Jay Primetown gives his thoughts on each of the fighters who competed at UFC Fight Night 137 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Jay gives his letter grades for each fighter on TheMMA-Analysis podcast which can be found on MMAOddsbreaker.com.
Alex Chambers vs. Livia Souza Chambers: She was completely out classed in this bout and at 39 years of age this should be her last fight in the UFC. Downgraded from D- to F Souza: A really nice debut barely having to break a sweat. It’s time for a significant step up in competition. Debut grade is C Elizeu dos Santos vs. Luigi Vandramini Dos Santos: After a close first round, he landed a big flying knee in the second round and followed up with punches to win by knockout. He’s now won six in a row in the UFC and is on some of the best form in the welterweight division. Upgraded from C to C+ Vandramini: He acquitted himself early, but once dos Santos got going, it was over quick. Debut grade is D Thales Leites vs. Hector Lombard Leites: He took a lot of leg kicks early in the bout, but he took over in the final two rounds to out work Lombard for a clear decision victory. Leites retires a C- Lombard: He’s a pretty good fighter for five minutes, but he slows down significantly after that and struggles in prolonged fights. Downgraded from D+ to D Gillian Robertson vs. Mayra Bueno Silva Robertson: She showed capable with her offensive takedown attempts, but she struggled on the feet and then was exposed in the grappling. Her potential appears limited in the UFC. Grade remains D+ Silva: The power in her right hand will keep opponents tentative on her feet, but it’s the armbar submission she secured in the opening round which makes me believe she will stick around in the UFC. Debut grade is C Sergio Moraes vs. Ben Saunders Moraes: A fine performance from the former world champion in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. He dominated a fellow black belt on the mat to earn the submission victory. Grade remains C- Saunders: He had never lost by submission until this bout. He was unable to keep the bout standing and on the ground he was tasked with fighting one of MMA’s best grapplers. It was never going to end well. Downgraded from D+ to D Augusto Sakai vs. Chase Sherman Sakai: He showed a nice variety of striking on the feet and did well to land in combination to hurt and ultimately finish his opponent. Debut grade is D+ Sherman: He’s just too hittable and at heavyweight that’s just not going to work. Grade remains D- Luis Henrique vs. Ryan Spann Henrique: His offensive wrestling is good enough to compete in the UFC, but his conditioning really let him down as he dropped a decision. Downgraded from D+ to D Spann: He has a nice jab and is physically imposing on the feet. He needs to improve his takedown defense, but I like what he saw from and expect him to continue to rise in the light heavyweight division. Debut grade is C- Evan Dunham vs. Francisco Trinaldo Dunham: He had his moments against Trinaldo, but once again was hurt by a body shot that resulted in a finish. Dunham has had a fine career in the UFC, but it’s a good time to walk away as he can’t take the shots he once was able to. Retires as a C Trinaldo: This was a competitive fight, but his power was the difference in this bout as he earned yet another stoppage win. At 40 years old, he hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down. Grade remains C+ Christos Giagos vs. Charles Oliveira Giagos: He was in this bout on the feet, but once it went to the ground he was in a world of trouble and was submitted in the second round. Grade remains D+ Oliveira: With this eleventh submission win, Do Bronx passes Royce Gracie for first all time in submissions in the history of the UFC. An incredible feat for the talented Brazilian fighter. Oliveira remains B- Randa Markos vs. Marina Rodriguez Markos: She did well on the mat and with her dirty boxing, but conditioning was an issue for her in this bout as she couldn’t keep up with the pace of her opponent. She was fortunate the bout was called a draw. Downgraded from C to C- Rodriguez: Her length is a real asset on the feet and she certainly had success as she battered Markos in the final two rounds. A solid debut for the Brazilian despite not getting the win. Debut grade is C- Renan Barao vs. Andre Ewell Barao: In the first round, he’s still a good fighter. However, he really slows down after that and is nowhere the fighter he once was. This was a bad loss for Barao as he’s nearing the end of his career. Downgraded from C to D+ Ewell: He took advantage of the situation getting the win over a former champion. He has some skills on the feet, but he’ll need to show a more well-rounded arsenal if he’s to move up in the division. Debut grade is D+ Sam Alvey vs. Antonio Nogueira Alvey: His chin did not hold up in this fight as he was taken off balance and never recovered in the second round. Alvey’s slow pace is something that limits his potential. Downgraded from D+ to D Nogueira: The legendary twin had one of his best moments in the UFC hurting and then finishing a durable fighter in Sam Alvey. Grade remains D+ Alex Oliveira vs. Carlo Perdersoli Oliveira: The first strike he landed clean put Pedersoli to the mat and from there it was only a matter of seconds before he finished him off. He continues to rack up wins in the UFC. Grade remains C+ Pedersoli: This fight ended quickly and not much could be gauged from this result. Grade remains D+ Eryk Anders vs. Thiago Santos Anders: This was a tough spot for Anders. He’s not a big fighter at middleweight and then forced to fight at 205 against a fighter who was comfortable at that weight. He had his moments in this bout, but ultimately it just wasn’t enough as he was beat up by the bigger, more powerful striker. Downgraded from C+ to C Santos: An important fight for Santos as he needed to do well in his first UFC main event. He did not disappoint finishing a talented athlete in front of the Brazilian faithful. Santos continues to show that he’s one of the most entertaining fighters in the bigger weight classes and will continue to get high profile fights for the next few years. Grade remains C+
