By Guilherme CruzOriginal Source: mmafighting.com

NITEROI, Brazil — Priscila Cachoeira will make her UFC debut against longtime veteran Valentina Shevchenko at the UFC's first trip to Belem, Brazil, on Feb. 3, but the road to the Octagon had its ups and downs.

On her first day of training at PRVT in Niteroi, Cachoeira was put inside the cage to spar with UFC strawweight contender Jessica Andrade. She unsurprisingly got beat up by the one-time title challenger, but in the end, one word from Andrade made Cachoeira’s Octagon dreams sound possible: “Believe.”

“I looked at master (Gilliard) Parana and he was talking to another coach, ‘This girl will get there,’” Cachoeira said, "and I’m thinking, ‘But guys, I got beat up [laughs].’"

That sparring session happened just 18 months ago, and now Cachoeira is in the UFC. It’s a meteoric rise, and it’s even more impressive when the Brazilian flyweight explains...click here to continue reading