Jay Primetown gives his thoughts on each of the fighters who competed at UFC on ESPN Plus 20 in Singapore. Jay gives his letter grades for each fighter on TheMMA-Analysis podcast which can be found on MMAOddsbreaker.com.
Jeff Hughes vs. Raphael Pessoa
Hughes: He’s a small heavyweight which makes it difficult for him to land his punches unless his opponent slows down significantly. He’s going to struggle against any heavyweight with any level of conditioning. Downgraded from D to D-
Pessoa: He took very little damage in this fight and did what he needed to do. This was a solid performance which should keep him in the UFC for the foreseeable future. Upgraded from F to D
Alexandra Albu vs. Loma Lookboonmee
Albu: She struggled to secure takedowns and kept getting stuck in the clinch where she was at a disadvantage. She’s a limited fighter and seems to have plateaued within the UFC. Grade remains D
Lookboonmee: Her clinch game is one of the best I’ve seen in the UFC. She has quick hands and looks dangerous. She will need to round out her game to move up further, but this was a good first performance in the Octagon. Debut grade is D+
Maurice Greene vs. Sergei Pavlovich
Greene: He’s too slow to react and doesn’t have the true power to put away opponents. He underestimated his opponent and cost him with a first round TKO loss. Grade remains D
Pavlovich: He showed his power in this fight and took out Greene with very little resistance. He’s a fighter poised to be in the division’s top 10 sooner rather than later. Grade remains C-
Enrique Barzola vs. Movsar Evloev
Barzola: It took him awhile, but by the end of the fight it was very competitive. Barzola has proven he’s a quality fighter, but likely doesn’t have the high end potential to compete with the division’s top ten. Grade remains C-
Evloev: He remains undefeated, but it wasn’t easy for him especially in the final two rounds. His striking is improving and he’s a very good grappler. He’ll need to continue to work on his striking if he’s to get marquee fights down the line. Grade remains C+
Rafael Fiziev vs. Alex White
Fiziev: He looked strong throughout the fight landing in combination against the cage. He’s got a good stature for the division and should be able to continue to move up. Grade remains C-
White: He has a tendency to move backward during his fights and is rarely the aggressor. At this stage of his career, it appears he is regressing. Downgraded from C- to D+
Randa Markos vs. Ashley Yoder
Markos: She had some very good moments on the feet to knock back her opponent. On the ground, she was taken down, but did well to transition either back to her feet or into top control herself. This fight was closer than it should have been, but in the end a victory is a victory. Grade remains C
Yoder: The American fighter does well to get opponents to the ground and work in submission attempts, but her striking is still a struggle. At this point of her career, it appears that it may never improve to the level where she can challenge top ten strawweights. Grade remains C-
Muslim Salikhov vs. Leonardo Staropoli
Salikhov: He had Starpoli frozen in the cage not knowing how to contend with Salikhov’s striking attack. This was a dominant performance that was very nearly rewarded with a finish. He seems to have found his form in the UFC. Upgraded from C- to C
Staropoli: He looked like a deer in headlights against a tremendous kung fu influenced striker like Salikhov. He really had minimal positive moments in this bout. Downgraded from C- to D+
Ciryl Gane vs. Dontale Mayes
Gane: He was dominant in this fight and appears to be an exponential trajectory up the heavyweight division. Upgraded from D+ to C
Mayes: He was out classed in this fight and just didn’t have a lot to offer his surging opponent. Debut grade is D
Beneil Dariush vs. Frank Camacho
Dariush: As dominant a performance as one can have in the Octagon. He easily out landed Camacho on the feet and then submitted his opponent in the first exchange on the mat. Upgraded from C to C+
Camacho: This was the most difficult fight of his career and he simply had no answers for the crafty tactician that Beneil Dariush is. Grade remains C-
Michael Johnson vs. Stevie Ray
Johnson: He was really beat up in the final round and gave this fight away. He’s good on the feet, but he really has his moments of weakness on the mat. Downgraded from C to C-
Ray: He struggled early on, but had a tremendous third round to truly take over the fight and sneak out a result. Upgraded from D to C-
Ben Askren vs. Demian Maia
Askren: He had moments of dominance, but slowed down too quickly in this bout. A wrestling of his caliber should not be able to swept and reversed on the mat. With that said, playing on the ground against Demian Maia is never recommended and it ultimately cost him the fight. Downgraded from B+ to B
Maia: He wore down his opponent and once he had prime position on the mat he went in for the kill. Maia was an underdog in this bout against the accomplished grappler and came away with the wish. Hard not to be impressed. Upgraded from B to B+
