UFC on FOX Results: Alex Caceres Outlasts Cole Escovedo to Keep MMA Career Alive

While Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos prepare to duke it out for the UFC Heavyweight Championship, Alex Caceres and Cole Escovedo spent three rounds in the Octagon to settle a decidedly less glamorous dispute—who would survive to fight another day at the top level of mixed martial arts?

That proved to be Caceres, the 23-year-old southpaw known to many as "Bruce Leeroy," who upended "Apache Kid" by unanimous decision at the Honda Center in Anaheim.

Both combatants came into Saturday's bout looking to avoid a three-match losing streak, five losses in their last six, and the likely cut from the UFC that would come with it. Caceres had suffered submissions in his most recent fights as a featherweight, to Mackens Semerzier and Jim Hettes, while Escovedo, the former WEC Featherweight Champion, was coming off defeats by unanimous decision and TKO to Renan Barao and Takeya Mizugaki, respectively, earlier this year.

But while Escovedo, at 30 years of age, may have been the more desperate fighter, it was Caceres who proved to be more effective. The former The Ultimate Fighter contestant was the aggressor from start to finish, punishing the resilient Escovedo with strikes and kicks throughout the first round. Caceres kept up the pace in the second round, escaping a valiant attempt by Escovedo at a submission and wearing down his elder with quick combinations in the process. Escovedo slowed considerably over the second half of the round as Caceres continued to tag him, though "Apache Kid" never appeared to back down from his competitor, as he kept coming back for more.

The wear and tear of the fight began to take its toll on Caceres in the third round, though he still proved to be miles ahead of a weary Escovedo by that point. Escovedo did his best to keep the fight moving forward but, in the end, was no match for the younger, stronger and more lively Caceres, who emerged with a victory by unanimous decision.

The onus now rests on Caceres to make this most of his second life in the UFC, perhaps with a lengthy stay in the Bantamweight Division. The motor with which he fought against Escovedo should make him an excellent option to be a part of an entertaining matchup not too far down the road.

As for Escovedo, he'll head back to Fresno in search of some other form of gainful employment, unless, of course, UFC president Dana White finds some sympathy in his heart of hearts to give the weary and wayward "Apache Kid" another shot at redemption.