Jay Primetown gives his thoughts on each of the fighters who competed at UFC on ESPN+ 5 in London. Jay gives his letter grades for each fighter on TheMMA-Analysis podcast which can be found on MMAOddsbreaker.com.
Mike Grundy vs. Nad Narimani
Grundy: He didn’t focus on the grappling as much as expected and surprised with the accuracy of his punches. Good win in his UFC debut. Debut grade is D+
Narimani: It took him awhile to get into the fight, but found his range in round two. He had Grundy hurt and was looking for the finish, but got clipped himself and the fight was called. He can compete in the UFC, but his strategy needs improvement. Downgraded from C- to D+
Priscila Cachoceira vs. Molly McCann
Cachoceira: She has really porous striking defense. She stands too upright and can be hit by even lower tier strikers. Even with McCann barely able to see out of one eye for the entire third round, she couldn’t put her opponent in trouble. Downgraded from D- to F
McCann: She has decent hands and I respect her motor. She’s a bit undersized and will be exposed by the more physical fighters in the division. Grade remains D-
Danny Henry vs. Dan Ige
Henry: Within seconds he was put on the mat with punches and once on the ground he had no answers for Ige’s aggression. Disappointing performance. Downgraded from C- to D+
Ige: This is the third victory in a row for Ige who has really shown improvements inside the Octagon. His ground and pound is brutal and he’s able to finish on the mat. Upgraded from D+ to C-
Nicolae Negumereanu vs. Saparbek Safarov
Negumereanu: Undefeated entering this fight, he struggled to defend takedowns. On the mat, he showed no resistance and absorbed a lot of damage. It’s hard to see him advancing in the light heavyweight division. Debut grade is F
Safarov: While he did utilize the cage to advance positions, it was clear he was the better fight. He was more composed on the feet and was multiple levels ahead on the mat. Upgraded from D- to D
Marc Diakiese vs. Joe Duffy
Diakiese: This was easily his best performance in the UFC. He used a calf kick to slow down his opponent. He mixed in wrestling with spinning strikes to further keep his opponent guessing. Upgraded from D+ to C-
Duffy: A shockingly bad performance. He never seemed to get started in this fight and was stuck in neutral. He has now been dominated two fights in a row and one has to wonder if he’s in the midst of a steep decline. Downgraded from C+ to C-
Arnold Allen vs. Jordan Rinaldi
Allen: A well-rounded performance as he controlled this fight from start to finish. It’s time for a bump up in competition. Grade remains C
Rinaldi: He couldn’t figure out the rhythm of his opponent throughout the entire fight. He struggled to land anything significant and was beat up in the second half of the bout. This turned out to be a mismatch. Downgraded from C- to D+
Jack Marshman vs. John Phillips
Marshman: Given his experience, this is a fight he should have won much more easily then he did. He had his moments including dropping Phillips, but he was on the back foot a lot and it nearly cost him a decision. Downgraded from D to D-
Phillips: Physically, he’s not built for the middleweight division. However, he put on a decent pace and controlled the range for much of this fight. He was unlucky not to get the result in this bout. Grade remains D-
Danny Roberts vs. Claudio Silva
Roberts: After a difficult first round, he began to land and had Silva in real trouble. He cut Silva open and was doing a lot of damage until he was countered on the mat and verbally submit to an armbar attempt. Grade remains D+
Silva: He was hurt multiple times in this fight and was cut openly badly from an elbow. He did very well to counter in the third round with an armbar attempt to get the victory. Grade remains C-
Jose Quinonez vs. Nathaniel Wood
Quinonez: He landed some punches on the feet, but ultimately he had nothing to offer to make Wood worry about him as an opponent. Downgraded from D+ to D
Wood: This was a good matchup for him. He looked solid on the feet, but on the ground he was well ahead and eventually found a submission. The UFC is moving along Wood slowly, but I believe increasing the caliber of his next opponent is necessary. Grade remains C
Volkan Oezdemir vs. Dominick Reyes
Oezdemir: He frustrated Reyes throughout the fight and seemed to be getting the better of the action despite the judges awarding him a decision. Despite some recent losses, Oezdemir showed he’s very much a top 10 light heavyweight. Grade remains B-
Reyes: This was the first fight in the UFC for him where he really didn’t have much advantage over an opponent. His kicking heavy game was limited by his opponent and he was lucky to get through with a decision. Grade remains B-
Leon Edwards vs. Gunnar Nelson
Edwards: He had much more success than I thought he would on the ground. He did well to scramble back to his feet when taken to the mat, but also took Nelson down and controlled him at times in this bout. The biggest moment of the bout was when he dropped Nelson late in round two. That ultimately was the difference in the bout. Upgraded from C+ to B-
Nelson: He just couldn’t keep Edwards grounded. He had some opportunities, but just couldn’t capitalize. On another day, perhaps things go a little differently. Grade remains B-
Jorge Masvidal vs. Darren Till
Masvidal: He waited patiently and got the result he desired by knocking out Till with a beautiful counter left. It was a huge win for Masvidal who doesn’t typically finish opponents and sets him up well for a big fight in his next bout. Grade remains B+
Till: He appeared to be getting the better of the action until a counter left hook sent him crumbling to the canvas. A brutal loss for Till which certainly sets him back. Downgraded from B+ to B
