Jay Primetown gives his thoughts on each of the fighters who competed at UFC Fight Night 112 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Jay gives his letter grades for each fighter on TheMMA-Analysis podcast which can be found on MMAOddsBreaker.com.
Jeremy Kimball vs. Josh Stansbury Kimball: He landed a nice straight punch that wobbled his opponent and then timed a punch behind the ear that ultimately put his opponent away. It’s Kimball’s first win in the UFC. Grade remains D- Stansbury: He looked decent in the opening minute of this bout, but the first time he had to absorb a punch, he was hurt and put away. It’s tough to see Stansbury being able to stick in the UFC. Downgraded from D- to F Johnny Case vs. Tony Martin Case: Offensively, he put in a strong performance, but he was vulnerable to counters throughout the bout. Case took a lot of damage in losing a decision. Case, at one point, appeared to have a lot of potential, but he has sputtered in recent fights. Grade remains C- Martin: One of his best performances in the UFC. He made an effort to stand and trade in this fight. His power for this division is good, and he showed he’s more than capable of striking in this weight class. Martin is a fighter on the rise. Upgraded from C- to C Jared Gordon vs. Michel Quinones Gordon: A tremendous debut by the New York native. After a solid first round, he really turned up the pace in the second round pummeling his opponent with ground-and-pound before the referee stepped in. His ability to maintain a high level pace makes him an intriguing featherweight prospect. Upgraded from D+ to C- Quinones: He has a nice kicking game, but he’s very limited on the ground and it showed in this fight. Quinones is too green for the UFC, and he was dominated by a more developed fighter. Downgraded from D to D- Darrell Horcher vs. Devin Powell Horcher: His left hand was the big difference in this fight, as he was able to back up his opponent on multiple occasions. In regards to the wrestling he had the advantage as well. Horcher put himself in a couple bad spots in the third round but did more than enough to get the win. Downgraded from D+ to D Powell: A poor first 10 minutes did him in this fight. He had Horcher in trouble with a couple choke attempts in the final round but was unable to finish it off. It’s unlikely he’ll get another shot in the UFC. Grade remains D- Carla Esparza vs. Maryna Moroz Esparza: She did well to get inside Moroz’s reach and land some strikes on the feet, but it was timely takedowns that were the difference in this fight. Esparza secured takedowns in all three rounds to get back in the win column and should get another Top 10 opponent in her next bout. Upgraded from B- to B Moroz: She was too tentative on the feet and struggled to defend takedowns in this bout. With an opportunity for a big win, she simply didn’t have much to offer in this bout. Grade remains C Vitor Miranda vs. Marvin Vettori Miranda: His grappling was not up to snuff, and his strikes didn’t have enough sting on them to threaten his opponent in this bout. At 38 years of age, this is likely the last time we see Miranda in the UFC. Downgraded from D+ to D Vettori: This is a fight that he should have dominated and have been able to earn a finish. He won and got the better of both the striking and grappling, but it wasn’t nearly as complete a performance as it should have been. Grade remains C- Clay Guida vs. Erik Koch Guida: His striking was much improved, but ultimately, it was his patented pressure and top control that earned him a win in his return to lightweight. Grade remains C+ Koch: He had no answers once Guida put him on his back. Despite having the physical advantages, he never got going in this fight. Downgraded from C to C- BJ Penn vs. Dennis Siver Penn: He dropped Siver in round two, but he had nothing left in round three. He became a punching bag giving away the final round and thus the opportunity to win. Penn has now lost five straight fights. It’s time for him to hang up the gloves. Downgraded from D+ to D- Siver: His ability to push forward and generate offense consistently in this fight was the difference. He left himself open to counters but still was much more active and really poured it on Penn in the final round. Downgraded from C+ to C Alex Garcia vs. Tim Means Garcia: He struggled with the length of his opponent and couldn’t muster any sustainable offense in the final two rounds. It was a clear 29-28 loss for Garcia, who appears to have plateaued in the UFC. Grade remains C- Means: Not his best performance, but he did an excellent job of stuffing the takedown attempts keeping Garcia on the outside so he could beat him with volume. Grade remains C+ Joachim Christensen vs. Dominick Reyes Christensen: The first clean punch that landed had him hurt, and from there, it was the beginning of the end. He was overwhelmed in this fight. Grade remains D Reyes: As good of a debut as one will have in the UFC. He took no damage and got a memorable finish. He’s an excellent athlete with a lot of potential. Upgraded from D+ to C- Felice Herrig vs. Justine Kish Herrig: Another tremendous grappling performance from Herrig. She was able to secure takedowns throughout the bout. She’s poised for a Top 10 opponent in her next bout. Upgraded from C to C+ Kish: She relies too much on athleticism, and when tasked to fight quality grapplers, she really struggles. Kish is a fighter that is never going to meet the hype. Grade remains C- Tim Boetsch vs. Johny Hendricks Boetsch: Perhaps the best striking performance Boetsch has ever put on in the Octagon. He out-struck a former UFC champion and was able to finish him in round two. Great win. Upgraded from C+ to B- Hendricks: He missed weight once again for a bout, and it was all downhill from there. Hendricks was walking in quicksand the entire fight and paid the price. Downgraded from B to C+ Michael Chiesa vs. Kevin Lee Chiesa: He struggled with the physicality of his opponent. The referee ended the fight prematurely, but it was clear that Chiesa was in for a rough night. Grade remains B- Lee: A big performance for Lee against a tricky opponent. He’s poised for a Top 5 opponent in his next bout. It will be interesting to see if Lee can compete at that elite level. Upgraded from B- to B
