Jay Primetown gives his thoughts on each of the fighters who competed at UFC Fight Night 99 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Jay gives his letter grades for each fighter on TheMMA-Analysis podcast which can be found on MMAOddsBreaker.com. Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Charlie Ward Alhassan: He came out like a buzz saw and absolutely delivered. He’s got dynamite in his right hand and landed several bombs to put away his fellow debutant inside of one minute in the first round. I’d like to see him against a veteran UFC fighter first before raising his grade. Grade remains D+ Ward: Poor performance from Charlie Ward. I think he realized he needed to go for broke or he’d have no chance in this fight. He left so many holes for his opponent and it wasn’t long before he was floored and the fight stopped. This is going to be a one and done for Ward in the UFC. Tough to see him getting another opportunity. Downgraded from F to F– Brett Johns vs. Kwan Ho Kwak Johns: Really good UFC debut. He dominated the grappling taking down the South Korean fighter at will throughout the fight. Took some damage in the third round as he started to get tired, but still was able to sweep the rounds on the judges’ scorecards. It will be interesting to see how does against a solid wrestler. Grade remains C Kwak: He struggled to defend takedowns throughout the fight. In the second round, he was picked apart as he kept looking to defend takedowns but instead his opponent focused on a striking attack. He finally started to land in the third round, but it was way too late. His offensive striking is definitely worth watching, but he will need to further work on his defense if he’s going to make positive strides in the UFC. Downgraded from C- to D+ Milana Dudieva vs. Marion Reneau Dudieva: Has some decent clinch wrestling, but other than that, a poor striker and had no idea what to do when pushed against the cage. Her conditioning was a real issue in this bout. Grade remains D Reneau: Her work against the cage and in top control was very strong in this bout. She’s an absolute threat off her back with submissions too. Her striking seems to be her weak point and it’s doubtful she will be able to hurt opponents in an extended striking matchup. I wish she got started in MMA earlier as I think she could have been a possible contender at some point. At 39 years old, it’s just too late for her to make a move towards the top of the division. Grade remains C+ Zak Cummings vs. Alexander Yakovlev Cummings: He pressed the action throughout this fight forcing Yakovlev to fight against the cage. Once he got the fight to the ground, it looked like man vs. boy as Cummings found a submission quickly. Grade remains C Yakovlev: Perhaps his worst performance in the Octagon. He couldn’t get anything going on the feet and fought a completely reactive bout. He was submitted rather easily on the ground. With consecutive uninspiring losses, I expect him to be cut from the UFC. Downgraded from C- to D+ Mark Godbeer vs. Justin Ledet Godbeer: A one-dimensional fighter who is not as good of a striker as his opponent. On the ground, he looked completely lost and he was exposed by a rather green mixed martial artist. Downgraded from D to F Ledet: He’s got fast hands and that will go a long way in the heavyweight division. It was surprise to see him score a submission. He’s intriguing but need to see what happens when he faces more well-rounded opposition. Upgraded from D- to D Amanda Cooper vs. Anna Elmose Cooper: Showed a nice variety of skills in this fight with a nice counterstriking game and dominant work in ground and pound. Fights a nice solid pace as well. Upgraded from D+ to C- Elmose: Has some nice power when she’s able to land, but her length is still an issue and she doesn’t combine strikes well at all. Her defensive wrestling is not good enough to win fights in the UFC. Grade remains D+ Kevin Lee vs. Magomed Mustafaev Lee: His grappling was on point in this fight. He suffocated a talented fighter and was able to dominate with the wrestling. Upgraded from C+ to B- Mustafaev: His striking was crisp as usual, but he couldn’t prevent the takedowns. That was the difference in this fight. Downgraded from B to C+ Ali Bagautinov vs. Kyoji Horiguchi Bagautinov: One of the strongest grapplers in the division, but he struggled to keep down Horiguchi. On the feet, he landed a few strikes but was a clear step behind his opponent. He’s a very good fighter, but faced someone who will be at top of division for years. Grade remains A- Horiguchi: Showed some real improvements in his overall ability. In particular, he was able to take down an accomplished sambo fighter like Ali Bagautinov multiple times in the fight. On the feet, he’s got great movement and a lot of variety. It’s clear to me he is the best Japanese MMA fighter on the planet and a potential UFC champion at some point. Upgraded from A to A+ Magnus Cedenblad vs. Jack Marshman Cedenblad: Dominated the grappling exchanges, but abandoned it in round two. On the feet, he simply didn’t have the striking acumen of his opponent and eventually succumbed to an accumulation of power strikes. It’s his ability to defend head strikes that is going to hold him back in the UFC. Downgraded from C to C- Marshman: Teruto Ishihara vs. Artem Lobov Ishihara: He struggled with Lobov’s pressure and really didn’t get into the fight until round three. Striking defense is a real issue for him despite having a great chin. He’s a fun fighter to watch, but very limited. Downgraded from D+ to D Lobov: His movement and pressure made me believe that training with Conor McGregor is finally paying dividends. He landed accurately throughout the fight and dominated the fight from start to finish. This was his best performance in the UFC. Upgraded from D- to D Timothy Johnson vs. Alexander Volkov Johnson: Landed some thunderous punches in the first couple rounds, nearly finishing Volkov. I thought he landed the better strikes in this fight and deserved the decision. Grade remains C- Volkov: Surprised just how well he took Johnson’s heavy strikes. He’s certainly an imposing fighter in the cage. He didn’t land as much as I thought he should have especially late in the fight, but he got the result on the scorecards. Upgraded from D+ to C- Ross Pearson vs. Stevie Ray Pearson: Struggled with the length of his opponent and simply didn’t get the better shots off in this fight. Pearson is now on a three fight losing streak and could be cut from the UFC. Downgraded from C+ to C- Ray: He simply outworked Pearson throughout the fight. Whether that was in the middle of Octagon or against the fence. Good win for Ray as he looks ready to move up in the weight class. Upgraded from C- to C Uriah Hall vs. Gegard Mousasi Hall: This was always a tough matchup for Hall, but I didn’t like the way he reacted at all to being hit on the ground. Not sure where he goes from here. Downgraded from B- to C+ Mousasi: He fought a very calculated fight on the feet. His first chance to get Hall to the ground,he was able to do so and finish him with ground and pound. Good redemption for Mousasi who has now joined the division’s elite. Upgraded from A- to A
Updated UFC Fight Night 99 Fighter Grades
