Urijah Faber off Japan card, Alex Caceres steps in to face Masanori Kanehara
Maybe losing to Urijah Faber makes someone his understudy.
Faber has had to pull out of his fight with Masanori Kanehara at UFC Fight Night in Japan on Sept. 20, according to the UFC's Japan website (h/t Sherdog). In his place will step Alex Caceres, the man who lost to Faber at UFC 175 on July 5. The exact injury to Faber is unknown at this time.
Caceres (10-6, 1 NC) won five in a row before falling to Faber by second-round submission in Las Vegas. At 26, he's still considered a prospect in the UFC's bantamweight division. "Bruce Leeroy" ranked No. 10 among 135-pound contenders right now.
Kanehara (23-11-5) will be making his UFC debut. The Japan native had won six straight before a disqualification loss to Toshiaki Kitada in April. Officials ruled that Kanehara had intentionally thrown Kitada out of the ring. Kanehara has significant victories in his career over Chan Sung Jung, Michihiro Omigawa and Kid Yamamoto.
With the loss of Faber, one of the most popular lighter weight fighters in UFC history, UFC Fight Night at Saitama Super Arena misses out on significant star power. Still, the main event between heavyweight sluggers Roy Nelson and Mark Hunt and an intriguing women's bantamweight bout between Miesha Tate and debuting Japanese star Rin Nikai have interest. The card will air on UFC Fight Pass.
