Jay Primetown gives his thoughts on each of the fighters who competed at UFC Fight Night 114 in Mexico City, Mexico. Jay gives his letter grades for each fighter on TheMMA-Analysis podcast which can be found on MMAOddsBreaker.com.
Alvaro Herrera vs. Jordan Rinaldi Herrera: He had Rinaldi in trouble on the feet, but the second the fight went to the ground, he was in big trouble. His grappling skill set simply isn’t UFC level, and it showed in this fight. Downgraded from D to D- Rinaldi: He’s certainly not a guy that will edge near the division’s Top 15, but he’s a capable grappler with a solid submission game. That in and of itself should see him stick around in the UFC for a few years. Grade remains D+ Joseph Morales vs. Roberto Sanchez Morales: He defended submission attempts well from an early takedown. Once he got back to his feet, he landed a quick right which dropped his opponent. From there, he worked to his opponent’s back, and it was only a matter of time until he locked in a finish. Debut grade is C- Sanchez: He was able to secure a takedown early in this fight, but once the fight got back to the feet, he had nothing to offer his opponent. He was clipped midway through the round and was finished. Disappointing debut for Sanchez given the hype going into this fight. Debut grade is D+ Jose Quinonez vs. Diego Rivas Quinonez: This fight was setup well for him to win. He’s a well-conditioned fighter facing a guy who didn’t train at altitude in about at over 5,000 feet in elevation. He was able to get the better of the striking exchanges as well as the grappling exchanges to earn a decision win. Grade remains D+ Rivas: Coming off a cancer recovery I didn’t expect a great performance. He landed some nice punches in the second round, but outside of that, he was soundly beaten. He deserves another shot in the UFC, but if he has another poor performance, he should be cut from the promotion. Downgraded from D to D- Henry Briones vs. Rani Yahya Briones: He looked completely out of his league against a skilled grappler. The UFC has given fighters from the initial TUF Latin America season a longer leash than other newcomers, but Briones is not up to caliber in the bantamweight division. Downgraded from D+ to D Yahya: On the feet, he can be exposed by even an average striker. Anytime he’s able to get an opponent to the mat, he has a strong opportunity to finish, and he was able to do so in this bout. Yahya might be limited overall, but his submission grappling ability is very strong in this weight class. Grade remains C- Dustin Ortiz vs. Hector Sandoval Ortiz: He took a heavy shot right at the beginning of the fight, but he countered well, landing a shot straight to the temple putting Sandoval off the balance. He landed a second punch that sent Sandoval to the canvas earning the quickest victory in flyweight history. Upgraded from C- to C Sandoval: He took a couple shots to the side of the head and wasn’t able to recover. His inability to take those strikes makes one question just how he’ll handle strikers in the future. Downgraded from C- to D+ Jack Hermansson vs. Brad Scott Hermansson: An excellent performance by Hermansson, brutalizing Scott on the ground to earn a first-round stoppage. Hermansson has become a reliable, tough out in the middleweight division. Grade remains C- Scott: He was beat up on the ground by a superior opponent. I liked what I saw from Scott when he first arrived in the UFC, but his last few fights have been a disappointment. Grade remains D+ Alejandro Perez vs. Andre Soukhamthath Perez: He was dropped a few times in this bout but was able to recover quickly. He picked up the pace later in the bout and outworked his opponent with volume and some timely takedowns to sneak out a split decision win. Grade remains D+ Soukhamthath: He had Perez backing up for much of the fight. He landed the biggest punches of the fight and probably deserved the win based on damage alone. Upgraded from D to D+ Sam Alvey vs. Rashad Evans Alvey: He didn’t have Evans in trouble in this bout, but he was able to stuff takedowns and landed several knees in the clinch. It wasn’t a pretty performance, but it was enough to get the win. His inability to hurt well-rounded opponents will be tough to overcome as he faces better competition. Downgraded from C to C-. Evans: He had a decent round one but slowed down in the final 10 minutes, mustering little offense. With four losses in a row, it’s time for Evans to hang up the gloves and focus on television full-time. Downgraded from C- to D+ Humberto Bandenay vs. Martin Bravo Bandenay: This fight ended so quickly it’s tough to tell how good Bandenay is, but a flush knee that puts an opponent away in a debut is about as good a start in the UFC as a fighter will have. Debut grade is D Bravo: He debuted well in the UFC, but being finished quickly by a debuting fighter is a major step backwards. Downgraded from D+ to D Alan Jouban vs. Niko Price Jouban: Jouban looked a step slow the second the fight began, and his opponent made him pay. Having been dropped and finished in his last two fights, his ability to take a punch has diminished. His striking defense is not good enough to be able to fight the way he wants anymore, making it difficult for him to succeed in the UFC. Downgraded from C to C- Price: He’s now won three straight fights in the UFC with all of them coming by stoppage. He’s rising quickly in the welterweight division and is deserving of an opponent on the fringe of the division’s Top 15. Upgraded from C- to C Alexa Grasso vs. Randa Markos Grasso: When she’s able to strike on the feet, her technique is some of the best in the division. She really needs to work on her defensive wrestling if she’s going to become a real threat in this weight class. She got the win in this bout, but it was a lot closer than it should have been. Upgraded from C to C+ Markos: She had opportunities in the third round to solidify the round with control, but she was unable to maintain the position she needed to do so. Markos is at best a gatekeeper for rising prospects in the division. Grade remains C+ Brandon Moreno vs. Sergio Pettis Moreno: When he’s able to get back control of an opponent, he’s a very good fighter. When forced into a striking exchange, his skill set is exposed, and that happened too often in this bout as Moreno took a step back in his decision defeat. Grade remains C Pettis: After being in trouble early in the bout, Pettis regained his composure out striking his opponent over the course of the last 20 minutes to earn a decision. He fought really smart in the middle rounds, picking his punches to land cleanest. He wasn’t able to finish, but it was an opportunity to show off his striking skill set, and he did so in this bout. Grade remains C+
