Jay Primetown gives his thoughts on each of the fighters who competed at UFC Fight Night 92 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Jay gives his letter grades for each fighter on TheMMA-Analysis podcast which can be found on MMAOddsbreaker.com Justin Ledet vs. Chase Sherman Ledet: He took this fight more seriously than Sherman arriving further in advance to prepare for the altitude. His boxing acumen was on full display in this fight and allowed him to get a fairly easy win. He’ll struggle when forced to fight more well-rounded fighters. Grade remains D- Sherman: Outside of some leg kicks, he was able to land nothing to threaten Ledet in this fight. Even worse was his striking defense. He didn’t move his head and was target practice for Ledet throughout the fight. It’s hard to see him beating any heavyweight on the roster. Downgraded from D- to F Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Cub Swanson Kawajiri: Surprisingly had more success in the striking exchanges than I thought he would have in this bout. The fight changed completely when he was struck illegally by Swanson and the referee neglected to take a point away. Kawajiri proved he can compete despite dropping a decision. Grade remains B- Swanson: He got the result, but he should of dominated the striking exchanges much more so than he did. He was a bit sloppy and it nearly cost him in this matchup. He did do well in round three to transition back to his feet, but overall this performance showed me he’s on a downward trajectory. Downgraded from B to B- Horacio Gutierrez vs. Teruto Ishihara Gutierrez: Even fight until he took one clean on the chin and that was all she wrote. Coming down from lightweight and to be knocked out early is not a good sign for his future in the UFC. Grade remains D Ishihara: This man is all offense. He fights with reckless abandon, but he can back it up with real knockout power. I’d like to see him against better competition before increasing his grade, but he’s certainly exceeded expectations. Grade remains D+ Jason Novelli vs. David Teymur Novelli: His height can give opponent’s problems, but doesn’t strike in combination enough to put his opponents on the back foot. In this bout, he was simply outclassed by a better striker. Grade remains D+ Teymur: His striking is so fluid. He combines heavy leg kicks with accurate hands. I’d like to see how he does against a solid wrestler, but so far I like what I see from Teymur and think he’s worthy of a step up in competition. Upgraded from D+ to C- Viktor Pesta vs. Marcin Tybura Pesta: If he’s unable to take his opponent to the ground, he’s going to struggle badly. He looked out of his element against Tybura and was eventually knocked out. Downgraded from D+ to D Tybura: He showed advancements in his striking landing a beautiful head kick to finish off Pesta. He’s a solid grappler with a good submission game and now with adding in some striking tools, he’s on the rise in the heavyweight division. Upgraded from D+ to C- Court McGee vs. Dominique Steele McGee: He nearly had his first UFC finish in six years at the start of the fight. He definitely got the worse of the striking late, but was able to grind his way to a decision. Grade remains C- Steele: He made significant strides in this fight showing improved striking and much better conditioning. I thought he won this fight despite the judges scoring it for his opponent. Upgraded from D+ to C- Maryna Moroz vs. Danielle Taylor Moroz: Maintained her length well, but did an awful job at landing strikes. She stayed active, but never put her opponent in trouble at all in this bout. Disappointing performance despite the victory. Grade remains C Taylor: She has a real nice overhand right and some decent footwork. Other than that, she’s going to struggle in the UFC. She’s simply too small to get inside and have any real impact in a fight besides a hail mary. Grade remains D+ Joe Gigliotti vs. Trevor Smith Gigliotti: Very disappointing debut. Didn’t make the effort to get his back off the cage allowing Smith to tire him out. As the fight hit the ground, Gigliotti had no answers. Back to the drawing board for the Power MMA product. Downgraded from C to D+ Smith: Avoided the big strikes early and fought the way he knows how to best; by grappling and wearing out his opponent. He won this bout from start to finish and appears to have some momentum. Grade remains C- Zak Cummings vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio Cummings: He was unable to put Ponzinibbio on his back, so was forced into a three round striking exchange. He had his moments, but he was never going to be able to beat Ponzinibbio over three rounds in a striking bout. He’s crafty, but doesn’t possess the hand speed to be a real threat. Grade remains C Ponzinibbio: His improvement in stuffing takedowns has allowed him to focus on the striking where he excels. His work rate and variety in strikes has seen him win four of his last five fights in the UFC. He’s on the verge of being a top fifteen welterweight. Upgraded from C to C+ Chris Camozzi vs. Thales Leites Camozzi: His kryptonite has always been the ground game. He simply had no answer in the grappling exchanges and eventually succumbed to a submission. Camozzi is an action fighter that will look decent in a stand up fight, but completely out of his depth when it hits the ground. Downgraded from C to C- Leites: The Brazilian had come off losses to high level opponents and this bout was made for him to get back in the win column. Leites grappling and wrestling were on a completely different level than his opponent. Leites will continue to be dangerous in matchups when he implement a grappling heavy approach. Grade remains C- Dennis Bermudez vs. Rony Jason Bermudez: Dominant victory for the New York native. His striking looked good emphasizing lower leg kicks, but ultimately it was his ground and pound that made this fight a blowout. Bermudez continues to show why he’s a consensus top 10 featherweight. Grade remains B Jason: He was simply outclassed by a superior fighter. He did have a chance in the third round, but lost his position on the ground. Jason entered the UFC with promise, but seems like he may have already hit his peak. Grade remains C Alex Caceres vs. Yair Rodriguez Caceres: It took him some time to get in the fight. Once Rodriguez slowed down a bit, Caceres had some moments in the striking and even landed a takedown. Lack of punching power hurt him a lot here as there were opportunities he was unable to take advantage of. Grade remains C Rodriguez: He certainly throws the kitchen sink at his opponents inventing striking attacks as he fights more. His reckless abandon is a real concern moving forward. Once he faces opponent’s with real punching power, he could be in trouble. His speed and creativity are amazing to watch, but his fundamentals needs a lot work. Grade remains C+
Updated Fighter Grades: Post-UFC Fight Night 92
