On Saturday night, former WEC featherweight champion, Urijah Faber, faced off against a veteran of Season 12 of The Ultimate Fighter, Alex Caceres.
Faber controlled the majority of the fight with his pressure in the clinch and on the ground. He also scored many takedowns throughout the fight.
Then in the third round, he was able to take Caceres' back off one of those takedowns and lock in the rear-naked choke. Let's check out what we learned from the bantamweight fight.
He may not win but damns sure respect Bruce Leroy; definitely fighting to win. Not just trying to survive
— Dr. Johnny Benjamin (@DrJCBenjamin) July 6, 2014
What We'll Remember About This Fight
We'll remember Faber's pressure in the clinch and on the ground from this fight. Anytime he gave Caceres space, Caceres landed solid shots, but Faber picked up on that and adjusted.
Also during the fight Faber had a nice judo throw, and in the first round Caceres did a somersault to get away from Faber.
What We Learned About Faber
He is still one of the top bantamweights in the world. Coming off a loss to Renan Barao, Faber had to respond with a strong outing, and he did. He dominated Caceres from bell to finish.
What We Learned About Caceres
While he wasn't able to pull out the win, he was able to stay competitive with Faber. He made it to the third round, landing some solid strikes when he was able to maintain distance from Faber. He needs to be sure not to give up his back when trying to stand back up, though.
What's Next for Faber
Faber is ranked No. 2 in the division behind only Barao and the champion, TJ Dillashaw. Dillashaw is his teammate, although Dillashaw has said he would fight him if the money were right.
If that fight doesn't happen, then perhaps a third fight with Dominick Cruz could happen. Cruz is looking for an August return, and while it would be a quick turnaround for Faber, he'd likely be up for it given his history with Cruz.
What's Next for Caceres
Caceres has several interesting possibilities for his next fight. Francisco Rivera faced and lost to Takeya Mizugaki at UFC 173 in May, but he had been undefeated through four UFC fights up until that point.
Johnny Eduardo is a second option. His last fight saw him score a first-round knockout over former WEC bantamweight champion Eddie Wineland.
A third option would be a fight with Season 14 competitor on The Ultimate Fighter Bryan Caraway. Caraway is 4-1 in the UFC and has won two straight with submissions.
