Vinicius Sacchelli Cenci and a Road Paved with Difficulty

Vinicius Sacchelli Cenci remembers his roots.

As the Brazilian approaches his latest assignment in the Professional Fighters League—he meets Antonio Caruso in a lightweight alternate bout at PFL 2025 World Tournament 6 on Friday at Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita, Kansas—Cenci strikes an all-too-familiar refrain when talk turns to how he got his start in martial arts. It was born out of necessity.

“I started training because I suffered bullying in school,” Cenci told Sherdog.com. “I used to be very short, with thin arms, a round belly and messy hair. I only grew tall after I was already training. One day, a kid broke my nose in the classroom. My brothers, who always protected me, told me to…