UFC 143 Live: Alex Caceres vs. Edwin Figueroa

by Dr. Octagon, J.D.

Round 1-Edwin Figueroa throws a kick, but Alex Caceres counters it. Caceres lands one of the worst ball shots I’ve seen in a while. A full-blast direct shot to the center of the scrotum. A nuclear blast to the nuts. Edwin takes some time and walks off the pain. That hurt just watching it.  Jeez.

Edwin is back. What a man. Caceres is really fun to watch, but he needs to be careful with those kicks. He throws a wide variety of kicks and he’s always headhunting. Nice kick to the face by Caceres.

Figueroa lands a head kick of his own. Caceres is rocked. That was harder than the kick to the nuts. Figueroa goes for the choke, Caceres gets his wits about him and stands, but Figueroa lands a few more shots as they disengage. Caceras gets Figeueroa’s back, but he is too high and Edwin slips out. Caceres jumps on Edwin’s back again and sinks in a neck crank, but Figueroa gets out. 

Caceres has a body lock with one minute remaining. Alex goes for the rear naked to full mount; he has Edwin’s back, but the round is ending. Wow. Caceres is really active on the ground and he might have won the round based on the strong finish. But I think Figueroa won the round just on the basis of that monster head kick.

10-9 Edwin for almost ending the fight. 

Round 2-Caceres still going for head kicks. Figueroa throws a bomb of a right hook. Figueroa stares at Herb Dean, trying to get a point after a close kick. Herb Dean tells him the shot was clean. Good call by Herb.

Alex lands a head kick. Edwin looks dazed. Caceres lands another big kick. Caceres lands a huge roundhouse to Edwin’s manhood. His frank and beans probably looks like hamburger meat right now. That’s going to be a deduction for that one for sure, if it doesn’t end the fight. Joe Rogan says Edwin has been kicked in the dick 100 times at least.

Yowzers. Caceras just had two points deducted! Herb Dean wasn’t kidding about that strong warning. I’ve never seen that before. Caceres lands another big kick. Knee to the head by Caceres, who has a new sense of urgency after the two-point deduction. Caceres has Edwin’s back and is looking for the rear naked choke, but he’s getting up too high and Edwin is defending nicely. Caceres switches to an armbar, but doesn’t sink it. Now Caceres is going for a traingle and it looks good, but Edwin gets his head out. If he sunk that one more aggressively, he could have won it.

I would have scored that round 10-9 for Caceres, but with the two-point deduction it becomes 9-8 Figueroa. 

Round 3-Edwin is totally gassed as Caceres comes forward. Caceres gets Edwin’s back, nice body triangle. Edwin is defending nicely. Caceres needs to win this round. The choke looks pretty good, but Edwin gets out of it.

Figueroa gets out but Alex is right back on his back. Caceres is now on his back and Figueroa is teeing off. Caceres keeps looking like he is about to sink a perfect submission, but somehow he just doesn’t manage to pull it off. Figueroa goes for a knee bar, but doesn’t get it and the round ends. 10-9 Caceres.

I have it 28-27 for Figueroa, but it will be interesting to see what the judges do. I really don’t agree with that two-point deduction. It’s too much of an advantage to give someone in a three-round fight.

Judges score it a split decision for Edwin Figueroa, 28-27 Figueroa (twice) and 28-27 Caceres. If Herb Dean had only deducted one point, it would have been a majority draw. Caceres needs to work on his BJJ if he’s going to spend all that time on the ground.