By the time Alex Caceres steps into the octagon, he has already accepted its outcome. That’s not to say he won’t put all his effort into influencing that result into a favorable one, but he has come to terms with whatever happens in the upcoming fight. This allows him to fight without pressure, which often turns into an entertaining and exciting product for MMA fans. In his last three victories, Caceres took home performance bonuses for his efforts.
“I don’t really consider myself to be a crazy, exciting fighter,” Caceres said. “I know that I put on exciting fights, but I think it’s what it should be. We’re out there and we’re performing, we’re fighting, and I think what makes me an exciting fighter, honestly, is that I don’t care what happens. I’ve already accepted the possibility of defeat and victory. Therefore, I can free up my mind from trying to make a positive outcome happen. I believe people that fight too carefully, they’re trying very hard to not lose. I don’t care if I lose, so I’m going to throw out everything that I have, everything that I can be. I’m afraid of not expressing myself wholeheartedly.”
It’s a mentality he believes he has always carried. Caceres recalls one time as a teenager when he and his friends were running a pier during a storm (which he called a “stupid” idea). A big wave came in and swept Caceres away into the riptide.
Instead of panicking, Caceres calmed himself, accepted the potential outcomes, and let the ocean take him out into its intense flow.
“It was almost like I knew that I could die, and I did exactly what I needed to do,” Caceres said. “My body understood that this is a very stressful and dangerous situation, so I went limp and let the current take me out of the riptide, and it worked. I knew then that when I am faced with these crisis situations, that something innate inside of me knows to relax and calm down in order to make this, whether the outcome is negative or positive, more of an acceptable experience for myself.”
Lately, those outcomes are positive ones for Caceres (21-13 MMA, 16-11 UFC), who won seven of his last eight fights.
He gets a heck of a dance partner at “UFC Fight Night 225: Holloway vs The Korean Zombie” in Giga Chikadze (14-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC). The kickboxing specialist was tabbed as a potential title challenger before running into Calvin Kattar in his first main event back in January 2022. Chikadze hasn’t fought since that decision loss, but the stylistic matchup has striking fans drooling.
The bout is also Caceres’ first outside of the UFC Apex in Las Vegas since July 2019. Regardless of that, though, Caceres is just eager to put on a show.
“I’m excited about just being able to perform again,” he said. “Honestly, it has nothing to do with (Chikadze). I’m excited about expressing new facets of my martial arts to show that I’m more whole of a fighter than I was the last fight. To see that progression is always exciting and enlightens me.”
The fight is also Caceres’ second in Singapore. Last time, he dispatched of Ronaldo Dy via doctor stoppage in 2017.
While finishes are always ideal, Caceres remains steadfast in his approach. The result will take care of itself. He knows how to handle those intense situations. If anyone has watched Chikadze at his best, those intense situations come as soon as “Ninja” uncorks a kick.
But Caceres knows that all he wants to do is put everything he has out on display and leave nothing behind.
“Knowing that there was nothing else I could have done, leaving it all out there, I think it’s better than winning,” Caceres said. “Honestly, I would rather lose a fight knowing that I did everything that I could than win a fight knowing that I could have done more. Performance matters more to me; being able to see that I’m not willing to quit and that I’m able to traverse adversity and not always come out on top, but at least come out.”
This story first published at UFC.com.
