UFC 143 Results: Loss to Edwin Figueroa Kills Alex Caceres' Shot at Contention

Alex Caceres should've beaten Edwin Figueroa at UFC 143 and likely would've done so by decision had it not been for a pair of misplaced inside leg kicks.

Now, rather than looking forward to climbing up the ranks of the bantamweight division, "Bruce Leroy" will have to busy himself with staving off elimination from the UFC roster by virtue of three losses in his last four bouts and five in his last seven.

Caceres dominated "El Feroz" in just about every aspect, though his advantage—in height, reach and age—was most pronounced on the ground. Caceres demonstrated tremendous agility, flexibility and technique on the mat, twisting and turning with Figueroa through submission attempt after submission attempt. At one point, Caceres was even able to maintain a full back mount while Figueroa was on his feet.

So many times, too, did Caceres have clear opportunities to submit Figueroa, be it by choke or armbar.

But Figueroa, ever the scrappy veteran, proved equally feisty in defense. Time and again, "El Feroz" was able to keep his chin to his chest and fight off Caceres' strangleholds with his hands.

Figueroa simply survived against a better, bouncier fighter and, after Caceres' early mistakes, that was all "El Feroz" needed to win. Caceres had two points docked from his total for twice nailing Figueroa in the groin with his foot, once in the first round and once in the second. Neither appeared intentional, but both seemed to occur as unfortunate results of the two fighters employing opposing stances in the Octagon—Caceres a southpaw and Figueroa a more traditional stance.

Still, Caceres has only himself to blame for the predicament in which he now finds himself. He'll have his back against the proverbial wall next time he enters the Octagon, his UFC future at stake. Caceres has the talent to survive, though his ability to climb the ranks of the bantamweight division will depend largely on how well he avoids mistakes and capitalizes on submission chances from here on out. 

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