LAS VEGAS – Ten days before her fight with Cat Zingano, Ketlen Vieira retreated to the locker room of her gym to hide from her teammates.

Vieira (10-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) had just fractured her rib, and she didn’t want her coaches to see her in pain. So she cried alone until one of her coaches found her.

“My coach saw me crying, and he told me everything was going to be OK and to believe in myself and my skills,” Vieira told reporters backstage after UFC 222. “I knew I was prepared physically for the fight. I knew I had to suck it up and deal with an injury to do the best I could with what I had.”

With adrenaline and a heaping dose of anti-inflammatories, Vieira managed to rise to the occasion when the opening bell rang. She met the aggression of Zingano (9-3 MMA, 2-3 UFC) and eventually took over the fight, earning a split decision for her fourth straight UFC win.

Standing backstage Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Vieira was reminded of her injury as her medicines wore off. But the sting was lessened by her accomplishment.

In the octagon after her decision, Vieira boldly called to face the winner of an expected upcoming title fight between champ Amanda Nunes and Raquel Pennington. Backstage, she didn’t waver on her stance.

“I definitely said it and mean it,” Vieira said. “I would like some time to recuperate and take care of my ribs. But the winner of Amanda Nunes and Raquel Pennington is who I want to fight.”

Nunes and Pennington are set to meet at UFC 224, which takes place on May 12 in Rio de Janeiro. That should give Vieira plenty of time to heal up if the UFC agrees to her request.

Nunes’ call to meet featherweight champ Cris Cyborg in a superfight was initially rebuffed by Cyborg’s hesitance in facing a fellow Brazilian. Vieira, though, has none of those concerns.

“I really have a lot of respect for Amanda Nunes, but this is my dream, and whoever wins, I’ll be prepared to face,” she said.

Vieira, after all, has suffered a lot to get to the top of the division. If a fractured rib won’t get in her way, not much will.

For complete coverage of UFC 222, check out the UFC Events section of the site.