Athletes
Jacqueline Cavalcanti: ‘I’m Ready for the Top 5’
Confident, Streaking Bantamweight Talks Ketlen Vieira, Future Matchup Ideas
Jacqueline Cavalcanti has been in Las Vegas for roughly as long as she’s been in the UFC, and just as she’s slowly and steadily progressed her way up the divisional ladder, she’s done the same when it comes to settling into life in the “Fight Capital of the World.”
“I moved to Las Vegas three years ago,” began the Portuguese rising star. “At first, I don’t know anybody here. After a couple months, I know the new coach, the new people, new friends.
“After three years, it’s my opinion that I have a very good team, very good friends; everything here is now working together. It’s special that we have the Performance Institute to help a lot, too.”
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The idea that everything is working nicely isn’t just her opinion, though; it’s facts.
Through her first five UFC appearances, the 28-year-old bantamweight is 5-0 and stationed at No. 11 in the rankings. After opening her 2025 campaign with a win over Julia Avila, the divisional dark horse wrapped the year with a unanimous decision victory over former title challenger Mayra Bueno Silva.
Heading into the contest, Cavalcanti said a win would be life-changing and discussed her understanding that she needed to take things slowly when it came to chasing down fights with those at the top end of the division, recognizing the gap in UFC experience between her and them. Six months after successfully navigating her matchup with “Sheetara,” she’s feeling a different kind of way.
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“F***… it tells me in ready for the Top 5,” she said. “A win against Mayra is another step. I think everything has changed a little bit, step by step. I have a good team, a good family, and my goal is now the title. I have this fight first, and I think everything is step-by-step: you (have) more fights, you make a little bit more money, you can change a couple things.”
After steadily moving a step or two forward through her first five appearances, Saturday’s matchup with Vieira represents a major jump for the 10-1 standout.
The 34-year-old Nova Uniao representative is one of the longest tenured and most successful fighters in the division, trailing only former champion Raquel Pennington in terms of UFC victories and appearances. She has been part of the title conversation for the last several years, and while Vieira has thus far failed to string together the wins necessary to land a championship opportunity, it hasn’t been for lack of trying.
Few in the division have fought as tough a schedule as Vieira over the last five years, as she’s shared the Octagon with three former champions — Miesha Tate, Holly Holm, and Pennington —and current champ Kayla Harrison, posting a 5-4 record that in no way accurately reflects her performance or skill level. Two of those setbacks — her loss to Pennington in January 2024 and her most recent setback against Norma Dumont —came by split decision in fights many would argue she did enough to win, while another —her February 2021 loss to Yana Santos —has been hotly debated as well.
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She was also the person tasked with serving as the final litmus test for Harrison before she moved forward to challenge for the title last year, and she gave the two-time Olympian a much tougher fight than both Holm and former champ Julianna Pena as well.
“I think she has very good jiu jitsu, good takedowns, good striking; I think she’s complete,” began Cavalcanti. “A couple years ago, she was Top 2, and now she’s Top 5, but it’s okay, the ranking has moved. I’m so ready for all the jiu-jitsu, wrestling, wherever the fight (goes), I’m ready.
“She has more experience (than) me. I have five fights with UFC., I don’t remember how many she has — she has a lot of fights — but I don’t care because I have a lot of experience before UFC, before MMA. For me, she’s another opponent (in front of me); I need to kill her, win, and take another step.”
The confident emerging star envisions Saturday’s contest playing out in an all-too-familiar way once she and Vieira get into the Octagon and make it through the first series of exchanges.
“I want to show everybody a little bit more of my skills, especially my striking, my MMA,” Cavalcanti said. “Everybody fights me just striking, but after they feel my hands, the (shot) is coming; everybody tries to (shoot) on me.
“Ketlen? 100 percent she will try to shoot because after she feels my hands, my kicks, I think in her mind, she’ll think, ‘Oh, I need to shoot!’” she added with a chuckle. “But I will defend and kick her and punch her again.”
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Beating Vieira would not only advance Cavalcanti’s record to 6-0 in the UFC and bring her into a tie with Ailin Perez for the longest active winning streak in the division, but it would also likely carry her past the streaking Argentine and into the Top 5, where only a handful of options make sense for her going forward.
While Cavalcanti definitely has some thoughts about a couple of the athletes that would still be stationed ahead of her, she’s not fussy about what comes next.
“After Ketlen, I want the Top 1 or Top 2,” she began. “I’m ready for these girls or Raquel Pennington or Julianna Peña. I don’t know where these girls live —if they live in America, which country they live (in) —but f***, these girls don’t fight for one year, close to two years. You don’t want to fight, get off the rank, and give an opportunity for the new people coming.
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“I want the Top 1, Top 2, Top 3,” Cavalcanti reiterated before adding, “Ah, I don’t give a f*** — I want the Top 5!”
Should she get through Vieira, it’ll be interesting to see who answers the call.
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