Priscila Cachoeira’s manager, Wallid Ismail, says she wasn’t intentionally eye-gouging during her December fight against Gillian Robertson.
The controversy around Cachoeira’s fight comes from the ending sequence while she was in a rear-naked choke. She reached up to Robertson’s head while in the choke, with her fingers making contact with Roberton's eyes at times. Cachoeira was submitted by Robertson in the closing seconds of the first round.
Ismail, a former UFC fighter in his own right, echoes Cachoeira's claim that her movement towards the eyes of Robertson only happened accidentally during the sequence. He criticized those who thought otherwise in a recent interview:
“It was cowardice from the press and everyone who attacked her. She didn't put her finger in the opponent's eye on purpose. She just tried to push her away in the heat of the fight,” said Ismail, in an interview with Sherdog.com. “People who work in the UFC come from the fighting business, they know what I mean. We are already talking about her next fight and Priscila will return to [the] win column.”
Recent Loss Put Cachoeira Back Into Losing Ways
Cachoeira’s loss at UFC 269 broke a two-fight winning streak she had attained. This included two finish wins, defeating Gina Mazany in May 2021, and stopping Shana Dobson a year before then.
The result kept her promotional record negative, now sitting at two wins and four losses in total. Cachoeira’s start in the UFC was rough, losing three times between 2018 and 2019. This included a fight against now UFC Flyweight Champion Valentina Shevchenko, which concluded via second-round submission.
As stated above, Ismail says they are currently working on a new fight for Cachoeira. In the new year, she will have a chance to turn around her UFC run.
What’s your take on the controversy? Do you think Cachoeira was intentionally trying to gouge the eyes of Robertson?