Jay Primetown gives his thoughts on each of the fighters who competed at UFC Fight Night 113 in Glasgow, Scotland. Jay gives his letter grades for each fighter on TheMMA-Analysis podcast which can be found on MMAOddsBreaker.com.
Amanda Lemos vs. Leslie Smith Lemos: She landed some decent strikes in this fight, including some heavy punches and some low kicks to her opponent’s lead leg. However, she struggled with the pace of this fight and was exhausted in the second round. She needs to improve her conditioning to have success in the UFC. Grade remains D+ Smith: She doesn’t throw with the heaviest of punches, but her volume gives opponents problems. Smith has no problems taking a punch to deliver three or four of her own. If one cannot overpower her, she is a very difficult opponent to beat. Grade remains C Brett Johns vs. Albert Morales Johns: He’s proven to be one of the best offensive wrestlers to come out of the United Kingdom. Once he got top control in each round, he did a great job of maintaining position and landing effective ground and pound. He will be a tough out for most opponents in the division. Grade remains C Morales: He had a couple brief moments on the feet but struggled to defend takedowns. On the mat, he had no answers for his opponent, and as a result lost all three rounds of this bout. Grade remains D+ Danny Henry vs. Daniel Teymur Henry: The training in the mountains paid off, as he took all of Teymur’s best shots and eventually was able to wear out his opponent. He continued to turn it on late in the second round and in the third round to earn an excellent decision win. Upgraded from D- to D+ Teymur: He moved up to lightweight to take this fight, and that was a mistake. He simply didn’t have the punching power to put his opponent away, and it came back to haunt him as he ran out of gas for his first career loss. Debut grade at featherweight is D+ Galore Bofando vs. Charlie Ward Bofando: He showed off his striking technique in the short time this fight went on, but it was his throw takedown that will make headlines. He threw his opponent on his head and was able to knock him out from that initial impact. It was a great debut for a 35-year-old fighter who could be a late bloomer. Upgraded from D to D+ Ward: He was smart to sit back and not engage quickly with Bofando. However, Ward has not shown that he is durable during his time in the UFC. From a takedown throw, he landed on his head and was knocked out instantly. Ward is not a UFC-caliber fighter, and this should be his last fight in the organization. Grade remains F– Alexandre Pantoja vs. Neil Seery Pantoja: He showed he’s a capable striker in this bout, getting the better of the striking exchanges as a whole against a veteran like Seery. However, what makes him a Top 10 flyweight in my eyes is his grappling capabilities. Once he decided to take the fight to the mat, he dominated the veteran to earn a third-round submission. Upgraded from C to B- Seery: This fight was fought at a tough pace for him, as he had to fight mainly off his back foot. He did land some quality punches, especially in the second round. Despite being submitted in the third round, he acquitted himself well in his final MMA bout. Final grade remains C- Bobby Nash vs. Danny Roberts Nash: He had success early with timely takedowns. Just like his previous bout in the UFC, he slowed down in the second round and was eventually knocked out. He needs to improve his endurance, or he won’t be sticking around in the world’s largest MMA promotion. Grade remains D Roberts: He had some struggles early on, dropping the first round after being pushed against the fence and taken to the mat. But he used a much better game plan in the second round, stuffing a Nash takedown attempt and landing a big left to put away his opponent. Grade remains C- James Mulheron vs. Justin Willis Mulheron: He employed a decent pace, but he’s small for the weight class and didn’t have the power to effect the fight. He’s going to struggle in the UFC. Debut grade is F Willis: His game plan was excellent in this fight. He utilized his length well, landing strikes from distance, and finally securing takedowns to win rounds. He’s only had a handful of career fights, but this performance was something to build on at a minimum. Grade remains D Paul Craig vs. Khalil Rountree Craig: He fought on the back foot the entire fight and was unwilling to engage with Rountree. It appeared he was defeated at the opening bell. After a great UFC debut, he’s been finished in the first round in each of his last two fights. Downgraded from D to D- Rountree: He came out with a confidence I have not seen before in recent fights. He certainly used a new training regiment ahead of this fight, and it showed in his performance. It didn’t take him long to connect on Craig and eventually put him away. He’s ready for a step up in competition. Upgraded from D to D+ Ryan Janes vs. Jack Marshman Janes: He acquitted himself well in this bout, using his reach to keep Marshman at bay. He didn’t really have the power to trouble Marshman though until the very end of the fight. And by then, it was too late. Upgraded from D- to D Marshman: Despite earning the victory, this was a disappointing performance from the Welshman. He struggled with the length of Janes and was unable to consistently land, especially in the later rounds. Downgraded from C- to D+ Paul Felder vs. Stevie Ray Felder: Arguably his best performance inside the Octagon. He landed a huge knee along the cage and followed up with elbows on the ground to earn the victory. Upgraded from C to C+ Ray: He tried to use a plan of a grueling exchange along the feet to slow Felder down, but it was a knee that sent him spiraling. It was the first time he was knocked out in his career. Grade remains C Joanne Calderwood vs. Cynthia Calvillo Calderwood: The striking was competitive, and she was having success there. But each of the two times she was taken down, she gave up her back and was nearly submitted. That was the difference in an otherwise close bout. Grade remains C+ Calvillo: She showed improvements in her striking, being competitive on the feet with an accomplished striker like Calderwood. Still, it’s her grappling that makes her very dangerous in this weight class. She threatens with submissions every single time she is on the mat. Upgraded from C+ to B- Gunnar Nelson vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio Nelson: He landed early but didn’t take advantage of the situation. Instead, he was dropped later in the round and finished. At this point, Nelson’s ceiling appears to be somewhere between the Top 10-15 in the division. Downgraded from B to B- Ponzinibbio: He was briefly knocked back by Nelson’s initial foray into this fight. But he recovered well to earn the biggest win of his career, finishing his opponent in the first round. Ponzinibbio has established himself as a Top 15 welterweight, and now it’s time to see if he can put himself into the Top 10. Upgraded from C+ to B-
