Jay Primetown gives his thoughts on each of the fighters who competed at UFC Fight Night 131 in Utica, New York. Jay gives his letter grades for each fighter on TheMMA-Analysis podcast which can be found on MMAOddsbreaker.com.
Jarred Brooks vs. Jose Torres Brooks: He was doing really well in this fight against a talented fighter until he landed unfortunately on a slam attempt and was knocked unconscious. Grade remains C Torres: He started slow and was in trouble early in round one, but started to show signs in round two. It was a unique ending to the fight and big win for Torres as he looks to quickly move up the divisional rankings. Debut grade is C Johnny Eduardo vs. Nathaniel Wood Eduardo: His striking is still well above average for the division, but he was exposed again on the mat. Turning 38 in August and having been finished in three of his last four fights, this may be the last time Eduardo appears in the UFC. Grade remains C–
Wood: He took some damage in round one and was hurt at one point, but recovered well taking control in the second round to earn a beautiful submission stoppage victory. Good win over a veteran to kick start his UFC tenure. Debut grade is C- Des Green vs. Gleison Tibau Green: This was a really nice effort from Green who mixed his striking up well and was never in danger in this bout. He controlled the action for all 15 minutes to earn a decision over a well-respected veteran. Grade remains C Tibau: He’s shown aging in his last few fights and simply cannot compete against the upper tier of the division anymore. He’s been in the UFC for a long time and deserves the opportunity to finish his career in the promotion. Downgraded from C to D+ Belal Muhammad vs. Chance Rencounture Muhammad: It’s not easy to take a fight during Ramadan, but Belal Muhammad showed no issues out classing his opponent throughout and limiting his opponent’s opportunities to win as easy a 30-27 decision as one will see. Grade remains C Rencountre: Even with a significant size advantage, he really struggled to land strikes throughout the fight and appeared mismatched. Debut grade is D- Nik Lentz vs. David Teymur Lentz: He simply couldn’t get Teymur to the mat where he had an advantage. On the feet, he tried but was outgunned by the talented Teymur. Grade remains C Teymur: He has a beautiful striking game and has underrated takedown defense. He’s an intriguing fighter to watch with a five fight winning streak in the sport’s deepest division. Expect a top 15 opponent next. Grade remains B- Sijara Eubanks vs. Lauren Murphy Eubanks: She beat up her opponent on the feet and out muscled on the mat to win a clear decision and solidify herself as a contender in the flyweight division. Upgraded from C+ to B- Murphy: She was a step behind in this bout and struggled to land anything of significance. A tough loss for Murphy as a victory would have put her close to a flyweight title shot. Grade remains C+ Sam Alvey vs. Gian Villante Alvey: His inactivity puts him in close fights, but when he does throw punches he does so with conviction and can really hurt opponents. He continues to have a solid career in the UFC with now slowing down in sight. Grade remains D+ Villante: He has his moments on the feet, but his chin continues to let him down with regularity. He’s a good athlete, but consistency over 15 minutes is something he needs to improve on otherwise he’ll continue to be a lower tier light heavyweight. Grade remains D+ Julio Arce vs. Daniel Teymur Arce: A tremendous performance from the Tiger Schulman trained featherweight. He has a great motor and increases volume as fights move into the later rounds. He showed his proficiency on the mat with a rear naked choke to cap off the win. Upgraded from C- to C+ Teymur: He struggled all fight to land anything but lower leg kicks. After a decent opening round, he slowed down and was dominated by a superior opponent. Grade remains D+ Jake Ellenberger vs. Ben Saunders Ellenberger: He landed a big punch in the opening round, but made a major mistake of allowing Saunders to clinch. Ellenberger struggled in that position and was put away with a knee to the body. Downgraded from C- to D+ Saunders: Once he got Ellenberger in the clinch, the fight was all Saunders as he landed to the body forcing Ellenberger to turtle up and earn himself a stoppage. Grade remains D+ Walt Harris vs. Daniel Spitz Harris: He had no trouble with Spitz overpowering with athleticism and raw strength. This is a fight he should have won and did so convincingly. Grade remains D Spitz: This was a bad matchup and nothing here showed that he had made improvements to his overall game. He’s now 1-2 in the UFC and likely will get one more opportunity to prove himself. Grade remains F Gregor Gillespie vs. Vinc Pichel Gillespie: Another dominant performance from the NCAA Division 1 Champion wrestler. He’s yet to be challenged in the UFC and it’s just a matter of when he’ll be in the top ten of the division. There are few fighters in MMA capable of dominating in the vein that Gillespie can with top control wrestling. Grade remains B Pichel: He never had a chance in this fight. He was taken down early and often unable to muster much offense as Gillespie had his way with him on the mat. Grade remains C Marlon Moraes vs. Jimmie Rivera Moraes: A picture perfect performance. Moraes knocked out a fighter who hadn’t lost in nearly 10 years and did so in just 33 seconds. Moraes is the top contender and should be on standby should TJ Dillashaw or Cody Garbrandt not be able to go at UFC 226 in August. Upgraded from A to A+ Rivera: This fight couldn’t have gone worse for the New Jersey native. In his first ever main event with a chance to shine, Rivera was dropped and finished within the opening minute. Tough to see how Rivera recovers from this loss. Grade remains A-
