Preview: UFC Fight Night ‘Boetsch vs. Henderson’

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BANTAMWEIGHTS

Francisco Rivera (10-4, 3-3 UFC) vs. Alex Caceres (10-7, 5-5 UFC)

THE MATCHUP: Bantamweight veterans Rivera and Caceres meet in what might be a loser-leaves-town affair, as both fighters are riding two-fight losing streaks. Caceres, a veteran of “The Ultimate Fighter 12,” finally seemed to have turned the corner following a win over Sergio Pettis, but consecutive losses to Urijah Faber and Masanori Kanehara have him looking at a pink slip. Rivera was unbeaten in six fights but dropped a controversial decision to Takeya Mizugaki and then suffered an even more controversial submission loss to Faber that was the result of an eye-poke. This should be a fantastic fight between two of the more fun fighters at 135 pounds.

Rivera is an enormous, iron-fisted puncher with big power in all of his strikes. His thudding jab measures and maintains distance; he fills the space between exchanges with crisp low kicks; and once his opponent commits to engaging in the pocket, Rivera responds with vicious combinations. He relies a bit too much on his right hand, with which he lever-punches -- throws multiple shots in a row from the same side in a row -- regularly, but his left hook is equally devastating, if underutilized. Rivera is also a strong defensive wrestler with nearly impenetrable single-leg defense, and he can hit the occasional trip of his own when the mood strikes. He is limited as a grappler aside from solid defensive skills, but his power translates into devastating ground strikes.

Caceres plays a fun, high-energy game on the feet and on the ground. At range, he likes to probe with his jab and side kicks and then drop in straight lefts, round kicks and a wide variety of spinning and jumping techniques. He is surprisingly strong in the clinch despite his lack of bulk, putting his rangy frame to good use with excellent leverage, control and sharp knees. Wrestling is not his strong suit -- he rarely hits takedowns of his own, and practically every opponent has been able to put him on the floor -- but he makes up for it with an active guard and a propensity for creating transitions. Once the scrambles begin, Caceres excels at finding the back and slapping on a quick submission, though strong opponents have controlled him for long stretches.

THE PICK: Rivera is a bomber and is durable enough to go shot-for-shot with Caceres without too much trouble. The opposite is not true, and Caceres lacks the wrestling skills to take Rivera out of his element on the feet. While Caceres has never been knocked out, he has been dropped or hurt on many occasions as a result of his lackluster defensive skills, and I think that they will finally catch up with him for good in this fight. The pick is Rivera by knockout in the second round.

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