Jay Primetown gives his thoughts on each of the fighters who competed at Fight Night 72 in the UFC’s first ever stop in Glasgow, Scotland and updates his letter grades on each. Jay gives his letter grades for each fighter on TheMMA-Analysis podcast which can be found on MMAOddsbreaker.com Chris De La Rocha vs. Daniel Omielanczuk De La Rocha: Got hit early and was unable to recover. His striking defense is a real eye sore which is the death nail in the heavyweight division. Downgraded from D to F Omielanczuk: Landed first in a heavyweight fight against a 36 year old debuting heavyweight. Tough to learn much from that. Grade remains D- Marcus Brimage vs. Jimmie Rivera Brimage: Still a decent striker with movement, but chin has really given out over his last few fights. Will be hard for him to survive 15 minutes with any fighter with even average power. Downgraded from C to D+ Rivera: Entered the UFC on a 15 fight winning streak and looked great in his UFC debut. Decent movement with power in his strikes and a solid wrestling game. At only 26 years of age, he’s one to watch given his well-rounded skill set. Debut grade is C+ Paul Redmond vs. Rob Whiteford Redmond: In a competitive fight until he was clipped and dropped by his opponent. He simply doesn’t excel in any areas to truly give his opponents problems. Grade remains D Whiteford: He did well to counter his opponent and eventually put him away. Movement a bit too predictable that a better striker will take advantage of. His ceiling is limited, but he’s proven he belongs in the UFC. Downgraded from C to C- Mickael Lebout vs. Teemu Packalen Lebout: Didn’t impress me as much as he did in his UFC debut against Sergio Moraes. Was able to be swept too easily against a tired opponent. Too hittable on the feet as well. Downgraded from D+ to D Packalen: Seems to be pretty decent in the grappling exchanges, but tough to assess as the short notice really ate into his gas tank in this matchup. I think he would of won if given a longer training camp. Debut grade is D Ilir Latifi vs. Hans Stringer Latifi: This fight went pretty close to plan. Latifi would show his power early on and put Stringer away with the first clean strike. He should be facing fighters in the top half of the division. Grade remains C Stringer: He simply doesn’t have the skill or the athleticism to compete with Ilir Latifi. Grade remains D Paddy Holohan vs. Vaughan Lee Holohan: Showed significant improvement in his cardio and that he’s capable of winning from start to finish. Upgraded from C- to C Lee: One of his worst performances inside the octagon. He was unable to stop the takedown and on the feet struggled to do anything meaningful. Downgraded from C- to D+ Leonardo Mafra vs. Stevie Ray Mafra: Didn’t have the technique or game plan to challenge Stevie Ray. Athleticism is solid, but needs better preparation to move up in the division. Downgraded from C- to D+ Ray: He came into this fight banged up from a motorcycle accident, but got the job done with a knockout in the first round. He’s a steady fighter who can absolutely compete in the UFC. Grade remains C- Leon Edwards vs. Pawel Pawlak Edwards: His confidence goes up with every victory. Was able to show a bit of grappling in this one as well. He’s young and fun to watch. Upgraded from D+ to C- Pawlak: He’s a durable fighter who can absolutely take a punch, but has no weapons in which he can use to take over a fight besides outlasting his opponent. Grade remains D+ Joanne Calderwood vs. Cortney Casey Calderwood: Her striking defense really needs a lot of work, but her style makes her a favorite with fans. She showed so much variety in her striking. In pure standing exchanges, she’s one of the best overall in the division. Grade remains C+ Casey: She started the fight off really well nearly finishing Calderwood in the early exchanges. She has a crafty submission game and it would have been interesting to see if she could of won if she had a full camp. Debut grade is C Joseph Duffy vs. Ivan Jorge Duffy: Really seems to whole package. Strong striking, impressive submission game, and the size and strength to employ it. He really deserves a step up in competition. Upgraded from C+ to B- Jorge: Despite being finished in the first round, he showed he can take a punch and is physically strong for the division. This matchup was booked as a squash match. Upgraded from D- to D Evan Dunham vs. Ross Pearson Dunham: Great gameplan. Dunham used a heavy grappling approach giving Pearson no space to operate. He nearly subbed Pearson in the first round and won a clear decision. Important win for Dunham as he tries to stay relevant in the division. Grade remains C+ Pearson: Had nothing to offer Evan Dunham. He struggled to defend takedown attempts and was unable to land anything of significance on the feet. Downgraded from C+ to C Michael Bisping vs. Thales Leites Bisping: Had a real competitive fight. He was able to overcome Thales Leites power with superior volume and conditioning to edge out a win. Grade remains B Leites: Showed better than I thought he would against Michael Bisping. His conditioning held up and nearly came away with the win. He’s deserving of his top 10 divisional ranking. Grade remains B
