Jay Primetown gives his thoughts on each of the fighters who competed at UFC on ESPN+ 19 in Tampa, Florida. Jay gives his letter grades for each fighter on TheMMA-Analysis podcast which can be found on MMAOddsbreaker.com.
JJ Aldrich vs. Lauren Mueller
Aldrich: Her striking was crisp throughout the bout and it looks her hand speed has gotten faster. That should bode well for her moving forward after this sound performance. Grade remains C
Mueller: She was a step behind her opponent as she tended to throw one or two strike combos while her opponent was mixing combinations. She just couldn’t provide enough volume to challenge Aldrich for the victory. Grade remains D+
Andrew Sanchez vs. Marvin Vettori
Sanchez: He showed improvement in his cardio to go 15 minutes, but his hand speed and power were not enough to threaten his opponent in this bout. Grade remains D+
Vettori: He continues to make improvements as he increased his hand speed and his overall output over three rounds. It took him awhile, but he’s starting to move up in this division. Upgraded from C- to C
Hector Aldana vs. Miguel Baeza
Aldana: He was hesistant to throw any strikes and looked two steps behind the entire bout. This may be his last fight in the UFC. Downgraded from D to D-
Baeza: He’s a good athlete with nice leg kicks and a good right hand. Until he shows his ground game it’s hard to know how good he really is, but this was a good start. Debut grade is D+
Andre Ewell vs. Marlon Vera
Ewell: He had some success early on, but once he started to slow down the fight turned and he was beaten up by his opponent. Grade remains D+
Vera: His tenacity was on display in this fight. His combination of clinch fighting, leg kicks, and submission grappling were well put together as he was able to get the third-round finish. I’d like to see him fight better opposition before increasing his grade too much, but he’s certainly one to watch in this weight class. Upgraded from C to C+
Tim Elliott vs. Deiveson Figueiredo
Elliott: He was holding his own for the first few minutes of this bout, but he made a huge mistake diving in for a takedown and it cost him the bout as he was forced to tap. Grade remains C+
Figueiredo: He continues to stack up victories over quality opposition. He has proven to be a top five fighter in this weight class and should get a marquee bout next. Grade remains B+
Max Griffin vs. Alex Morono
Griffin: If not for a momentary lapse in the second round where he left himself vulnerable to a head kick, he likely wins this fight. With that said, he showed urgency too late in this bout. Downgraded from C- to D+
Morono: He kept a pretty high volume through two rounds and nearly got the finish. This was a dangerous fight for him and he came out on top. A good win for Morono. Grade remains D+
Mike Davis vs. Thomas Gifford
Davis: He looked awesome in this fight. With that said, the opponent he beat just isn’t a UFC caliber. Upgraded from D+ to C-
Gifford: He was beat up in all three rounds in what was one of the most lopsided fights in the UFC this year. He took way too much damage in this bout and it will likely shorten his professional career. Downgraded from D- to F
Devin Clark vs. Ryan Spann
Clark: He was able to stay competitive until the first clean punch landed. He wasn’t able to take Spann’s power and then quickly tapped when Spann synced in a choke. Grade remains D
Spann: He’s one of the most physically imposing fighters in the division and is now piling up a solid resume. Expect a step up in competition next as well as a top fifteen ranking. Grade remains C
Eryk Anders vs. Gerald Meerschaert
Anders: He did well early in this fight landing with power, but he slowed down in round two and really struggled to get to the finish line. He’s a fighter that doesn’t seem to have the confidence he had when he debuted a few years ago. Downgraded from C- to D+
Meerschaert: After a poor opening round, he turned it around hurting Anders in the third round. He was right on pace with Anders and a different set of judges likely would have seen him get his hand raised. Grade remains D+
Matt Frevola vs. Luis Pena
Frevola: I’m shocked he was able to survive the flying knee Pena landed in the second round. Frevola really gutted out round three showing just how much determination he has. Upgraded from D+ to C-
Pena: He is very creative in the cage with a high ceiling, but he gets a bit complacent at times and allows his opponents opportunities. He certainly did more damage in this fight, but in three separately judged rounds he left too much interpretation to the judges and it cost him. Grade remains C-
Mackenzie Dern vs. Amanda Ribas
Dern: She throws with power, but she just doesn’t have the accuracy or the consistency to succeed on the feet. She doesn’t have the takedown setups to take good opposition to the mat where she may be the best in MMA. Disappointing first loss of her career. Downgraded from C to C-
Ribas: She has looked great since joining the UFC. She throws punches with power, does so with accuracy, and does a good job stuffing takedowns. Expect her to continue to rise. Upgraded from D+ to C
Niko Price vs. James Vick
Price: He continues to unique ways to win fights and is becoming a fan favorite by doing so. Upgraded from D+ to C-
Vick: He had Price hurt with ground and pound, but he took a flush upkick and was knocked out from it. Vick has taken a lot of damage in recent fights and is not the fighter he was two or three years ago. Grade remains C-
Kron Gracie vs. Cub Swanson
Gracie: He showed in this fight that he can get in a dog fight with a top striker. He didn’t win, but it’s clear he can fight in the UFC and will be competitive. Grade remains C
Swanson: He forced Gracie to strike with him where the advantage laid with Swanson. He took damage, but he landed the bigger punches throughout the fight and got the deserved win. Grade remains C+
Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Michelle Waterson
Jedrzejczyk: She looked like her old self dominating the striking landing over 200 total strikes. This was thorough five round performance and expect the former champion to get a title shot sometime in 2020. Grade remains A
Waterson: This was always going to be an uphill battle. She was out gunned and couldn’t do much besides attempt submissions in scrambles to get a surprise victory. Back to the drawing board for Waterson. Grade remains B
