UFC Fight Night 52 Date: September 20, 2014 Arena: Saitama Super Arena City: Saitama, Japan Bantamweight bout: Alex “Bruce Leeroy” Caceres (-280) vs Masanori “Kincyan” Kanehara (+220) Fight Breakdown: Headlining the UFC Fight Night 52 preliminary card on UFC Fight Pass will be a bantamweight contest between The Ultimate Fighter season 12’s Alex “Bruce Leeroy” Caceres and Japanese veteran Masanori “Kincyan” Kanehara. “Bruce Leeroy” is a considerable betting favorite heading into this 135-pound scrap at -280 ($280 to win $100), with the return on his opponent “Kincyan” being +220 ($100 to win $220) at Several Bookmakerss. Alex “Bruce Leeroy” Caceres (10-6-1 NC, 5-4-1 NC UFC) is coming off a third round rear naked choke submission loss to Urijah Faber at UFC 175 just over two months ago, and just so happens to be replacing an injured Faber in this match-up, as The California Kid was the original opponent for promotional newcomer Masanori Kanehara. Though he lost the Faber bout, Caceres was competitive and impressive, winning many new fans with his performance. Coming off the loss, he will now look to put together another streak, starting with the Japanese veteran. A backyard/street fighter turned mixed martial artist, “Bruce Leeroy” possesses great skills on the feet. He is very creative, flashy and above all, effective with his striking. He is a technical and calculated striker but is also good at pouncing and inflicting damage. He’s been very good at landing in volume and racking up points, but has also lately begun developing some knock-out power, as he’s recently been able to hurt and drop opponents . The Ultimate Fighter season 12 veteran puts together phenomenal combinations on the feet, and does a good job of using his length and reach. “Bruce Leeroy” moves smoothly on the feet and is always wearing his trademark smile; to compliment his stand-up, he is incredibly talented on the mat, owning a solid Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu game and a very dangerous guard, in which he is quite offensive with the benefit of his long limbs. Training out of the MMA Lab in Glendale, AZ, under the tutelage of John Crouch and with some of the best lighter-weight training partners in the planet, Caceres is constantly improving as a mixed martial artist. He is an incredibly talented athlete who possesses tremendous conditioning, so I have no doubt he will be able to go hard for a full three rounds of action, should the fight go the distance. Masanori “Kincyan” Kanehara (23-11-5 MMA, 2-0 UFC) got a contract with the UFC, even though he is coming off a loss in his last outing. It was a disqualification loss for throwing his opponent out of the cage, which makes the situation a little more puzzling. Before that bout, “Kincyan” was riding an impressive six-fight winning streak, with all six victories coming by way of finish; four T/KO’s and two submissions, and with five of them coming within the first round of action. The Japanese veteran is a very game fighter who is always a threat on the feet, as he possesses serious power in his hands. The Deep and Pancrase veteran owns notable career victories over the likes of Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto, Michihiro Omigawa and “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung on his professional mixed martial arts career resume. The 31-year old has been T/KO’d four times over the course of his 11-year career, but possesses a very good chin, despite the fact. He is a tough, durable fighter who is not easy to put away, by T/KO or submission. The last time he was defeated via tapout was nine years ago, in only his seventh professional bout. It was the third and last time he suffered a submission loss, as he began to improve his submission defense as well as his all-around grappling game. Kanehara has decent foot work and does a good job of moving around and knowing when to attack. He loves to brawl and throws heavy leather carelessly looking to send his opponents’ heads into the nosebleeds. “Kincyan” has a nice straight left and a mean right hand that follows it. He likes to control his opponents against the cage and punish the body. The Japanese veteran has not seen the judges’ scorecards since his 2009 unanimous decision victory over “Kid” Yamamoto, so his cardio is questionable heading into this 15-minute 135-pound scrap. Gabe’s Thoughts: To put it simply, I think Cacares is the better all-around fighter and is better in the striking department, thus I think he will outstrike Kanehara for the majority of 15-minutes of action to pick up a unanimous decision victory on the judges’ scorecards. I like Caceres to defeat the Japanese veteran in Japan, ultimately returning back to the win column, following his recent loss to Faber. Gabe’s Call: “Bruce Leeroy” by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) Gabe’s Recommended Play: Alex Caceres (-280) 2.8u to win 1u
