UFC 143 Fight Card Primer: Alex Caceres Vs. Edwin Figueroa

by Fraser Coffeen on Feb 4, 2012 2:00 PM EST in UFC Event

In a prelim fight at UFC 143: Diaz vs. Condit, Alex Caceres (6-4; 1-2 UFC) faces Edwin Figueroa (8-1; 1-1 UFC). This fight is in the Bantamweight division and is the third of four fights on the FX prelim card. Neither man in currently ranked in the USA Today/BE Consensus Rankings. The prelims air on FX starting at 8 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT, with the PPV broadcast following at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT.

The Bantamweight division tends to deliver highlights and this fight should be no exception. Both Caceres and Figueroa are dynamic fighters. Caceres uses his kicks and somewhat unorthodox style to make fights flashy, and Figueroa has delivered his own fireworks inside the Octagon. Look for both men to try and impress in this exciting match-up.

How do these two stack up?

Caceres: 23 years old | 5'10" | 70" reach
Figueroa: 27 years old | 5'7"

What have these two done recently?

Caceres: W - Cole Escovedo (UD) | L - Jim Hettes (Sub) | L - Mackens Semerzier (Sub)
Figueroa: W - Jason Reinhardt (TKO) | L - Michael McDonald (UD) | W - Johnny Bedford (TKO)

How did these two get here?

Alex "Bruce Leroy" Caceres came into the UFC courtesy of The Ultimate Fighter where he was a member of Team GSP. He quickly stood out on the show, thanks primarily to his large personality and love of Bruce Lee. That personality immediately turned off a lot of people, as Caceres is surprisingly unliked as a fighter. Many wrote him off after going 0-2 in the UFC, but he dropped down from Featherweight to Bantamweight and looked good in his upset win over Escovedo. Considering that those loses both came against tough opponents, it seems people may have been too harsh on this young fighter. Still, at just 1-2 in the Octagon, he needs a win here.

Edwin "El Feroz" Figueroa came to the UFC on short notice, stepping in to face Michael McDonald. He lost that fight, but turned in a great performance, taking home Fight of the Night honors. He followed that up with a big win over Jason Reinhardt. Figueroa fights out of Texas, and is a finisher, earning all of his wins by either submission or KO. He looked strong against Reinhardt, and is ready to keep that momentum going here.

Why should you care?

This is just a well put together fight between two exciting fighters. Plus, Bruce Leroy is the kind of fighter who you either love or can't stand, but either way, he gets you emotionally invested, and isn't that what matters?

For a more in-depth look at Caceres vs. Figueroa, check out Dallas Winston's fight dissection.

You can catch more UFC 143 preview content from Bloody Elbow after the jump.

SBN coverage of UFC 143: Diaz vs. Condit