Jay Primetown gives his thoughts on each of the fighters who competed at UFC 211 in Dallas, Texas. Jay gives his letter grades for each fighter on TheMMA-Analysis podcast which can be found on MMAOddsBreaker.com.
Gadzhimurad Antigulov vs. Joachim Christensen
Antigulov: He landed a couple punches which allowed him to setup a takedown attempt. He succeeded at getting Christensen to the ground quickly taking his back. From there, he was dominant using his strength to latch in a choke and make quick work of his opponent. Two first-round wins in two UFC fights. He’s certainly on his way up in the light heavyweight division. Upgraded from C- to C
Christensen: He just doesn’t have the strength to hold off Antigulov’s takedown and grappling advances. He’s shown he can compete in the UFC, but his ceiling is limited to the lower tier of fighters in this division. Grade remains D
Enrique Barzola vs. Gabriel Benitez
Barzola: His continued pressure was the difference in this bout. Despite taking some damage on the feet, he was able to secure takedowns throughout the fight. As the fight wore on, he was able to gain more time on top and wear out his opponent. Grade remains D+
Benitez: His striking arsenal is solid, but too left-side focused to challenge meaningful competition. His problem in this bout was defending takedowns. He really struggled to keep the fight standing and it was the difference between a win and a loss. Downgraded from C- to D+
Jessica Aguilar vs. Cortney Casey
Aguilar: She was out of the Octagon for two years, and it showed in this fight. She was beat up badly on the feet, and despite being able to get Casey to her back, she struggled to land any strikes of value. At 35 years of age, it’s hard to see her at this point making any kind of run in this division. Downgraded from B- to C
Casey: Perhaps her best performance in the Octagon. Casey was able to maintain range and land shots in combination. When she was taken down, she utilized upkicks effectively to keep Aguilar at bay. It was a solid all-around effort and gives her the best win of her career. Grade remains C+
Marco Polo Reyes vs. James Vick
Reyes:
He tried to engage with Vick, but the length factor was huge in this fight. Vick was able to land the big shots early from range, and then Reyes was floored and finished. He was a big underdog in this fight, but I expected him to acquit himself better than he did. Grade remains D
Vick:
He utilized his length well, and more importantly, he was able to land some big punches to knock Reyes to the mat. Vick finished with ground-and-pound for a quick win. He’s now 7-1 in the UFC and closing in on the Top 15 rankings. Upgraded from C to C+
Rashad Coulter vs. Chase Sherman
Coulter:
He went after it in this fight and had Sherman hurt multiple times. His problem is that he’s a limited striker beyond his boxing. He was taken to task with leg kicks and could barely walk by the time finished. Given how exciting the fight turned out, Coulter will be given at least two more fights even if he loses his next bout. Grade remains F
Sherman: From a technical perspective, he was the far superior fighter, offering more variety in his striking skill set. He combined leg kicks well with timely boxing. He had Coulter’s lead leg chewed up early on and had him hobbling at the end of round one. He got too aggressive in round two looking for the finish and took some damage, but he composed himself well and landed a massive elbow to finish Coulter to cap one of the most entertaining fights of the year. Grade remains D-
Chas Skelly vs. Jason Knight
Skelly: He went after takedowns in the first round and really struggled inside Knight’s guard. Skelly broke his arm during the grappling exchanges in round one but fought through it. He tried for takedowns later in the bout but was unable to get Knight to the mat. He was dropped in the third round and finished with ground-and-pound. He showed a lot of heart in this fight despite being finished. Downgraded from C+ to C
Knight: In a true step up in competition, Mississippi Mean Jason Knight showed that he belongs. He made it impossible for Skelly to mount anything on the guard. In fact, he got the better of the exchanges, putting him in submission worry in the first round. As Skelly got tired, Knight took over on the feet. Knight finished the bout in the third round dropping Skelly and getting the finish. A big win for him that gives him four straight wins in the UFC. Upgraded from C to C+
Eddie Alvarez vs. Dustin Poirier
Alvarez: He struggled with Poirier’s stand-up throughout the fight. He couldn’t get inside and land. Once Poirier had him hurt and went inside to finish, Alvarez showed a lot of resolve and was able to hurt Poirier. He secured a takedown, and in the process, landed an illegal knee that forced Herb Dean to stop the fight and make it a No-Contest. Downgraded from A- to B+
Poirier: He was getting the much better of the exchanges in this fight. He had Alvarez at range and had him cut along his left eye in the first round. He nearly had him finished but committed too much and got hurt himself. It was an illegal knee he absorbed that caused the fight to be stopped. I expect the UFC to rematch these two fighters. Upgraded from B to B+
David Branch vs. Krzysztof Jotko
Branch: In a rather slow-paced fight, Branch was able to find a few takedowns and squeak out a split-decision win. He’s now gone 11 straight fights without a loss and will debut in the UFC’s Top 15 rankings next week. Upgraded from C+ to B-
Jotko:
While he got the better of the stand-up exchanges, he simply wasn’t active enough to win this bout. There was too much time against the cage, and his offense was stifled. It was a close fight, but he certainly didn’t show he is above the fringe Top 10 level in this division. Grade remains B-
Frankie Edgar vs. Yair Rodriguez
Edgar:
A tremendous performance from start to finish by the greatest mixed martial artist to come out of New Jersey. Once he was able to secure a takedown, he went to work with ground-and-pound. Rodriguez had no chance once Edgar began to land on the ground. Edgar continues to pile up quality wins and is now a clear Top 10 fighter in the history of the sport. Grade remains A+
Rodriguez: This was too big a jump in competition for the Mexican-born fighter. He couldn’t stop Edgar’s takedowns and took a beating on the ground that forced the fight to be stopped by the doctor. Grade remains B
Demian Maia vs. Jorge Masvidal
Maia:
He was able to get Masvidal to the mat in all three rounds, but he had to work hard to do it. He was hurt pretty bad at the end of round one but still found a way to get a result in what turned out to be a very tough fight. Grade remains A
Masvidal:
He really gave Maia a good fight. He forced Maia to work harder than he’s had to in the past couple of years. He certainly showed he belongs in title contention. Grade remains A-
Jessica Andrade vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk
Andrade:
She got an early takedown and caused some swelling on the champion’s forehead in the first round, but after that had no answers for Jedrzejczyk. She tried to chase the champion, but ended up getting picked apart from range to lose a wide decision. Grade remains A-
Jedrzejczyk: It was another dominant performance from the champion. She faced minimal adversity in the opening round, but out-landed her opponent significantly beyond that. It was a combination of all her striking tools to win each round of the fight and earn her sixth title defense. Upgraded from A+ to A++
Junior dos Santos vs. Stipe Miocic
Dos Santos: He was backing up nearly from the opening bell. The last thing a fighter wants to do is back up against the cage against Miocic. Once dos Santos felt Miocic’s hands, the end was coming. A bad performance from the former champion. Downgraded from A to B+
Miocic:
He pressured dos Santos early in this fight, never giving his opponent a chance to get in the fight. He clipped dos Santos and then followed up with an overhand that floored the former heavyweight champion. It was a convincing performance. Upgraded from A to A+
