Rodriguez and Caceres to bring heat to Salt Lake City
UFC BRINGS THE HEAT TO SALT LAKE CITY AS DYNAMIC STRIKER YAIR RODRIGUEZ COLLIDES WITH SUBMISSION ACE ALEX CACERES IN UTAH DEBUT
Plus:
(#6) CUB SWANSON vs. (#14) TATSUYA KAWAJIRI
(#12) THALES LEITES vs. CHRIS CAMOZZI
COURT McGEE vs. DOMINIQUE STEELE
TICKETS FOR UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: RODRIGUEZ vs. CACERES
AT VIVINT SMART HOME ARENA ON SALE JUNE 30
Las Vegas – Two of the most exciting athletes in UFC® take center stage on Saturday, August 6, when the Octagon® touches down in Utah for the first time. One of the brightest prospects in mixed martial arts today, Yair Rodriguez mixes quickness and athleticism every time he steps inside the Octagon. He’ll put his perfect UFC record on the line against the always entertaining and unpredictable Alex “Bruce Leeroy” Caceres in the main event of UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: RODRIGUEZ vs. CACERES in Salt Lake City.
With both men on the verge of stardom, No. 13 Rodriguez (8-1, fighting out of Chicago, Ill.) and Caceres (12-8, 1NC, fighting out of Glendale, AZ) will be looking to put on an action-packed show to prove they belong with the 145-pound elite. Rodriguez is on a six-fight win streak and began his UFC career by winning season one of The Ultimate Fighter®: Latin America. Coming off a highlight reel head-kick knockout over Andre Fili, the 23-year-old hopes an impressive win in Utah will land him in the top-10 of the division and cement his place as the face of Mexican MMA. Squaring off against him will be Caceres, whose ever present smile masks his dangerous fighting abilities and slick jiu-jitsu attack. Known for his resiliency inside the Octagon and keeping a ferocious pace that wears opponents down, Caceres looks to make his presence known in one of the most talent-rich divisions in the sport.
Also, two veterans clash when No. 6 Cub Swanson (22-7, fighting out of Palm Springs, Cal.) meets No. 14 Tatsuya Kawajiri (35-9-2, fighting out of Ibaraki, Japan). As a winner of seven of his last nine fights, Swanson has been steadily climbing the featherweight rankings over the last four years. Swanson’s fighting style is multi-faceted, as he holds a black belt in jiu-jitsu and is also one of the hardest-hitters in the 145-pound division with 11 of his 22 victories coming by knockout. Standing across from him will be another well-rounded fighter in Kawajiri, who owns 12 wins by knockout and 10 wins by submission. Similar to Swanson, Kawajiri has been on a hot streak with eight wins in his last 10 fights. With 37 finishes between them, this is an early contender for a Performance of the Night bonus.
Utah’s own Court McGee (18-5, fighting out of Orem, Utah) has a chance to make the Salt Lake state proud when he gets home field advantage against the powerful Dominique Steele (14-7, fighting out of Cincinnati, Ohio). McGee started his MMA career in 2007 in his home state and compiled an impressive record of 10-1. He followed that up by winning season 11 of The Ultimate Fighter in 2010 and has proven himself as a versatile athlete inside the Octagon. Facing him is Steele, one of the hardest-hitters in the welterweight division. While McGee relies on stamina to outlast opponents, Steele will be looking to end the fight with a knockout. Seven of Steele’s 14 wins have come by KO, but McGee will look to power through Steele to get a win on his home turf.
Additional bouts:
• No. 9 featherweight Dennis Bermudez (16-5, fighting out of Lindenhurst, N.Y.) faces jiu-jitsu and kickboxing black belt Rony Jason (16-5, fighting out of Quixada, Ceara Brazil)
• Dangerous first-round finisher Santiago Ponzinibbio (23-3, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla.) takes on dynamic Zak Cummings (19-4, fighting out of Kansas City, Mo.) in a welterweight bout.
• Two European fighters collide in a heavyweight showdown when the Czech Republic’s Viktor Pesta (10-2, fighting out of Prague, Czech Republic) meets Poland’s Marcin Tybura (13-4, fighting out of Warszawa, Poland)
• Submission specialist and No. 12 middleweight Thales Leites (25-6, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) battles the versatile Chris Camozzi (24-10, fighting out of Lakewood, Colo.)
