Alex Caceres and Sean Woodson, UFC St. Louis weigh-in credit: Youtube/UFC
When the two featherweights clashed at UFC St. Louis on Saturday, Alex Caceres was looking to get back in the win column after a setback against Giga Chikadze, but his opponent Sean Woodson was coming off a win over Charles Jourdan. I was trying to accumulate.
Both fighters were tall and lanky and tended to fight from a distance, but at 145 feet, few were as tall as the 6-foot-1 Woodson.
The Enterprise Center crowd roared as the iconic Bruce Buffer introduced St. Louis hometown kid Sean “The Sniper” Woodson.
Woodson got off to a strong start, keeping his distance and unleashing a variety of calf kicks in the first minute. Both fighters traded some quick combinations throughout the second half of the round, but neither fighter did much damage during the opening frame.
Woodson’s unique and effective style began to cause problems for Caceres, as he moved his opponent’s body while avoiding incoming power punches. Caceres continued to advance, but Woodson appeared to be in the lead on the scorecards heading into the third and final round.
Caceres was firing on all cylinders until the end of the third round, landing a ton of spinning attacks and using a wealth of tricks to frustrate Woodson. Caceres channeled his inner Max Holloway and pointed to the ground seconds into the game, throwing caution to the wind.
But the final burst of fury wasn’t enough, as Woodson weathered the storm en route to a unanimous decision victory in front of a packed crowd of friends, family and supporters.
“I’m a dark horse in this division. Someday I could be the best fighter in the world,” Woodson said in a post-fight interview with Michael Bisping. “I want Bryce Mitchell next, then I want (the No. 10 fighter in the division), then I want No. 5, and I want a title shot.
Woodson extends his undefeated streak to six, while Caceres has lost two straight fights and appears to be in the final stages of a highly successful UFC career.
Official Decision: Sean Woodson def. Alex Caceres by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
