Hindsight – UFC: Rodriguez vs Caceres in retrospect

Yes, after a long absence, Hindsight is back! I make no claims to be as astute an observer as my colleague Zane Simon, who previously did this column. However, I’ll give it my best shot in taking a deep dive into what came out of UFC Salt Lake City and hopefully future cards moving forward. Unfortunately, I’m not witty enough to dig up the movie lines that Zane used to lead off with in the summaries. Sorry y’all, but I’d be thinking all day about the perfect line and I’m not about to do that.

The format is very similar to what Zane did. A quick rundown of what was expected along with a brief summary of what happened. Then I take a look at what to expect for each contestant moving forward with the winner being listed first. Let’s get down to business!

Justin Ledet defeated Chase Sherman via unanimous decision

Expectations/Results: Not much was known about these two heavyweights going into the fight, so it was hard to have any expectations. The first round was competitive before Sherman gassed, likely due to the elevation in Salt Lake City. Ledet picked him apart entire way for an easy win, relying heavily on his jab. Ledet: His experience as a professional boxer paid off well here and being only 27 indicates that he could have a bright future… provided he has some ground skills. Sherman never tried to take him to the ground so we still have no clue what Ledet can do there. I’m very curious to see what his next contest brings. Sherman: I liked the short punch-kick combos he was putting together in the first and second round. His attitude was amusing as well, sticking his tongue out at Ledet as he was getting pieced up. And his durability was impressive. But Sherman needs to improve his conditioning. Maybe “Sea-level Sherman” is a different fighter than what we saw here. We’ll have to see.

Cub Swanson defeated Tatsuya Kawajiri via unanimous decision

Expectations/Results: These long-time vets aren’t likely to be contenders again, but they can still be effective gatekeepers. Swanson has less tread on his tires and a more modern game which led to him being the favorite. He pulled it out, but not without some luck as he avoided being penalized on a blatant knee to a downed Kawajiri in the second round. Had he been penalized a draw would have seemed appropriate. It was a fun contest and showed both can still throwdown for an entertaining contest. Swanson: Swanson was incredibly economical with his strikes, landing at a high clip and did a good job avoiding takedowns. Swanson still has enough to be able to turn away the majority of the division, but he isn’t elite. I’ve seen a contest between him and Dennis Bermudez – whom we’ll get to later with other options – being mentioned and I can’t say that I disagree with that idea. Both are on two-fight winning streaks with Kawajiri being victimized by both. Winner gets another crack at the elite. I also like the idea of Swanson facing Anthony Pettis if Pettis is successful in his featherweight debut against Charles Oliveira. Kawajiri: I really wish the Japanese legend would drop the spinning attacks as he isn’t finding any success with them. Otherwise, he’s still durable and still a beast on the ground, keeping Swanson on his back for about half of the first round. However, I don’t think he can consistently hang with any ranked opposition anymore. Testing up-and-comers like Chas Skelly or fellow vets like Thiago Tavares seems more appropriate at this stage. At 38, it’s a hell of an accomplishment that he is still as effective as he is at this stage, but they all start slipping at some point.

Teruto Ishihara defeated Horacio Gutierrez via TKO at 2:32 of RD1

Expectations/Results: Both youngsters are seen as strikers and they lived up to expectations. Gutierrez charged forward swinging punches only for Ishihara to land a hard counter left hook that dropped Gutierrez. Gutierrez tried to get back to his feet only for Ishihara to drop him again with another well-placed punch and the fight was over with the unorthodox favorite getting the victory. Ishihara: He really is a joy to watch and he has the personality to back it up. The UFC has been spoon-feeding him so far and it’s the right approach to take as he is still extremely raw. He has above-average power and athletic ability, but his technique still has a long way to go. You did see him sprint across the cage in his unsuccessful takedown attempt, right? That pretty much explains what I mean. Gutierrez: So many of the youngsters coming up through TUF aren’t ready for the big time and Gutierrez is a perfect example of that. At 25-years old with only four professional fights going into this contest, he should have been fighting on a regional promotion. While the UFC did their best to give him an opponent he could beat as Ishihara is similarly raw, Ishihara is also a superior athlete. Gutierrez will be cut for sure. He stands a chance of returning following a stint on the regional scene if he can put together a win streak, but I have my doubts.

David Teymur defeated Jason Novelli via TKO at 1:25 of RD2

Expectations/Results: Novelli was brought in to be fodder for prospects. Why else would the UFC bring in a 37-year old lightweight? Teymur doesn’t have a lot of experience with this being only his sixth professional fight, so Novelli is the perfect test for him. He passed with flying colors, navigating Novelli’s reach to get up in his grill and rock him before knocking him down. Teymur: The Swedish Muay Thai champ looks like he could be an entertaining fixture in the division for years to come. That’s two second round TKO stoppages in two UFC appearances. Considering this was just his sixth professional bout, I see no reason why he can’t continue to improve. He’s trying to boost his profile as well by calling out the much maligned Sage Northcutt. Considering beating Northcutt did wonders for Bryan Barberena, I can’t blame him one bit. Novelli: Don’t tell Novelli, but he wasn’t brought in to win fights. That doesn’t mean he is incapable of doing so, it’s just not expected of him. What is expected of him is to provide winnable fights for prospects with upside coming off of a loss in order to get them back on track. Names like Lando Vannata and Darrell Horcher come to mind. One more loss and he’ll have served his purpose. If he wins, don’t expect his role to change. If he wins again though….

Marcin Tybura defeated Viktor Pesta via KO at 0:53 of RD2

Expectations/Results: There wasn’t a clear favorite going into this. If Pesta could implement his wrestling, he was expected to win. If he couldn’t Tybura had the better striking. It was surprising when Pesta didn’t make a greater effort to get the fight to the ground, but the real shock came when Tybura landed the head kick that put Pesta out on impact. Pesta …

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