Jay Primetown gives his thoughts on each of the fighters who competed at UFC on ESPN Plus 18 in Copenhagen, Denmark. Jay gives his letter grades for each fighter on TheMMA-Analysis podcast which can be found on MMAOddsbreaker.com.
Nohelin Hernandez vs. Jack Shore
Hernandez: He was able to land a bit in prolonged striking exchanges, but he was unable to stay upright for long. He was out classed in this fight and his future in the promotion is likely limited at best. Grade remains D
Shore: This was an excellent UFC debut. He fought a fellow prospect and was able to win this fight from opening bell to the finish. His striking was good, but it was his grappling was excellent. Debut grade is C
Marc Diakiese vs. Lando Vannata
Diakiese: He put in a clean, effective performance against a veteran striker. He took no damage and should be back soon against higher competition. Upgraded from C- to C
Vannata: He was significantly behind in this fight and has only won one of his last six bouts. He’s only 27 years old, but he’s taken a lot of damage thus far in his career. He’s in danger of being cut from the UFC. Downgraded from C- to D+
Macy Chiasson vs. Lina Lansberg
Chiasson: She looked decent in the opening round, but her inability to keep the fight standing cost her the bout. This was a good opportunity for Chiasson to win and find herself in the division’s top ten. With the loss, she may now drop out of the top 15. Downgraded from B- to C
Lansberg: She faces tough fighters and makes the fights ugly. She took on perhaps the biggest fighter in the weight class. She slowed Chiasson down and was able to grind out a win. Upgraded from C- to C
Giga Chikadze vs. Brandon Davis
Chikadze: He’s a potent striker that is capable of throwing with accuracy and power. It’s clear in watching him that he’s a kickboxer with significant professional experience. He hasn’t rounded his game fully yet as he does have issues defending takedowns. He’ll need to improve that to move up in this division. Debut grade is D+
Davis: He gets hit a lot, but he absorbs it well. He has an excellent motor making him a bigger threat as a fight wears on. He’s a game fighter, but lacks the top end skill to really do damage against quality opposition. Grade remains D+
Siyar Bahadurzada vs. Ismail Naurdiev
Bahadurzada: He had no answers for Naurdiev on the feet. He was beat up on the feet and had no answers on the mat. He was clearly a level below his opponent. Downgraded from D+ to D
Naurdiev: He was dominant throughout this bout putting in a complete performance. He deservedly moves up one level in my power rankings. Upgraded from D+ to C-
Alessio Di Chrico vs. Makhmud Muradov
Di Chirico: He may have landed the bigger shots, but his volume was too low throughout the fight dropping a decision. Grade remains D
Muradov: He certainly has some flair on the feet, but he slows down too much. He will need to improve his gas tank if he’s going to emerge in this decision. Debut grade is D+
Alen Amedovski vs. John Phillips
Amedovski: A fifteen second loss is never good, even worse it was his second loss in a row to start his UFC career. Downgraded from D+ to D
Phillips: He came out fast and earned a fourteen second finish to earn his first UFC win. He’s a limited fighter, but in a shootout he can win. Upgraded from D- to D
Nicolas Dalby vs. Alex Oliveira
Dalby: His first fight back in the UFC after fighting in other promotions over the last few years. Dalby got better as the fight went on and buoyed by the home crowd he finished strong to get the victory. Debut grade is C-
Oliveira: He tends to start fights well, but routinely runs out of gas. He appears to now be on the decline with yet another loss. Downgraded from C to C-
Michal Oleksiejczuk vs. Ovince St. Preux
Oleksiejczuk: He was dangerous early with a high pace, but it caught up with him in round two. Once he was taken to the mat, it was the beginning of the end as he was submitted. Grade remains C-
St. Preux: He fought with composure in this bout and it was impressive to see him take to the mat and submit a fighter that has been surging. A good win for OSP. Grade remains C
Ion Cutelaba vs. Khalil Rountree
Cutelaba: His ground and pound was extremely impressive in this bout. He’s so strong even in this weight class. He’s a guy who continues to impress. Grade remains C-
Rountree: He once again couldn’t stop the takedown. He continues to emphasize the striking elements of the sport, but until he focuses on defense and takedown defense he will lose fights like this one. Grade remains D
Gilbert Burns vs. Gunnar Nelson
Burns: This was going to be a tricky fight as his opponent has a similar skill set. The difference in this bout was striking as Burns had much more power with his shots landing with more impact. Good win for Burns who seems to have found his calling at welterweight. Upgraded from C- to C
Nelson: He’s a fighter that doesn’t really have a weight class. When forced to strike, he struggles because he lacks the power to change the complexion of a fight. Downgraded from B- to C
Danilo Belluardo vs. Mark Madsen
Belluardo: He was setup to fail in this bout in his opponent’s debut in his home country. Belluardo had no ability to defend takedowns and was beaten up before the referee stepped in. The Italian doesn’t appear to have much of a future in the promotion. Grade remains D-
Madsen: This was a squash match. The acclaimed wrestler took the fight to the mat and brutalized his opponent on the mat. This was a strong debut, but at 35 years old, just how far can he climb? Debut grade is C+
Jared Cannonier vs. Jack Hermansson
Cannonier: He has surged up the middleweight rankings with his combination of strength and conditioning. He has completely revitalized his career at 185 pounds and with a finish over Hermansson finds himself on the cusp of the division’s top five. Upgraded from B- to B+
Hermansson: He couldn’t get off his strikes as much as he had in previous. As soon as he felt the power of his opponent, he began to crumble. This was a tough loss for Hermansson as it’s unlikely he will get this close to title contention again. Downgraded from B+ to B
