Alex Caceres looked to return to the win column after a setback against Giga Chikadze, while opponent Sean Woodson was looking to build on a win over Charles Jourdain when the pair of featherweights collided at UFC St. Louis on Saturday.
Both fighters were tall and lanky with a tendency to fight at range, but few 145’ers were as towering as the 6 foot 1 Woodson.
The Enterprise Center crowd bellowed as the iconic Bruce Buffer introduced St. Louis’ hometown kid, Sean “The Sniper” Woodson.
Woodson started out strong, maintaining distance while landing a variety of calf kicks in the first minute of the bout. The two exchanged a few quick combinations throughout the latter portion of the round, though neither fighter sustained much damage during the opening frame.
Woodson’s unique and effective style began to pose problems for Caceres, working the body of his opponent while steering clear of the power punches coming his way. Caceres continued to move forward, though Woodson looked to be ahead on the scorecards headed into the third and final round.
Caceres fired on all cylinders deep into the third round, throwing a plethora of spinning attacks and utilizing his deep bag of tricks to frustrate Woodson. Caceres channeled his inner Max Holloway, pointing to the ground in the waning seconds of the bout and throwing caution to the wind.
The last fury wouldn’t be enough, however, as Woodson would weather the storm en route to securing a unanimous decision victory in front of a crowd filled with his friends, family, and supporters.
“I’m a dark horse in this division. I could be the best fighter in the world one day,” Woodson said in his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping. “I want Bryce Mitchell next, then I want (the #10 ranked fighter in the division), then I want number five, and then I want a title shot.
Woodson extends his unbeaten streak to six, while Caceres drops his second fight in a row and looks to be in the final stages of a very successful UFC career.
Official Decision: Sean Woodson def. Alex Caceres by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
