Although he couldn’t get the knockout he wanted at UFC Shanghai, Wang Guan put together an impressive performance against Alex Caceres.
Wang Guan might be making his UFC debut at 31 years old, but you can’t ignore his record. Racking up a 19-1-1 career tally, the Chinese bantamweight has 14 knockouts and will ride a seven-fight win streak into Shanghai.
Alex Caceres is a bantamweight that the UFC can count on for entertainment. Bruce Leeroy has put forth many exciting performances in his six-year Octagon career, and recently stopped a two-fight skid with a win over Rolando Dy.
The bantamweights wasted no time getting to the action, meeting in the middle of the Octagon with Wang Guan throwing straight punches and Caceres throwing kicks in response. Alex Caceres was bouncing quickly just outside Guan’s punching range.
Caceres landed a nice leg kick and Guan closed in for a clinch. Then a rarity happened. Both Guan and Caceres landed knees below the belt simultaneously. After a break in the action, both fighters landed leg kicks, then Guan landed a body kick, attempting to close in on Caceres afterward.
Guan stepped forward and cracked Caceres with a left that wobbled him. Guan swung for the fences but could not put away the elusive Caceres. Caceres landed a two punch combination and a kick post-recovery, followed by a high kick.
Guan seemed enticed by a one-punch knockout, throwing a naked right hand that came up short. Guan followed with a short counter left that floored Caceres near the end of the round. With just over 10 seconds left, Guan jumped on and landed heavy ground-and-pound but Caceres limited the damage just enough to reach the final bell. Guan did land a few shots after the bell for the record, then Caceres hobbled back to his corner with help, and would come out for round two.
Guan landed an overhand left immediately in round two, but Caceres walked through it. Guan landed a leg kick, then had his high kick deflected. Guan stepped in and landed a beautiful right straight, but could not follow up on his stumbling opponent.
Caceres landed a kick to the cup of Guan, but the Chinese striker refused to allow Caceres to take a break, making the referee resume action as quickly as possible. Guan went low then high with his kicks again, but could not land cleanly. Another big right landed for Guan, but Caceres lived on with under a minute to go in the round.
Caceres just missed a high kick, and Guan failed to respond successfully. Caceres landed a clean body kick just before the stanza came to a close.
Early on in the final round, Guan landed another solid counter left, but Caceres just ate it. Caceres landed a leg kick but Guan stepped in and knocked Caceres down with a right hand. It was only momentary, as Caceres bounced up before any damage could be done.
Caceres landed a spinning back kick to the body, and Guan was failing to find the finishing blow he had been seeking round one. Another groin kick landed for Caceres, a third for the night. The referee did not take any points from him, however.
After a break in the action, Caceres came out with plenty of energy with less then a minute left. He was landing strikes with ease, but it was too little too late as the final bell sounded.
Wang Guan def. Alex Caceres by Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
