UFC: Ji Yeon Kim not gun shy anymore, ready to knock out Priscila Cachoeira without any regret

Ji Yeon Kim has reached mental clarity.

Since the end of 2019, Kim has undergone multiple surgeries, endured a myriad of fight cancellations, battled some complications with COVID, and went through the growing pains of acclimating to a new location with a new team. Yet she has not faltered and kept pushing through the adversity with a clear mind.

Kim will face Priscila Cachoeira on Feb.26 at UFC Vegas 49 inside the Apex. Even though she is coming off two straight losses, she is not concerned with the circumstances surrounding the fight.

“I have been in the UFC for 5-6 years now. From that time, the most valuable experience in learning that I had is, you can’t always worry about winning and performing just because the UFC is gonna cut you if you have shitty performances…if you have consecutive losses,” Kim told The AllStar.

“I let that go and I have become a little bit more selfish. I want to fight with no regrets. I want to fight where it is always going to be within my memories. And the most important thing is for the fans.

“It’s not about winning like before. You have to be a little bit gun shy and just make sure you just do enough to win the fight. Whereas now it’s more like whatever happens, happens. But I’m still going to fight without any regrets which is trying to knock her out which is trying to give the fans a show. That’s the mentality I have now.”

Originally, Kim was pitted against Poliana Botelho for UFC 270 in late January and had prepared meticulously. The switch was a blessing in disguise since “Fire Fist” contracted COVID and was dealing with lung complications three weeks prior to the cancellation, giving her a month to get ready for Cachoeira rather than taking on a short-notice replacement.

Even with a new opponent, preparations seem to have bled together.

“She is definitely a tough opponent,” Kim said of Cachoeira. “She holds this knockout power that only a few girls have in this division but I believe I also have this strength within my size so I want to mix it in with Priscila. But also at the same time have fight IQ in there and try to adjust in there using my size.

“Stylistically if you compare Botelho and Priscila, they kind of swing hard coming in with those punches. So within those factors and matters, nothing has changed within the game plan. I was just able to make my skills a lot sharper…a lot more defensive-wise, footwork.”

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Fighter profile

Ji Yeon “Fire Fist” Kim is a 32 year old female fighter from South Korea with 9 pro wins and 4 losses. Kim is scheduled to fight Priscila Cachoeira at UFC Fight Night: Dariush vs. Makhachev on Saturday February 26, 2022.

Ji Yeon Kim’s recent form coming into this matchup

Ji Yeon Kim has gone 2-3 in the last 5 professional MMA fights.

• Loss vs Molly McCann • Decision R3 5:00 • 2021-09-04
• Loss vs Alexa Grasso • Decision R3 5:00 • 2020-08-29
• Win vs Nadia Kassem • KO/TKO R2 4:59 • 2019-10-05
• Loss vs Antonina Shevchenko • Decision R3 5:00 • 2018-11-30
• Win vs Melinda Fábián • Decision R3 5:00 • 2018-06-23

Ji Yeon Kim’s next opponent: Priscila “Zombie Girl” Cachoeira

Priscila “Zombie Girl” Cachoeira’s recent form coming into this matchup

Priscila “Zombie Girl” Cachoeira is a 33 year old female fighter from Brazil with 10 pro wins and 4 losses. Cachoeira is scheduled to fight Ji Yeon Kim at UFC Fight Night on Saturday February 26, 2022.

Priscila Cachoeira has gone 2-3 in the last 5 professional MMA fights.

• Loss vs Gillian Robertson • Submission R1 4:59 • 2021-12-11
• Win vs Gina Mazany • KO/TKO R2 4:51 • 2021-05-15
• Win vs Shana Dobson • KO/TKO R1 0:40 • 2020-02-22
• Loss vs Luana Carolina • Decision R3 5:00 • 2019-05-11
• Loss vs Molly McCann • Decision R3 5:00 • 2019-03-16

How to watch and bet on Ji Yeon Kim vs Priscila Cachoeira