In the world of professional combat, fighters are subject to various expectations whenever they step into the cage or ring. Sometimes, the fans and media think very highly of a fighter, and expect him or her to perform at a world class level. Sometimes, fighters predictably underperform, leading to diminished expectations. And still other times, media and fans will pigeonhole an athlete into one role, only to find that role not to be a correct assessment of where that fighter is. Alex “Bruce Leeroy” Caceres is a prime example of a fighter who was slotted into one perceived position, only to slowly push his way out from under it.
At UFC on Fox 10, Caceres earned what may be the most important win of his nearly six-year career. He took on Sergio Pettis, and surprisingly came out on top, winning “Fight of the Night” while stealing the show. The action was great, but the way that Caceres secured the win was even more impressive. With 21 seconds left in the fight, he was able to wrap up Pettis with a rear naked choke to finish the bout. Many had Caceres losing on the scorecards in the waning moments, so to watch him do what was needed to get his hand raised was eye-opening for multiple reasons.
When Caceres came off of The Ultimate Fighter, the future that was projected for him wasn’t very bright. Many believed he was brought into the company just because of the “Bruce Leeroy” gimmick that he created while on the show. After his first two fights in the Octagon, it seemed like Caceres would soon find himself in the sport’s unemployment line, having been dominated by both Mackens Semerzier and Jimy Hettes, who finished him in “light” fashion.
The career turnaround began with the drop down to bantamweight. Former WEC champion Cole Escovedo was the man to welcome him into the division, and it was a fight that didn’t support Caceres in the betting odds. But after showing off great improvements in multiple aspects of mixed martial arts, Caceres earned an important unanimous decision victory that would kickstart his UFC career. Though he lost his next fight, he followed that up with five straight wins in the 135-pound division (though his win against Kyung Ho Kang was overturned due to marijuana metabolites found in his drug testing results.) This most recent win caps off the streak, and has pulled even more eyes towards his performances in the cage.
While it’s too soon to call him a contender, Alex Caceres should now expect to be more prominently featured, and should begin to receive better placement on UFC cards. Up to this point, he’s never appeared on a pay-per-view main card, or any main card, for that matter. He’s fought on the televised prelims for UFC 143, UFC 165, and this most recent Fox card, but every other fight he’s been in needed to be streamed online. His win over Pettis is the closest that he’s come to being featured on the main card, and that was because of his opponent.
But after getting his hand raised in the “Fox Sports 1 main event” against Pettis, Caceres should see some main card action in his next outing. The UFC will head back to Florida, Caceres’s home state, at UFC on Fox 11, and that would be a great opportunity to feature him as a main card opener. His fighting style tends to be the striking-based combat that both the UFC and mainstream fans celebrate, so a matchup against another bantamweight of similar mold would work. The division has a number of growing personalities in the group, and “Bruce Leeroy” should be considered among them.
Even though he’s shed the yellow jumpsuit and huge smile, Alex Caceres is still a valuable bantamweight for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. His win over Pettis captured the attention of many within the MMA world, and now it’s time for both him and the matchmakers to capitalize on it.
• Alex Caceres vs. Sergio Pettis: Alex Caceres def. Sergio Pettis via submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:39 of Round 3.
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UFC on Fox 10: Henderson vs. Thomson took place on January 25, 2014 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois.
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