LAS VEGAS – Alex Caceres doesn’t usually give in to the general urge for post-fight callouts. But as he maneuvers through the UFC rankings, he sees some viable paths to getting to the top.
After winning the UFC Championship on ESPN 45, Caceres (21-13 MMA, 16-11 UFC) stated his ultimate title goal and hope for a championship fight will come against former foe Yair Rodriguez.
Caceres, 34, reiterated that wish when he spoke to MMA Junkie and other reporters at a post-fight press conference — but he also mentioned a potential match he thinks could get him there.
“I know we almost had the battle of Giga (Chikadze), which fell several times,” Caceres said. “It’s always a fun fight. He’s a karate guy, so it’ll be fun to fight him. Like I said twice before tonight, I want Rodriguez to win the title so that when I climb those ratings, I’ll take the title from him. It’s always a fun fight to look forward to because I’ve had a fight from Five rounds with him in Utah. He beat me by a split decision, and it was so close. It was so close, so close for me to let go.”
Prior to Saturday’s bout, Caceres sat at No. 15 in the UFC rankings. He faced unranked Daniel Pineda, who defeated him. While speaking more broadly about his martial future, Caceres said that he just wanted to fight someone next in rank.
“Fighting ranked opponents from now on will be the fastest way to get there for sure,” Caceres said. “I don’t know how many fights await me. I’m 7-1 in the last eight matches. Which has to be counting for something. There are people who get ratings with two or three fights, or they lose and they get ratings. I think it’s worth it for me to fight some opponents.” rated. Two or three should put me in contention for the title.”
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