SBG Idaho MMA athlete, and undefeated prospect, Ricky Steele added another notch to the win column last week when he defeated fellow undefeated prospect, Phil Caracappa via split decision on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series at the Apex Theater in Las Vegas, Nevada (aitred live on ESPN+).
Steele (6-0, 1-0 DWTNCS) was light on his feet from the start, darting in and out of Caracappa’s (8-1, 0-1 DWTNCS) range, landing sharp kicks to the legs and body. Caracappa rushes to the clinch behind some wild punches, pinning Steele to the cage. Steele gains inside control and separates shortly after. Steele is beginning to mix in some punches behind his stinging kicks. Caracappa comes in hard again, nearly eating a counter knee from Steele before pushing him up against the cage. More pummeling from both men before Caracappa manages to get Steele to a knee with a single leg. His success is short-lived however, as Steele gets back up and quickly separates back to the center of the cage. More kicks land for Steele, who is beginning to target the body and head a bit more. Another blitz from Caracappa leads to a bodylock and a takedown in the center of the cage. Steele does well to retain guard and control the posture of Caracappa. Steele creates space and stands, but Caracappa manages to take his back. Steele patently reverses to the top position, landing a few punches as the horn sounds.
Steele begins round two landing a strong left head kick, followed by a right front kick and follow-up right hand that drops Caracappa to the mat. Steele winds up in knee on belly where he begins unleashing punches and elbows. To his credit, Caracappa manages to recover to his feet only to be met with knees from Steele, who then separates back to center-cage. A Caracappa blitz puts them back on the cage before Steele reverses the position and lands a strong right elbow, followed by knees, shoulder strikes, punches, and a murderous spinning elbow that just misses Caracappa’s head. The two separate with seconds to go and Caracappa falls on a head kick attempt with Steele finishing the round on top.
The final round sees a visibly fresher Steele circling well, while darting in and out, landing sharp punches and kicks to the legs body and head of Caracappa. Another blitz from Caracappa sees him land a few solid punches before clinching. Steele again, reverses the position before going to work with an array of elbows, knees, and shoulder strikes. With two minutes remaining, Caracappa lands two huge elbows just behind the ear of Steele, whose legs become wobbly. Caracappa swarms but Steele manages to circle away before changing levels and taking the chasing Caracappa to the mat. Caracappa locks in a guillotine choke on the way down, but Steele defends well before freeing his head and landing several hard shots from top just before the round ends.
In the end Steele was awarded a split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28) over a young, undefeated prospect. Steele showed great skill and poise in all phases of the fight as well as a champion’s heart when it mattered most! Congrats Ricky on another fantastic performance!
Special thank you to all the coaches, training partners, and Tribe members who supported Ricky in this fight! If you are looking to compete, or maybe you’re looking to get into the best shape of your life with a Tribe that supports you 110%, Click the “Wanna Train” link at the top of our page to set up your Gym Tour and FREE Introductory lesson with one of our world-class coaches this upcoming week! See you soon!!!
