Vince Cachero - Photo from Instagram
Vince Cachero looks to rebound from first career loss
In his last fight, Vince Cachero suffered his first professional loss when he was knocked out by Casey Kenney who later earned a UFC contract off of that win. Now “The Anomaly” Cachero looks to get back to his winning ways on August 30 at LFA 74 when he faces Liudvik Sholinian a bantamweight matchup. I caught up with the top prospect to discuss how he rebounded from the loss and how he plans on still accomplishing his goal of making it to the UFC by 2020.
I know the last fight didn’t go the way you wanted it to go, but how are you feeling physically and mentally?
“I feel great. It was for a belt and Casey Kenney is a great fighter who’s doing well in the UFC right now. I was disappointed at the time because I knew that was my shot to get signed to the UFC. But my spirits are high. It’s all a part of the process, so I made some tweaks and it’s part of the game. My wife gave me this quote; ‘You used to be in love with winning, now you’ve got to fall in love with MMA.’ That loss was a good learning experience; something that I’ve grown a lot from.”
Do you remember much about the fight and how you were feeling up to the point of the knockout?
“I felt fine. It was honestly me just getting caught, which happens in this sport — you can get caught any time. I have no real regrets; that’s just part of the sport. I feel good about my performance.”
Were there any thoughts about what you missed out on since your opponent was signed to the UFC right afterwards?
“Of course, I wish that I was there now, but I’ve already made a bunch of adjustments that have already been paying dividends, which is only going to help me when I get to the UFC. Casey is Team Iridium, so I’m very happy for him and his success; the better he does, the better it looks for me.”
How were you able to move on? Was there a point where you accepted it and/or a person who helped you get through it?
“After my honeymoon, the loss really started to sink in. After the fight, I had my wedding to look forward to. When we got back from the honeymoon, it hit me pretty hard. My coach helped me get my head on straight.”
I know you read quite a bit of philosophy, is there a particular message from one that helped put this in perspective for you?
“Stoic philosophy is my thing, and one of the biggest aspects of that is controlling what you can control and be at peace with everything else. I can’t change the past; what I can change is how I approach the future.”
That fight was in March, since that time, is there anything you changed about your training? I noticed on Instagram you went to CAMMA for a session.
“I’m spending more time wrestling and grappling, spending a lot more time at Blackhouse and doing some training CMMA. I’ve really just been grinding with the best guys I can.”
Why is now the right time to return and how excited are you to be back in the cage?
“I wanted to get right back in there, but I had to let my brain rest a little bit. I want to get back out there; I want to show Dana White and Sean Shelby that I belong in the UFC. I’m a really good bantamweight, and I could be a really good bantamweight in the UFC. I want to show my skills and show that I belong.”
Do you think there will be any chance of hesitancy from you in this fight due to your last fight and what are your keys to victory for this fight?
“It’s just a matter of getting into my flow state, as always. Pulling my opponent into my game, always going forward, and making him crack under that pressure.”
If you get the win, where does this leave you?
“I want to go to the UFC; that’s my goal. My goal was to get in by 2020, and that’s still the show. That’s my main goal right now.”
