Priscila Cachoeira Defends Coach After Brutal Loss to Shevchenko: ‘Throwing in the Towel, Never’

Credit: Joao Baptista Credit: Joao Baptista

There was plenty of criticism to go around following Priscila Cachoeira’s lopsided loss to Valentina Shevchenko in the UFC Fight Night 125 co-main event.

The immediate culprit was referee Mario Yamasaki, who drew the ire of UFC President Dana White for allowing the flyweight contest to last as long as it did. Ultimately, Shevchenko won via rear-naked choke at the 4:25 mark of the second round after racking up a whopping 230-to-3 advantage in total strikes landed.

In the aftermath, the UFC matchmaking also received some scrutiny for allowing Cachoeira, an Octagon rookie, to be paired with Shevchenko, a former title challenger at 135 pounds. Additionally, the Brazilian’s corner was questioned for its failure to throw in the towel as Cachoeira continued to absorb what appeared to be unnecessary punishment.

Cachoeira disputed the criticism surrounding her fight with Shevchenko in a recent Instagram post.

“I’ll fight against any fighter in the world, no matter which position she is [in the ranking]. I’d fight Valentina 10 times more without thinking twice,” Cachoeira wrote. “Who chooses easy battles is not a real warrior. The treatment and intimacy that I have with my master, the ones from outside doesn’t know anything to criticize. This is not master and student, it’s father and daughter, and no one can say how he should treat me.

“And about throwing in the towel, this is PRVT and we’re the ones that know our limits. Throwing in the towel, never.”

The Parana Vale Tudo representative, who fell to 8-1 in defeat, will likely be out for the remainder of 2018 after undergoing knee surgery for an injury suffered early in Saturday’s contest.

“I ask for forgiveness to my fans, friends and family that threw a party to watch my fight. I fought a really tough fighter, who I’m a fan of, and I wasn’t the real ‘Pedrita’ in the fight,” she wrote. “Who knows me and followed my daily training knows what I could have done. And even with the knee injury early in the fight, I went until the end because I don’t know what giving up means. I’ll have to have surgery on the ACL and meniscus.”

When she does return, the Rio de Janeiro native vows to come back stronger than before.

“Thank you for all the messages of love and support I’ve been receiving. I’m sure I’ve gotten a family for the rest of my life. And those who are criticizing, I don’t care, I’ll come back stronger. ‘A moment will not erase a history.’”

Fala galera , passando pra dizer que está tudo bem, demorei a falar pois não estava com o cel e estava no hospital…Então… Vamos lá, peço perdão aos meus fãs e amigos e familiares que fizeram uma festa para vê a minha luta.. Peguei uma lutadora duríssima que no qual eu sou fã, e na hora da luta eu não fui a verdadeira Pedrita, Quem me conhece e está presente no meu dia a dia sabe oque eu poderia render..E mesmo tendo lesionado o joelho logo no comecinho da luta fui até o final porque não sei oque é desistir.. Vou ter que fazer cirurgia no ligamento cruzado e menisco… E Tem muita gente falando sobre eu ter lutado contra a top 1 e etc , que o mestre me mandou calar a boca e bla blá kkkk…Vamos lá.. LUTO CONTRA QUALQUER LUTADORA DO MUNDO, NÃO IMPORTA A POSIÇÃO QUE ELA OCUPE… LUTARIA COM A VALENTINA MAIS 10 VEZES SEM PENSAR DUAS VEZES..QUEM ESCOLHE BATALHA FÁCIL NÃO É UM VERDADEIRO GUERREIRO….E O TRATAMENTO E A INTIMIDADE QUE EU TENHO COM O MEU MESTRE ..QUEM TA DE FORA NÃO CONHECE NADA PARA CRÍTICAR ..AQUI NÃO É MESTRE E ALUNA.. É PAI E FILHA ..E NÃO SERA NINGUEM QUE IRA DIZER COMO ELE DEVE ME TRATAR.. E SOBRE JOGAR A TOALHA… AQUI É PRVT, E QUEM CONHECE OS MEUS LIMITES SOMOS NÓS …JOGAR A TOALHA JAMAIS OBRIGADO A TODOS PELAS MENSAGENS DE CARINHO E APOIO QUE VENHO RECEBENDO, TENHO CERTEZA QUE GANHEI UMA FAMÍLIA PARA O RESTO DA VIDA ,E QUEM TA CRITICANDO , NÃO TO NEM AI , VOU VOLTAR MAIS FORTE…”””””””NÃO SERÁ UM MOMENTO QUE IRA APAGAR UMA HISTÓRIA'””””” . . . #ufcbelem #ettosuplementos #canalcombate #prvtnoufc #prvt #prvtgirls #sportv #ufc #ensaio #photography #belem #brasil #riodejaneiro #mma #wmma #pedritanoufc #zombiegirl

A post shared by Priscila Cachoeira (@pedritaprvtufc) on Feb 4, 2018 at 4:17pm PST