UFC featherweight veteran Alex Caceres walked out of Singapore with more than just a loss on his record.
On the main card of UFC Fight Night 225 at Singapore Indoor Stadium, Caceres (21-14 MMA, 16-12 UFC) welcomed Giga Chikadze (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) back to action after his 18-month layoff. The fight went the distance and Chikadze won a clear unanimous decision, but Caceres has since learned he suffered a fractured arm in the first round.
“I broke my forearm blocking a head kick in the first round and tried my best to win even through the pain,” Caceres wrote on Instagram. “Hat’s off to Giga Chikadze for a great fight.”
The injury appeared to occur at the 1:24 mark of Round 1, when Chikadze threw a hard right head kick. Caceres blocked the attempt with his left forearm, but the impact still caused significant damage. Caceres can be seen shaking the arm out immediately after, and then was hesitant to land punches with the left hand from that point forward.
Caceres also shared his X-ray, which clearly shows the bone fracture. Check out the photo below (via Instagram):
First I would like to thank my wife and teammates @zen_ronin_ and @themmalab, my managers @firstroundmgmt, as well as the @ufc for the opportunity. Tonight wasn’t my night, i broke my forearm blocking a head kick in the first round and tried my best to win even through the pain.
Hats off to @knockoutcancer for a grate fight
The result of the fight snapped a two-fight winning streak for Caceres, who entered with back-to-back victories over Julian Erosa and Daniel Pineda. Caceres earned bonuses for both bouts; a Performance of the Night for a first-round stoppage of Erosa and Fight of the Night against Pineda.
The 28-fight UFC veteran will be sidelined for an undetermined time until cleared from his forearm injury.
