back on track at some point. Cachoeira is an exciting fighter with a high finish rate, and she was a highly rated prospect when she entered the UFC. With that said, Kim is easily the more trustworthy fighter here, she’s more polished defensively on the feet and lands more shots per minute. Kim also has a seven-inch reach advantage, which makes things very tricky for Cachoeira.
I’ll side with Kim and the somewhat reasonable juice.