Updated Fighter Grades: Post-UFC 212

Jay Primetown gives his thoughts on each of the fighters who competed at UFC 212 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Jay gives his letter grades for each fighter on TheMMA-Analysis podcast which can be found on MMAOddsBreaker.com.

Marco Beltran vs. Deiveson Figueiredo

Beltran: His inability to defend takedowns put him in difficult positions to start. In striking exchanges, Beltran is a capable fighter, but he is really out of his depth on the ground. When he was winded from the grappling, he took a couple big shots on the feet that he didn’t recover from. The fight was stopped before the start of the third round. Beltran’s ceiling is rather limited and this fight showed that. Grade remains D

Figueiredo: A very good debut for the Brazilian flyweight. He doesn’t have much volume in the striking exchanges, but he swings big and can finish. He had Beltran hurt badly in this bout, and the fight had to be stopped between rounds. Figueiredo also showed a very good top game with a lot of variety in his passes and submission attempts. Upgraded from D+ to C-

Luan Chagas vs. Jim Wallhead

Chagas: Easily his best performance thus far in the UFC. Chagas made major strides in this fight by developing better endurance and fighting a more consistent pace. His strike was calm and calculated, getting the better of the exchanges throughout the fight. Towards the end of round two, Chagas landed a left hand that dropped Wallhead, and he followed up with a choke on the ground to force Wallhead to tap out. Grade remains D+

Wallhead: When he combines his strikes, he can be competitive. However, he’s way too slow and his movement limits him significantly. Plus, he’s very open to be hit by counter-strikers. He’s lost his first two fights in the UFC and likely won’t see a third bout in the promotion. Downgraded from D to D-

Jamie Moyle vs. Viviane Pereira

Moyle: She really struggled with the length and range of her opponent. Moyle simply was unable to get in range and land any strikes of note. When she attempted to shoot in, her opponent stuffed her takedown attempts. Disappointing performance from the American. Downgraded from D+ to D

Pereira: Two fights in the UFC ,and two wins for the Brazilian. Pereira controlled the striking beautifully with range and physically was able to push Moyle against the cage and control the clinch situations. A solid win for Pereira and is becoming a fighter to keep an eye on in this division as she works her way up the weight class. Upgraded from C- to C

Iuri Alcantara vs. Brian Kelleher

Alcantara: He came out throwing in this fight, but dove into a takedown attempt leaving his neck exposed and it resulted in him tapping. A bad loss for the Top 15 ranked bantamweight. Grade remains C

Kelleher: He allowed Alcantara to push forward early but took no damage in the early exchanges. When Alcantara attempted to get him to the mat, he showed that he’s excellent in transition and was able to lock in a guillotine choke to stun the Brazilian. A huge win for the debuting Kelleher. Upgraded from D+ to C

Johnny Eduardo vs. Matthew Lopez

Eduardo: He landed some nice punches on the feet, but as soon as he was taken to the mat, he was completely dominated. At 36 years of age, there’s not much left in the tank for Eduardo. Downgraded from C to C-

Lopez: He showed no fear striking with Eduardo, but what impressed me the most was the powerful ground-and-pound. He crushed Eduardo on the ground and was able to earn the stoppage. Lopez is on the verge of a Top 15 ranking. Upgraded from C to C+

Antonio Carlos Jr. vs Eric Spicely 

Carlos Jr.: Against a fighter who simply wants to grapple and go for submissions, Carlos Jr. is going to win nearly every time. His Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is right near the top of the middleweight division. Grade remains C-

Spicely: He tried to out grapple an excellent BJJ black belt, and that was never going to work. Spicely continues to show major flaws in his striking and is completely one-dimensional. It’s a combination that will be difficult to have sustained success with in the UFC. Downgraded from D+ to D

Raphael Assuncao vs. Marlon Moraes

Assuncao: In a very close fight, Assuncao landed some big punches at the end of round one and controlled the cage in round two to win a very close decision. It’s a big win for Assuncao over the highly hyped former WSOF Champion. Grade remains A-

Moraes: He came out landing on Assuncao, but this was always going to be a close fight, and he was just on the wrong end of a decision that could of easily gone the other way. Grade remains A-

Yancy Medeiros vs. Erick Silva

Medeiros: He led this fight throughout and never seemed to be in too much danger. He landed two clean shots in the second round that sent Silva to canvas. Great win in Brazil for Medeiros who seems to have found a home in the welterweight division. Upgraded from C- to C

Silva: He tried a more composed approach in this fight, but it simply wasn’t meant to be. He’s taken a lot of damage in his time in the UFC, and he can longer get into fire fights as he can be clipped with any sort of clean punch. It’s tough seeing Silva even getting close to the welterweight division’s Top 15 again. Downgraded from C- to D+

Paulo Borrachinha vs. Oluwale Bamgbose

Borrachinha: Weathered the early storm from Bamgbose and took over the fight halfway through the first round. From there, it was only a matter of time until the Brazilian secured the finish. Upgraded from C- to C

Bamgbose: He went into this fight with the mindset that he’d throw the kitchen sink at his opponent in an effort to get an early finish. He was unable to get it, and his gas tank gave out on him. It makes for entertaining fights but poor results. Grade remains D+

Vitor Belfort vs. Nate Marquardt

Belfort: He fought a much more composed fight and saw the scorecards for the first time since 2007. It was an unorthodox approach from the Brazilian legend, but enough to get him the result in his hometown. It’s going to be tough for him to win fights in the future against anyone with a forward pressing approach. Downgraded from C to C-

Marquardt: He got the better of many exchanges, but he simply doesn’t have the ability to blitz opponents anymore so he put the fight in the hands of the judges, which was a bad idea in a close contest. Grade remains C-

Claudia Gadelha vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz

Gadelha: She landed a very good elbow early in the fight and was competitive on the feet, but once she secured a takedown, it was a completely different fight. Gadelha took her opponent’s back and quickly was able to latch in a choke for a big victory and make her the clear second-best fighter in the division. Upgraded from A to A+

Kowalkiewicz: If this fight stayed standing, she had a very good chance to win. However, the second she was put on her back, she was in a lot of trouble. She will need to improve that part of her game to contend with the best in the division. Grade remains A-

Jose Aldo vs. Max Holloway

Aldo: He had a good start to the fight, landing the better punches in first couple of rounds. The problem Aldo encountered was Holloway’s pace. He began to slow down towards the end of round two, and that really translated over into the third round. Once he got tired, openings in his defense became visible, and he was dropped by punches. He took a lot of damage from ground-and-pound, forcing the referee to step in. This was only Aldo’s second loss in the UFC. Downgraded from A++ to A+

Holloway: He wasn’t as aggressive as normal in the first round, but he turned it on considerably in the second round. Once he had Aldo hurt in the third round, Holloway swarmed and didn’t give Aldo a chance to recover, as he landed strike after strike to get the win and take home the undisputed featherweight championship. Grade remains A++