Jay Primetown gives his thoughts on each of the fighters who competed at UFC 247 in Houston, Texas. Grades are updated with each fight and can be found on MMAOddsbreaker.com.
Austin Lingo vs. Youseff Zalal
Lingo: He wasn’t much more than a punching bag in this fight. In a fight where he was favored to win, he mustered little offense and was beat in all facets of the game. Debut grade is D-
Zalal: He looked really good in his UFC debut. Solid striking and good work on the ground. Promising start for Zalal. Debut grade is D+
Andre Ewell vs. Jonathan Martinez
Ewell: He looked to box in this bout. He had some success on the counter despite taking damage. This was a close fight and it was unclear who was going to get his hand raised. Debut grade is D+
Martinez: He looked pretty good in this bout. He landed quite a bit on the feet and was unlucky not to get his hand raised in a razor close fight. Grade remains D+
Journey Newson vs. Domingo Pilarte
Newson: He landed big on the feet and quickly finished for a big first win in the UFC. Upgraded from D to D+
Pilarte: He got nothing going on the feet and was knocked out in the opening minute of the bout. A poor poor performance from Pilarte. Downgraded from D to D-
Mario Bautista vs. Miles Johns
Bautista: He was down in this fight, but landed the spectacular to earn the finish. Good win for Bautista. Upgraded from D to D+
Johns: He was beginning to separate himself from his opponent, but a flush knee changed everything and he turtled up forcing the referee to stop the bout. Grade remains D+
Alex Morono vs. Kalinn Williams
Morono: This was a really bad loss for Morono. He’s a veteran fighter that was taken to task quickly by an unheralded newcomer. Downgraded from D+ to D
Williams: In his UFC debut, Williams impressed as well as he could earning a finish inside of 30 seconds. We still have a lot to learn about him, but this was a great start. Debut grade is D+
Andrea Lee vs. Lauren Murphy
Lee: She was easily the better striker and was robbed of a victory by the judges. It wasn’t her best performance, but she won this fight in my eyes. Grade remains C
Murphy: She was out struck and took significantly more damage in each of the three rounds. She was given the decision, but in reality, she didn’t get the better of the action. Grade remains C-
Trevin Giles vs. James Krause
Giles: He had a significant power advantage in this fight and that was a difference to edge out a split decision. Giles was nearly submitted in the opening round, but to his credit responded well. Grade remains D+
Krause: In his first UFC fight at middleweight, Krause earned the respect of his opponent and fans as he nearly took a decision on just one day’s notice. Grade at welterweight remains C-
Ilir Latifi vs. Derrick Lewis
Latifi: Once he settled into the fight, he was able to secure takedowns and do well to neutralize the heavy power of his opponent. If Lewis didn’t have a late flurry, Latifi likely gets his hand raised. Debut grade at heavyweight is C-
Lewis: He’s added some new wrinkles to his game, but he’s just not active enough on the feet. He finds ways to win fights, but he lets even marginal opponents fight him close. Downgraded from B- to C+
Mirsad Bektic vs. Dan Ige
Bektic: He was a step behind in the striking, but had some success in securing takedowns particularly in the second round. Bektic fatigued a bit in the third round and was unable to hold Ige down and it cost him the bout. Grade remains C
Ige: He looked sharp. His striking was as good as I have ever seen it. Ige has now won five in a row and is on the verge of being ranked in the featherweight division. Upgraded from C to C+
Juan Adams vs. Justin Tafa
Adams: He was easily knocked out in this bout. He’s now 1-2 in the UFC with the lone win over Chris de La Rocha. It appears Adams was unable to meet the hype he had on Dana White Tuesday Night Contender Series. Downgraded from D to D-
Tafa: He looked great in this bout knocking Adams out with a mega upper cut for his first UFC win. Now with confidence, it will be interesting to see how high Tafa can climb in the UFC. Upgraded from D- to D
Katlyn Chookagian vs. Valentina Shevchenko
Chookagian: She had nothing to offer Shevchenko in this bout. She was unable to get her striking going and was taken to the mat with ease. Chookagian has been competitive against other flyweights, but she’s in a different class than the champion. Grade remains C+
Shevchenko: Another outstanding performance from the flyweight champion. She is head and shoulders the best fighter in this division and there doesn’t seem to be a fighter who can even give her a proper challenge. Grade remains A+
Jon Jones vs. Dominick Reyes
Jones: He started slow and seemed to struggle with Reyes striking early in the round. He picked up momentum in the second half of the fight. He was very good in the championship rounds putting in his best bout in the past couple years to grind out a competitive decision. Jones is not the ruthless fighter he once was, but he continues to win fights. This is the first time in his career he looks vulnerable to lose the title. Downgraded from A++ to A+
Reyes: He gave Jones the toughest fight of his career since the first Alexander Gustafsson title defense. Reyes had Jones on his back foot at times and forced Jones to come out and be aggressive. Reyes’ pace was excellent early on and it cost him in the championship rounds. Reyes now knows he can compete with Jones and is deserving of a second chance at him Upgraded from B+ to A
