Jay Primetown gives his thoughts on each of the fighters who competed at UFC 227 in Los Angeles, California. Jay gives his letter grades for each fighter on TheMMA-Analysis podcast which can be found on MMAOddsbreaker.com.
Wuliji Buren vs. Marlon Vera
Buren: He acquitted himself better than I thought he would in this bout, but the end result was ultimately the same as he was finished inside of two rounds. Buren is now 0-2 in the UFC and likely to be cut from the promotion. Grade remains F
Vera: He had some struggles early on, but Vera has shown to be a finisher in a division that doesn’t have many. Grade remains C-
Danielle Taylor vs. Weili Zhang
Taylor: She landed some solid power punches, but her problem is volume and she doesn’t have it to compete with any above average striker. Downgraded from D+ to D
Zhang: She had some success on the feet as her technical attributes stood out, but she didn’t run away with this bout as much as she could have. Debut grade is D+
Alex Perez vs. Jose Torres
Perez: His punching was incredible as he was able to pour it on Torres to earn a first round stoppage and the biggest win of his career. Upgraded from C- to C+
Torres: He has a tendency to start slow and it really cost him in this bout. Torres has talent, but his early pace is a real hindrance from keeping against the more talented fighters in the promotion. Downgraded from C to C-
Sheymon Moraes vs. Matt Sayles
Moraes: He displayed a varied striking attack landing punches and kicks. He slowed down in the third round, but his striking acumen is above average for the weight class. Grade remains C
Sayles: His conditioning is really good, but he got behind in the fight in the early, so despite winning the third round convincingly it was too little too late. Debut grade is C-
Kyung Ho Kang vs. Ricardo Ramos
Kang: He was fairly competitive with the Brazilian in this bout, but got behind early in this fight and by the time he started to get the better of the action, it was too late to win on the scorecards. Grade remains C-
Ramos: He showed improvements in his striking landing with some heavy punches on his feet. He’s a big bantamweight and tends to slow down as fights progress. It’s something to keep an eye on as he faces better bantamweights. Upgraded from C- to C
Montell Jackson vs. Ricky Simon
Jackson: He absolutely had his moments in this bout, but he struggled to defend takedowns. He was taken to the mat four times in this bout and that was the difference in an otherwise competitive contest. Debut grade is C-
Simon: He’s a rugged, high energy fighter that forces his opponents to compete for all 15 minutes. He’s not world class at any one thing, but he’s a solid all-around fighter that is good enough to stick around long term in the promotion. Upgraded from C- to C
Brett Johns vs. Pedro Munhoz
Johns: This was a difficult proposition for Johns, who was competitive at times, but ate too many big shots. Grade remains C+
Munhoz: His striking continues to improve as he had Johns in trouble multiple times in this bout. Combined with his dangerous submission game and Munhoz is a top ten fighter in this division. All of Munhoz’s three career losses have come to fighters currently ranked above him in the division. Upgraded from B- to B
Kevin Holland vs. Thiago Santos
Holland: This was a really tough matchup for his debut in the UFC. He simply didn’t have the power or strength to truly threaten Thiago Santos. He showed a toughness to make it all 15 minutes, but at middleweight he will struggle if he doesn’t add any additional muscle. Debut grade is C-
Santos: His power striking is something very few fighters are willingly going to get in the cage with. Santos overpowers his opponents and has beaten up on the bottom tier of the promotion. When’s allowed to stand and trade (like he was at UFC 227), he will have success. Grade remains C+
J.J. Aldrich vs. Polyana Viana
Aldrich: She utilized an effective game plan of controlling distance and then finding her range to land the better strikes. It wasn’t a dominant performance, but it was good enough over a fighter who had been on an excellent run of form. Upgraded from C- to C
Viana: She’s dangerous, but doesn’t have the consistency or the output to be a threat to the top fighters if she can’t get the fight to the canvas. Grade remains C
Renato Moicano vs. Cub Swanson
Moicano: When we look back at Moicano’s career in a few years’ time, it will be this tremendous performance that will be the one that truly put him on the map and into the conversation of the division’s best fighters. Moicano has the size, technique, and tactical chops to compete with just about anyone in the UFC. Submitting Swanson in the first round is a heck of a win and has him one win away from a shot at the featherweight championship. Upgraded from B to A-
Swanson: He was simply out gunned in this fight. He landed a couple of decent punches, but they didn’t even phase his opponent. Swanson has been a pioneer of the UFC’s featherweight division, but the next generation has arrived and is now at the forefront of this division. Downgraded from B to B-
Henry Cejudo vs. Demetrious Johnson
Cejudo: After he was knocked out in their first fight, it was hard to know what to expect from Henry Cejudo in the rematch with long time champion. Cejudo went toe to toe with the champion and late in the bout was able to consistently secure takedowns. Those takedowns helped him squeak out rounds to dethrone Johnson in a very close decision. A rematch will happen sometime down the line between the two clear top flyweights. Upgraded from A to A+
Johnson: He fought more tentatively than in any of his previous title fights. He utilized a kick heavy attack, but with his wrestling nullified by Cejudo, he doesn’t possess the power to alter the course of the fight. He surprisingly dropped the final two rounds which were the difference in him retaining the title. With Johnson turning 32 later in August, it’s likely we start seeing Johnson regress as speed is usually one of the first things to deteriorate for fighters with age. Downgraded from A++ to A+
TJ Dillashaw vs. Cody Garbrandt
Dillashaw: The knockout win in their first fight gave Dillashaw all the confidence he needed as he was able to out strike Garbrandt in the pocket and put the Team Alpha Male away by knockout for the second time. Dillashaw can now close the chapter with Garbrandt and take on other top tier bantamweights. Grade remains A+
Garbrandt: He has some of the best offensive boxing in the bantamweight division, but he spends too much time in the pocket. He provided too much of a window for his opponent to land and it cost him the bout. Garbrandt needs to fight with more caution if he’s going to be able to regain the championship at some point down the line. Downgraded from A+ to A
