Jacqueline Cavalcanti
Portugal
Suffers first UFC defeat
Cavalcanti lost to Ketlen Vieira via unanimous decision (28-29, 28-29, 28-29) at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Las Vegas.
ANALYSIS
Cavalcanti entered with a 5-0 record in the UFC, albeit all against lower-level competition. She was not able to carry over that success here against Vieira despite entering as a -160 favorite. Cavalcanti dropped each of the first two rounds on all three scorecards. And while the judges felt she did enough in Round 3 to make a minor comeback, the damage was already done. Cavalcanti won't be 29 years old until late August, so there's reason to expect improvement moving forward. She needs a rebound performance her next time out.
Cavalcanti entered with a 5-0 record in the UFC, albeit all against lower-level competition. She was not able to carry over that success here against Vieira despite entering as a -160 favorite. Cavalcanti dropped each of the first two rounds on all three scorecards. And while the judges felt she did enough in Round 3 to make a minor comeback, the damage was already done. Cavalcanti won't be 29 years old until late August, so there's reason to expect improvement moving forward. She needs a rebound performance her next time out.
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Next fight scheduled
Cavalcanti is scheduled to compete against Ketlen Vieira in a bantamweight fight at UFC Vegas 117 on May 16, per Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl.
ANALYSIS
With an undefeated UFC record, Cavalcanti has earned the right to potentially make a significant jump up the promotion's rankings by defeating Vieira, ranked No. 4 among its female bantamweights. Cavalcanti's last win was over former title challenger Mayra Bueno Silva.
With an undefeated UFC record, Cavalcanti has earned the right to potentially make a significant jump up the promotion's rankings by defeating Vieira, ranked No. 4 among its female bantamweights. Cavalcanti's last win was over former title challenger Mayra Bueno Silva.
Remains perfect in UFC
Cavalcanti defeated Mayra Bueno Silva via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27) at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Las Vegas.
ANALYSIS
The UFC gave Cavalcanti a layup here for a second fight in a row, and she was able to take advantage, albeit in an underwhelming fashion. She managed to stuff all three of Bueno Silva's takedown attempts, and that was essentially all that was required to earn a victory in this one. She was never going to drop a prolonged kickboxing match to the Brazilian. Cavalcanti's 5-0 UFC record looks extremely impressive on the surface, but the company has matched her up as literally as softly as possible to date. Something is going to have to give when the competition level rises.
The UFC gave Cavalcanti a layup here for a second fight in a row, and she was able to take advantage, albeit in an underwhelming fashion. She managed to stuff all three of Bueno Silva's takedown attempts, and that was essentially all that was required to earn a victory in this one. She was never going to drop a prolonged kickboxing match to the Brazilian. Cavalcanti's 5-0 UFC record looks extremely impressive on the surface, but the company has matched her up as literally as softly as possible to date. Something is going to have to give when the competition level rises.
Next bout booked
Cavalcanti will face Mayra Bueno Silva in a bantamweight bout at UFC Vegas 111 on Nov. 8, per Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl.
ANALYSIS
Cavalcanti is off to a flawless 4-0 start in her UFC career, and she'll look for win number five against a fighter in Silva who hasn't won a bout since 2023. She's lost three straight, and the fight before that was a no-contest. The fighters appear to be on opposite trajectories, and a win from Cavalcanti here would cement that.
Cavalcanti is off to a flawless 4-0 start in her UFC career, and she'll look for win number five against a fighter in Silva who hasn't won a bout since 2023. She's lost three straight, and the fight before that was a no-contest. The fighters appear to be on opposite trajectories, and a win from Cavalcanti here would cement that.
Cruises as biggest favorite on card
Cavalcanti defeated Julia Avila via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Las Vegas.
ANALYSIS
It would have been nice to see Cavalcanti earn the stoppage given she entered as north of a -700 favorite, but she was in firm control the entire way, cruising to the unanimous decision win. The Brazilian was more than content to engage Avila in a sparring match given her edge in both speed and accuracy on the feet. She closed with a 73-54 edge in significant strikes landed, although she did allow Avila to land one of her two takedown attempts. Cavalcanti is now 4-0 in the UFC, with all four wins coming via decision. She deserves a step up in competition her next time out.
It would have been nice to see Cavalcanti earn the stoppage given she entered as north of a -700 favorite, but she was in firm control the entire way, cruising to the unanimous decision win. The Brazilian was more than content to engage Avila in a sparring match given her edge in both speed and accuracy on the feet. She closed with a 73-54 edge in significant strikes landed, although she did allow Avila to land one of her two takedown attempts. Cavalcanti is now 4-0 in the UFC, with all four wins coming via decision. She deserves a step up in competition her next time out.
Slated to face Avila
Cavalcanti will take on Julia Avila in a bantamweight showdown at a UFC Event on Feb. 15, Guilherme Cruz of MMAFighting.com reports.
ANALYSIS
Cavalcanti has won three straight UFC bouts and is looking to make it four in a row. She most recently defeated Nora Cornolle via split decision on Sep. 28. Meanwhile, her opponent Avila is looking to bounce back from a loss to Miesha Tate back in December of 2023.
Cavalcanti has won three straight UFC bouts and is looking to make it four in a row. She most recently defeated Nora Cornolle via split decision on Sep. 28. Meanwhile, her opponent Avila is looking to bounce back from a loss to Miesha Tate back in December of 2023.