UFC Fight Night 52 results: Masanori Kanehara outworks Alex Caceres for decision

SAITAMA, Japan – UFC newcomer and Japanese vet Masanori Kanehara (24-11-5 MMA, 1-0 UFC) took an early lead against Alex Caceres (10-7 MMA, 5-5 UFC) and held on to secure a unanimous decision on the judges’ scorecards.

Kanehara, a former Sengoku champion, earned scores of 29-28 to get back on the winning track after a disqualification loss in April.

The bantamweight bout closed out the preliminary card of today’s UFC Fight Night 52 card at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. It streamed on UFC Fight Pass.

Although unknown to many UFC fans, Kanehara turned in the type of performance that brought him so much success under the Sengoku banner, dominating the grappling exchanges of the first two rounds and keeping Caceres at bay in the third.

Caceres spent much of the first round playing catchup after Kanehara caught his kick and deposited him on the mat. When he got to his feet, the situation worsened with a right hook and flurry of punches that put him in survival mode.

Kanehara refused to let Caceres get in the fight in the second, catching another kick and taking back control to threaten a choke both on the mat and standing.

Caceres learned his lesson in the third and scored his best offense of the fight, finding Kanehara’s lead with a left high kick and several left hands. It was too little too late, however, for the veteran of “The Ultimate Fighter 12,” who dropped his second straight fight after a submission loss to Urijah Faber at UFC 175.

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(MMAjunkie’s John Morgan contributed to this report on site in Japan.)