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)

The post UFC Shanghai Results: Wang Guan Outclasses Alex Caceres in Split Decision appeared first on Cageside Press.

Staff Writer	Salikhov vs. Garcia	Caceres vs. Guan	Jingliang vs. Ottow	Bisping vs. Gastelum
Heath Harshman (89-43)
Mike McClory (68-44)
Dan Doherty (79-53)
Mike Straus (17-12)
Paarth Pande (69-51)
Jay Anderson (74-58)
Gabriel Gonzalez (31-25)
Eddie Law (63-63)

UFC Shanghai went from a lousy card with an intriguing main event, to a lousy card with an important main event in a matter of weeks. Anderson Silva unfortunately failed a USADA drug test, but that opened up the opportunity for the last middleweight champion, Michael Bisping, to step in against the ever-improving Kelvin Gastelum.

Michael Bisping is just three weeks removed from his title fight loss to Georges St. Pierre, which has fans worried about his health heading into a bout with a dangerous striker like Gastelum. Bisping’s title reign lasted nearly a year and a half, but he only defended his title once before UFC 217. Kelvin Gastelum is officially 1-1 with one no contest since moving up to 185-pounds, but the no contest was a first-round knockout overturned for marijuana usage. Five of eight writers believe Bisping will suffer a two-fight losing streak for the first time in his MMA career.

Li Jingliang is China’s biggest star in MMA and is beloved by UFC fans for the constant action in his fights. “The Leech” is on a three-fight winning streak with a pair of knockouts and a Fight of the Night bonus. Zak Ottow entered the Octagon for the first time last year and has since gone 2-1, with all of his fights ending with a split decision. Cageside Press is not split on this one at all, with Jingliang being picked unanimously.

Wang Guan is a very promising Chinese bantamweight with a 19-1-1 record including 14 knockouts and 13 first round finishes. He will be making his promotional debut against the well-known Bruce Leeroy AKA Alex Caceres. Caceres recently stopped a two fight skid with a second-round TKO, and has been with the promotion since 2011. Cageside Press believes experience will be the key here, with six of eight writers siding with Bruce Leeroy.

Muslim Salikhov is another scary Dagestani fighter making his UFC debut. What makes him stand out though, are his many gold medals in Sanshou, which is otherwise known as Chinese kickboxing. Salikhov is 12-1 in MMA with 10 knockouts, and he’s knocked out his last two opponents with spinning back kicks. Let that sink in. Alex Garcia is a physically intimidating fighter with a 4-3 record inside the Octagon. Cageside Press is on the hype train, with all but one writer picking Salikhov.

The post UFC Shanghai – Bisping vs. Gastelum: Main Card Staff Picks appeared first on Cageside Press.