Jay Primetown gives his thoughts on each of the fighters who competed at UFC Fight Night 138 in Moncton, Canada. Jay gives his letter grades for each fighter on TheMMA-Analysis podcast which can be found on MMAOddsbreaker.com.
Jessin Ayari vs. Stevie Ray
Ayari: He controlled the cage for most of the fight, but he just didn’t throw with enough volume to make the rounds his. Grade remains D
Ray: He struggled with the length of his opponent. He landed some good leg kicks, but his lack of power made this fight a lot closer than it should have been. Downgraded from C- to D+
Arjan Bhullar vs. Marcelo Golm
Bhullar: He showed striking variety in this bout, but it was the takedown in the third round which sealed the deal and allowed him to walk away with a decision. Upgraded from D- to D
Golm: He was landing well in the earlier part of this fight, but fatigued later in the bout. His struggles on the mat were evident in the third round which raises some alarm bells for his future in the UFC. Downgraded from D to D-
Te’Jovan Edwards vs. Dan Madge
Edwards: He came into this bout with a lot of hype, but was dropped early and never seemed to have a calm in this fight. He did well to get out of a submission in the first round, but he wasn’t able to avoid the head kick in the second round. Debut grade is D+
Madge: The surprise of the night. Few game him in a chance in this bout. But he showed good hands, excellent kicks, and a dangerous submission game. He beat a good prospect and did so convincingly. Debut grade is C-
Talita Bernardo vs. Sarah Moras
Bernardo: She was able to secure takedowns in all three rounds and advance position on the mat. There were a few scary moments in the third round, but she did enough early on to earn the decision. Grade remains D
Moras: She can too easily can be taken to the mat. She does well off her back and does threaten with positions, but if that’s when you are at your best, it’s not good enough. Grade remains D
Chris Fishgold vs. Calvin Kattar
Fishgold: He looked dangerous in the first round, but once he started getting hit he didn’t have much to offer his opponent. Debut grade is C-
Kattar: He took Fishgold’s best shots and once he noticed an opening he went after him and battered him until he got the finish. Grade remains B-
Thibault Gouti vs. Nasrat Haqparast
Gouti: He did well to make it to the final bell, but he didn’t have the power to hurt Haqparast and was hurt multiple times in this bout. This fight was not close. Grade remains D
Haqparast: His physical, aggressive approach looks good, but I’d like to see him finish opponents before raising his grade. Grade remains C-
Sean Strickland vs. Nordine Taleb
Strickland: He had struggles landing punches in the opening round, but adjusted in the second round. He turned it on and dropped Taleb midway through round two and didn’t let up until he got the finish. A good win for Strickland who was on the last fight of his contract. Grade remains C
Taleb: He struggled to defend Strickland’s jab and once he got hit he never cleared the cob webs. A tough loss for Taleb who has peaked already as a UFC fighter and appears to be on a decline. Grade remains C-
Alex Garcia vs. Court McGee
Garcia: Like many of his fights, he started well, but slowed down greatly as the fight went on. He struggled with McGee’s pace and it cost him the fight. Downgraded from C- to D+
McGee: He dropped Garcia in the second round and had several minutes of top position. He was able to tire Garcia out and at that point he was able to grind his way to a decision in a close contest. Grade remains D+
Ed Herman vs. Gian Villante
Herman: He was the more mobile fighter, but ultimately didn’t land any fight altering punches. The decision didn’t go his way. This fight was a coin flip at the closing bell. Grade remains D+
Villante: He took the most damage in this bout, but he did land the heavier punches which was just enough to allow him to sneak by a decision win. Grade remains D+
Jonathan Martinez vs. Andre Soukhamthath
Martinez: Not a terrible debut for Martinez as he had Soukhamthath in trouble at times. However, he was beat up on the feet and struggled with the body shots thrown by his opponent. Grade remains D
Soukhamthath: When put on the mat, he struggles, but on the feet he’s a well above average striker. His body work was very good in this fight and it slowed down his opponent to let him take over in the third round. Upgraded from D to D+
Misha Cirkunov vs. Patrick Cummins
Cirkunov: A dominant performance by the Canadian light heavyweight. Once he got Cummins to the mat, he easily synched in a choke to get a first round submission. Cirkunov is a clear top ten light heavyweight. Upgraded from C to C+
Cummins: He’s getting close to the end of his career. He doesn’t have the speed or durability that he had earlier in his UFC stint. He was soundly beaten by a better fighter in this bout. Grade remains D+
Michael Johnson vs. Artem Lobov
Johnson: After a close opening round, Johnson was able to land with volume to out strike Artem Lobov to win a decision. It wasn’t his best performance, but enough to get him the victory. Grade remains B-
Lobov: This was a tough fight on paper for him tasked with fighting a talented southpaw. He stayed competitive early, but couldn’t keep up in as the fight wore on. Grade remains C-
Volkan Oezdemir vs. Anthony Smith
Oezdemir: Questions surrounded his gas tank entering this bout and Oezdemir was unable to answer those to his critics. In the third round, he really slowed down eventually turtling up and giving his opponent his back. From there it was the beginning of the end. Not a good loss for the Swiss fighter. Downgraded from B to C+
Smith: He’s now finished three straight opponents in the last six months and is the fastest rising fighter in the light heavyweight division. This was a real test and he passed surprisingly well submitting the Swiss fighter. Expect him to fight in a title fight eliminator in his next bout. Upgraded from C to B-
