Valentina Shevchenko vs Priscila Chachoeira

     

     At first glance this looks like a mismatch of the highest magnitude.  The first question most people will ask is "who is Priscila Cachoeira?".  A quick Youtube search of her name will provide a few films of her fights where you will see her engaged in brawls, not technical execution.  She marches forward throwing hard punches with very little head movement.  Against low level competition, her opponents often draws blood from her face but she has managed to accumulate 8 wins with no defeats.  

     You can bet your bottom dollar that Shevchenko is not underestimating her regardless of how much of an amateur Priscila may appear on film.  Priscila is a training partner of Jessica Andrede, and it shows in her fighting style.  This fight will take place in Priscila's home country of Brasil, so not only will she be fighting in honor of her country, she'll also likely fight in honor of fellow country woman and nemesis of Shevchenko, Amanda Nunes, who we all can expect to voice her support of Priscila before the fight.  It is very likely that Priscila is not going to be as hesitant to attack Valentina as Nunes was in their rematch.  She will likely try to prove herself by going after Shevchenko and forcing her to fight hard.

     Priscila may not have the skill or experience to even be a good sparing partner for Valentina but rest assured that Priscila will fight with all of her heart.  This is not only her UFC debut, it is also possibly the toughest opponent she has ever faced and ever will face in her career.  She has everything to gain and nothing to lose so she will leave it all in the cage.  For these reasons it is crucial that Valentina treats Priscila as dangerous of an opponent as was Holm, Pena, and Nunes.

I expect Priscila to keep marching forward throwing wide slow hooks from mid range while getting hit with flush by Valentina with counter and lead shots.  I expect Valentina to lose patience with the amateur style of Priscila and press the issue, possibly turning her face into a bloody mess.  Priscila bleeds often because of her style.  While there is a possibility that Priscila will fight on the outside, after catching a few counter shots, I doubt it will happen.  I believe the pressure of being in front of her home crowd, and fighting such a highly ranked WMMA fighter fresh off a controversial loss against her fellow country woman will provoke Priscila to keep coming forward regardless of how much punishment she is taking.  It should be an exciting fight, but I fully expect Bullet to emerge victorious, most likely by stoppage.