Jay Primetown gives his thoughts on each of the fighters who competed at UFC Fight Night 120 in Norfolk, Virginia. Jay gives his letter grades for each fighter on TheMMA-Analysis podcast which can be found on MMAOddsbreaker.com
Karl Roberson vs. Darren Stewart Roberson: An excellent debut for the New Jersey native. After a short feeling out process, he secured a takedown and beat Stewart up on the mat before latching on a rear naked choke to earn the victory. Upgraded from D+ to C- Stewart: He was active in the opening minutes of the bout keeping Roberson at bay on the feet, but at soon as the fight hit the mat he was completely dominated. It’s hard to see Stewart sticking around in the UFC after a second straight loss. Downgraded from D to D- Jake Collier vs. Marcel Fortuna Collier: The move up to light heavyweight seems to have started to pay dividends as he was able to utilize a volume heavy game plan to tire out his opponent to win a decision. This was as good of a performance as Collier has had in the UFC. Upgraded from D- to D Fortuna: Struggled with Collier’s pace. Fortuna was unable to throw strikes at the same rate as his opponent and cost him. When had opportunities on the ground he was unable to keep Collier grounded. Downgraded from D+ to D Court McGee vs. Sean Strickland McGee: His volume was good in this fight and he did a good of landing lower leg kicks, but his lack of power in his kicks and punches really held him back as he was unable to force Strickland to fight differently. Downgraded from C- to D+ Strickland: His jab is one of the best in the division and was the difference in this bout, but his lack of aggression a major issue moving forward as he takes on better opponents. Grade remains C Nina Ansaroff vs. Angela Hill Ansaroff: She’s got one of the better striking games at strawweight and her ability to turn it on as the fight goes on makes her an interesting fighter in this weight class moving forward. Upgraded from C- to C Hill: She struggled with the leg kicks of her opponent and was surprisingly outworked. Perhaps that’s more a testament to her opponent, but disappointing result nonetheless. Downgraded from B- to C Sage Northcutt vs. Michel Quinones Northcutt: A solid performance from Northcutt in this bout. He fought composed being aggressive enough on the feet without putting himself in harm’s danger. He secured some timely takedowns as well. As he continues to work with Team Alpha Male, expect even more improvements from the talented Texan. Grade remains D+ Quinones: He showed some toughness in this bout, but really struggled to land any offense of his own. With two straight losses in his UFC career and not being competitive in either fight, don’t expect to see him in the UFC again. Downgraded from D- to F Viviane Pereira vs. Tatiana Suarez Pereira: She had fared well in her first two UFC fights, but was completely outclassed in this bout on the ground by a fighter who is destined for title contention. Downgraded from C to C- Suarez: She’s fought twice in the UFC and been absolutely dominant in both of those bouts. Given her wrestling acumen, expect her to be fast tracked to contendership sooner rather than later. Upgraded from C+ to B John Dodson vs. Marlon Moraes Dodson: He landed some good punches in this fight, but wasn’t as elusive as he normally is. He took a decent amount of damage and ended up in a very close fight that could have gone either way on the scorecards. Grade remains A- Moraes: After a controversial decision loss to Raphael Assuncao, Moraes needed a solid return to develop some respect in this division. He went toe to toe with one of the best fighters in the division and got the nod from the judges in a very even fight. Moraes showed he’s a legitimate top 10 bantamweight in this fight and capable of competing with contenders. Grade remains A- Clay Guida vs. Joe Lauzon Guida: In his 25th UFC fight he earned only his second knockout victory in the promotion. Guida came out strong in this fight and made quick work of a fellow veteran. He’s out of contract, but UFC would be wise to resign him given just how well he’s been fighting in his last few bouts. Grade remains C+ Lauzon: He was clipped early in this bout and finished. Lauzon hasn’t been dominant in a bout since mid 2016. His skill set appears to be regressing. Downgraded from C to C- Raphael Assuncao vs. Matthew Lopez Assuncao: He put in one of his most well-rounded performances inside the Octagon. He focused on his opponent’s lead leg abusing it throughout the fight. He put the cherry on top of the result by earning a third round finish. Assuncao, like Moraes who fought earlier in the fight, is a win away from title contention. Grade remains A- Lopez: By far his toughest opponent to date and he simply didn’t have the skill set needed to make this bout competitive. He couldn’t get Assuncao to the mat and was beat up on the feet. He’s a good fighter, but not a top ten bantamweight. Grade remains C+ Cezar Ferreira vs. Nate Marquardt Ferreira: A solid performance from Ferreira as he landed some timely strikes on the feet, but it was a takedown in the third round that really solidified the fight for him as he maintained position on the mat for the majority of the round. Grade remains C Marquardt: He employed a solid game plan and had Ferreira hurt toward the end of the second round. Losing position on the mat in round three was the difference between a win and a loss in this bout for him. Grade remains C- Junior Albini vs. Andrei Arlovski Albini: A poor performance from the young Brazilian. He simply did not stay active enough against Arlovski and it cost him a chance at a victory over a name opponent. Downgraded from C- to D+ Arlovski: Coming into this bout on a five fight losing streak, expectations weren’t much for him. He did come out strong and was able to combine strikes out classing Albini on the feet to win a decision. It was a much needed win to keep a spot on the UFC roster. Grade remains C- Matt Brown vs. Diego Sanchez Brown: He was hurt pretty badly from a body kick, but was able to recover and not long later landed a tremendous elbow that floored his opponent to get the win. Brown has improved a lot over the course of his UFC career and has found his way into bouts against the very best in the sport. If this turns out to be his last fight, he’s certainly exceeded expectations. Grade remains C Sanchez: He started well in this fight, but what has become evident in recent bouts is that his chin just can’t keep up with his reckless style. It’s time for this legendary fighter to hang up the gloves. Grade remains D Anthony Pettis vs. Dustin Poirier Pettis: He struggled to defend takedowns throughout the bout and it cost him dearly. On the mat, he got cut open by elbows and it was the cut that made it difficult for him to see throughout the bout. At his peak, this is an opponent Pettis would have had little trouble with. He’s simply not the same caliber of fighter he used to be. Downgraded from B+ to B Poirier: He earned the biggest win of his UFC career by utilizing a grappling heavy game plan and beating up the former lightweight champion on the ground. It’s time for him to take on a top five opponent. Upgraded from B to B+
