The talent that has trickled from recent seasons of “The Ultimate Fighter” have been few and far between.
The first few editions of the Spike TV reality show have helped spawn many future contenders who have vied for championships, some having claimed the belt in their respective weight classes. However, the talent has been shallow as of late and is now at kiddie-pool level.
Although Alex Caceres, who’s more affectionately known now by fans as simply “Bruce Leeroy,” was viewed as a kid who’s persona superseded his skills, he’s shown in his last outing with Jim Hettes that he has improved significantly as a fighter, even if it was at the cost of another loss.
The 23-year-old Floridian was originally slated to meet former title challenger Leonard Garcia on the preliminary portion of UFC on Versus 5, which took place at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisc., this past Sunday.
“Bad Boy” Garcia bowed out due to injury and in stepped Hettes on less than two weeks’ notice. While Leonard proves to be a formidable task for anyone he faces, his glaring weakness has been his penchant for brawls and lack of stamina, neither of which Jim exhibited in this exciting featherweight affair.
The first-round was as back-and-forth as any fight that’s graced the Octagon, with UFC commentator Joe Rogan left virtually speechless, only summarizing the bout as the most “transition filled” fight in recent memory.
When Hettes was successful in putting Caceres on his back, Alex continued to show an active guard that would often lead to several submission attempts and later have him either return to his feet or end up in a more dominant position.
It’s the kind of scrambling technique that has defined former champion Urijah Faber’s career: at times it’s reckless, but it’s always exciting.
Relying on his incredible athleticism, Alex’s natural abilities carried him into the second round before his inexperience got the best of him.
Whilst Hettes had his back, Alex looked for a single leg dump to the mat, exposing his neck for Jim, an undefeated submission specialist, to lock in a tight rear-naked choke. Caceres fought only momentarily before being forced to tap.
The loss was his second in a row, twice by the same submission hold, though the TUF vet redeemed himself in defeat.
He displayed all the skills that garnered him his recent accolades which originally eluded him in his UFC debut bout against Mackens Semerzier this past March, where Alex recorded just a little over three minutes of ring time before being caught in the choke.
Is this end for “Bruce Leeroy”? Most likely. The UFC’s featherweight class is beginning to take in some depth, however it could always use the likes of Caceres, but the higher ups should realize that with a record of 5-4, there is some more work to be done.
By his own admission, Alex never intended on being in the UFC this early in his career, which began November 2008.
But now that he’s made it, he can hold his head high, knowing that in his bout with Hettes, he gave it 100 percent and it showed in a fight that was an early shoo-in for “Fight of the Night” honors.
Damn that Chris Lytle character.
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