Jay Primetown gives his thoughts on each of the fighters who competed at UFC on ESPN+ 12 in Greenville, South Carolina. Jay gives his letter grades for each fighter on TheMMA-Analysis podcast which can be found on MMAOddsbreaker.com.
Eric Spicely vs. Deron Winn
Spicely: He had a significant size advantage in this fight and was able to utilize the clinch at times to land against a talented fighter. Ultimately, he was pushed back too often and was simply out landed. With that said, it was an entertaining fight and Spicely showed well in defeat. Upgraded from D- to D
Winn: His offensive output is impressive, but I’m worried about his size for the weight class. He will struggle against fighters with knockout power. Downgraded from C to D+
Ariane Lipski vs. Molly McCann
Lipski: Too tentative on the feet and offers absolutely nothing on the matter. She entered the UFC with quite a bit of fan fare but just doesn’t look like she belongs. Downgraded from C- to D
McCann: She’s a head hunter that puts on exciting fights. She had some adversity in the third round, but fought through it well to get the victory. Good performance from McCann. Upgraded from D- to D+
Allen Crowder vs. Jair Rozenstruik
Crowder: He was knocked out quickly in this bout and just doesn’t have an X factor that can make him competitive in the UFC. Downgraded from D- to F
Rozenstruik: He’s big, violent, and has shown he can finish. There are a lot of unknowns about his overall ability, but so far, so good. Grade remains D+
Luis Pena vs. Matt Wiman
Pena: He put in an excellent shift taking control of the fight from the start. He landed a lot of elbows and knees plus ground and pound on the mat. This was one of the more one-sided bouts in sometime. Pena looked great. Upgraded from D+ to C-
Wiman: It was his first fight in over four years so ring rust was expected, but he took a lot of damage in this fight and its possible this is the last time he fights in the UFC Downgraded from D+ to D-
Syuri Kondo vs. Ashley Yoder
Kondo: She couldn’t keep the fight on the feet and had no answers on the mat. Kondo’s limitations as a fighter are apparent. Grade remains D-
Yoder: Her grappling game was on full display in a matchup that suited her perfectly. She ran away with this fight. In a bout where she’s forced to strike, we’ll learn just how capable she is to move up in this division. Grade remains C-
Kevin Aguilar vs. Dan Ige
Aguilar: He normally has a lot left in the third round, but he wasn’t able to land any fight changing punches and instead took a lot of damage in the third round which cost him a decision. Downgraded from C to C-
Ige: He was throwing powerful punches and mixed in his wrestling wonderfully. He’s impressed me during his four-fight winning streak and I believe he can continue to move up. Upgraded from C- to C
Alessio Di Chirico vs. Kevin Holland
Di Chirico: Despite not getting his hand raised, I thought he landed the better strikes in this fight and had his opponent frustrated throughout the fight. With his opponent struggling with a shoulder injury, it was disappointing he didn’t press the pace in round three. Grade remains D
Holland: He has the size and athleticism to potentially breakthrough in this division, but he’s been in some lackluster fights. He was very lucky to get his hand raised in this bout. Grade remains D+
Montana De La Rosa vs. Andrea Lee
De La Rosa: She has made improvements in her striking, but she’s not going to win fights that way. If she can’t get her opponent to the mat and hold her there, she will struggle like she did in this fight. Downgraded from C to C-
Lee: She put in a complete performance landing strikes on the feet, stuffing takedowns, and doing well from top position. She continues to get better. Upgraded from C to C+
Anderson Dos Santos vs. Andre Ewell
Dos Santos: His striking defense was non-existent in this bout. He certainly was willing to engage, but being that hittable is too glaring of an issue for him to have a sustainable career in the UFC. Grade remains D
Ewell: This was by far his best performance in the UFC. His striking was on point throughout the fight and he showed a lot of flair in his performance. It should be enough to keep him around for some time in the UFC. Grade remains D+
Bryan Barbarena vs. Randy Brown
Barbarena: After 19 straight bouts without being knocked out, he has beaten by strikes in two straight fights. Barbarena’s best quality has long been durability, but with that now in jeopardy he’s not the same fighter he once was. Downgraded from C- to D+
Brown: He earned the biggest win of his career out striking a tough opponent. What surprised me the most was that he was able to keep pace with a fighter who tends to throw with more volume as time goes on. Upgraded from D+ to C-
Chan Sung Jung vs. Renato Moicano
Jung: He landed a beautiful right hand early in this fight and swarmed wonderfully to keep Moicano grounded and dazed. He did a great job of pouring it on to force the finish for arguably the best win of his career. Upgraded from B to B+
Moicano: He has now been finished in back to back fights. For as good as he is offensively, there appears to be some holes defensively. Add in the fact, that his chin does not hold up as compared to other top featherweights and its difficult to see Moicano get back in the title picture. Upgraded from C- to C
