Preview: UFC Fight Night 222 Prelims

Women’s Flyweights

Karine Silva (15-4, 1-0 UFC) vs. Priscila Cachoeira (12-4, 4-4 UFC)

ODDS: Silva (-190), Cachoeira (+160)

This figures to be a messy affair, but the hope is that it will at least be an entertaining one. Silva is an interesting talent, though she does not feel particularly reliable nearly a decade into her pro career. Silva’s game is entirely built around finding the finish, and getting there has proven to be an adventure for “Killer.” Her win on Dana White’s Contender Series saw her find a guillotine choke out of her opponent’s ill-advised takedown, and her UFC debut against Poliana Botelho was another uninspiring performance until Silva suddenly dove in for a takedown and a submission win. It is a testament to Silva that she can seemingly grab these finishes out of nowhere, but it does make it difficult to predict her success going forward, even in a winnable fight like this one against Cachoeira. It is a bit impressive that Cachoeira is still on the UFC roster. She did not look particularly ready for the UFC even prior to her 2018 debut, and some late-notice matchmaking changes resulted in her getting absolutely brutalized by Valentina Shevchenko. It took Cachoeira over a year to recover from injuries suffered in that mismatch, and “Zombie Girl” seemed set to slide out of the promotion as a one-dimensional brawler until she surprisingly found a knockout against Shana Dobson in 2020. That started an unlikely run of four wins in five fights, which Cachoeira has gotten done seemingly entirely through durability and aggression over technique. She has gotten slightly better at picking her spots, but most of Cachoeira’s success comes by betting she can go toe-to-toe with her opponent and be the last one standing. She is still quite subpar on the mat, however, so there is a clear opening for Silva to get her Brazilian countrywoman to the ground and find a submission in short order. The main risk is that Silva’s typical aimlessness results in her fighting Cachoeira’s fight and losing before she gets that chance. It is a closer fight than it should be on paper, but the bet is that Silva can survive whatever early chaos comes her way and gets pressed into success. The pick is Silva via first-round submission.

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Marshall vs. Gomis
Silva vs. Cachoeira
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