Jay Primetown gives his thoughts on each of the fighters who competed at UFC Fight Night 127 in London, England. Jay gives his letter grades for each fighter on TheMMA-Analysis podcast which can be found on MMAOddsbreaker.com
Mark Godbeer vs. Dmitriy Sosnovskiy Godbeer: He had a real opportunity in this bout as his opponent had ring rust and conditioning was an issue. His problem was that he could not keep the fight grounded for long enough. This was not a good performance and he’ll likely be fighting to keep his place in the UFC in his next bout. Grade remains F Sosnovskiy: He really struggled with conditioning in this bout. Early in the second round it didn’t look good for him, but he was able to clip Godbeer in the later part of the round and finish the fight on the mat. His next bout will tell a lot about his future prospects in the promotion. Debut grade is D- Kajan Johnson vs. Stevie Ray Johnson: He spent most of his time running away from his opponent and the judges rewarded him for that with a split decision victory. He did score a couple of takedowns and one punch that backed Ray off in the second round, but otherwise he was beat up by his opponent. Grade remains C- Ray: He struggled with Johnson’s length early in this fight, but took over as Johnson started to slow down in the second round. The judges didn’t give him the decision, but he was the better fighter in this bout. Grade remains C Magomed Ankalaev vs. Paul Craig Ankalaev: He should of finished this fight much earlier as he completely dominated the striking both on the feet and on the mat. Putting himself in a position to be submitted in the final seconds is something that will stick with him for his entire career. Stunning loss for a very good prospect. Downgraded from C to C- Craig: One of the most stunning comeback victories in the history of the UFC. Craig had lost every minute of this fight prior to latching on a desperation triangle to win in the final second of the bout. This will certainly be the biggest moment of Craig’s MMA career. Upgraded from D- to D Hakeem Dawodu vs. Danny Henry Dawodu: Hard to assess Dawodu has he was hit clean with a very early shot and never recovered. He showed a lot of ability in other organizations, so he deserves another fight to see if this was just a blip on the radar. Grade remains D+ Henry: He’s a fighter that has entered my radar with a victory over Daniel Teymur and now a quick finish over Dawodu. He’s big for the weight class, hits hard, and a dangerous guillotine. He’s one to watch at featherweight. Upgraded from D+ to C- Oliver Enkamp vs. Danny Roberts Enkamp: He’s got too many holes defensively and it showed in this fight. He took a clean punch to his chin and was quickly finished. He’s young, but he’s not off to a good start in the UFC. Downgraded from D+ to D Roberts: He’s struggled in recent fights, but he came out quick here and got a first round finish. He needs to prove he can win consistently before getting a significant bump in opposition. Grade remains D+ Charles Byrd vs. John Phillips Byrd: He won both of his fights on the contender series and earned a first round victory in his full UFC debut. He dominated this bout and controlled just about every second of it. I’m looking forward to seeing how he does against better competition. Debut grade is D+ Phillips: Once taken to the mat, he had no answers for Byrd’s top pressure. He was thoroughly beaten in this bout. Debut grade is D- Leon Edwards vs. Peter Sobotta Edwards: He fought rather timid after he nearly stepped into an armbar in the first round, but in the third round he really took over and earned a last second stoppage TKO. With the victory, he should step into a more high profile bout in his next bout. Grade remains C+ Sobotta: He had his moments in this bout, but he ran out of gas in the final round and took a lot damage. Sobotta’s a savvy veteran and will continue to serve as a gatekeeper to the middle of the division. Grade remains C- Tom Duquesnoy vs. Terrion Ware Duquesnoy: He has a lot of talent, but he needs to work on his endurance as he tends to struggle late in fights keeping pace. He was in a dog fight and could have easily lost if a different set of judges were involved. Downgraded from C+ to C Ware: He’s proven to be as durable a fighter as there is in the division. He lacks the power to really hurt opponents, but his volume keeps him in a lot of fights forcing his opponents to earn it. Upgraded from D+ to C- Jan Blachowicz vs. Jimi Manuwa Blachowicz: A really good game plan from Blachowicz. He had a varied striking attack landing his jab at will and mixed in some body shots and takedowns as well. Blachowicz has now won three fights in a row in the UFC and seems to be hitting his form in the UFC. Upgraded from C- to C Manuwa: Father Time appears to be creeping up on Manuwa. He has become much more hittable in recent bouts and he’s not able to take punches like he previously was able to. Downgraded from B- to C Alexander Volkov vs. Fabricio Werdum Volkov: Despite being taken to the mat several times in this bout, Volkov dealt with Werdum and was never in real danger of being submitted. On the feet, he had a major advantage and eventually made Werdum pay. After the Daniel Cormier vs. Stipe Miocic fight in July, a real case can be made for Volkov to get the next crack at the title. Upgraded from C+ to B+ Werdum: He had a smart game plan to get the fight to the mat, but the longer the fight went on the more he was in trouble. Eventually, he succumbed to strikes. With the loss, it’s tough seeing Werdum find his way back into a UFC title fight again. Downgraded from B+ to B
