Jay Primetown gives his thoughts on each of the fighters who competed at UFC Fight Night 67 and updates his letter grades on each. Jay gives his letter grades for each fighter on TheMMA-Analysis podcast which can be found on MMAOddsbreaker.com Tom Breese vs. Luiz Dutra Breese: Really didn’t show much improvement from tape until he landed a great punch which floored Dutra following up for the finish. Certainly talented. Breese Full grade (Before Fight / After Fight): Offensive Striking: D / C- Striking Defense: D+ / D+ Knockout Power: D- / D+ Athleticism/Speed: D+ / D+ Footwork: C- / C- Chin: C / C Offensive Wrestling: D+ / D+ Takedown Defense: D / D+ Submissions: B / B Conditioning: C / C Intangibles: C- / C- Overall Grade: D+ / C- Dutra: Chin a question marking moving forward as he enters his mid 30’s. He had a poor game plan given strengths of opponent. Offensive skills consistent with previous fights. Grade remains D+ Ericka Almeida vs. Julianna Lima Almeida: Completely outworked in the grappling exchanges in this fight. Almeida was unable to work for any submissions off her back. Poor debut. Almeida Full grade (Before Fight / After Fight): Offensive Striking: D+ / D+ Striking Defense: D+ / D Knockout Power: D / D+ Athleticism/Speed: C- / D+ Footwork: D+ / D+ Chin: C+ / C Offensive Wrestling: C- / D Takedown Defense: D / D- Submissions: C / D+ Conditioning: C- / C Intangibles: C- / D+ Overall Grade: D+ / D Lima: Has shown that she is one of the top grapplers in the division. Fights smart on the ground and physically capable of competing with some of the top fighters in the division. Upgraded from C to C+ Mirsad Bektic vs. Lucas Martins Bektic: Absolutely tremendous performance. Mauled a very good, rising opponent in Lucas Martins. Showed improvements in footwork and striking. Ability to control an opponent on the ground is near the top of the sport. Upgraded from B- to B+ Martins: Had no answers for Bektic’s aggressive grappling heavy approach. To be fair, there are very few fighters in the division who would be able to hang with Bektic. Needs to spend less time with his back against the cage. Grade remains C Nicolas Dalby vs. Elizeu Zaleski Dos Santos Dalby: Well-rounded skill set allowing him to fight against any type of fighter he faces. Biggest problem is lack of punching power. Most opponents will look to stand and strike with him as that is the best way to beat him at this point. Dalby Full grade (Before Fight/After Fight): Offensive Striking: B / B- Striking Defense: D+ / D Knockout Power: D+ / D+ Athleticism/Speed: C / C Footwork: C+ / C+ Chin: C / C+ Offensive Wrestling: C+ / C+ Takedown Defense: C+ / C Submissions: C- / C- Conditioning: B- / B- Intangibles: C+ / C+ Overall Grade: C / C Dos Santos: Dangerous striker with very heavy hands. Capoeira training allows for some variety in his strikes. Gas tank is solid as he’s a dangerous opponent for the entirety of the fight. Upgraded from D to C- Jussier Formiga vs. Wilson Reis Formiga: Showed improvements once again in his striking combined with his excellent grappling ability. Ability to fight with multiple game plans makes him a fighter on the rise in the division. Upgraded from B to B+ Reis: Still has holes in the stand up which can be exposed by even an average striker. Grappling is good, but not great. Solid fighter, but not a title contender. Grade remains B- Damon Jackson vs. Rony Jason Jackson: Wrestling techniques are good, but he needs to improve his ability to defend submissions. Walked right into Jason’s triangle / armbar combination. Poor result that may see him get released by the organization. Downgraded from C to C- Jason: Submission skill set saved him in this fight. He was outworked in the grappling and the clinch grappling, but was able to pull off the submission win. He’s a fight worth fading in the near future. Grade remains C Wendell Oliveira vs. Darren Till Oliveira : Fought competitively with Till until he was taken down. From there, he had no answer for Till’s ground and pound. Only two fights in the UFC, but he has been knocked out in both appearances. Dowgraded from D+ to D Till: Good all-around ability and size for the weight class. Vicious elbows from top control to put Oliveira out. I think he has decent potential, but need to see more. Ungraded before this fight, opening grade a C- Norman Parke vs. Francisco Trinaldo Parke: Disappointing performance from the Northern Ireland born fighter. Was unable to muster much attack until the third round of the fight. Is more known for talk than for his fights. Downgraded from C to C- Trinaldo: Had a very good second round, but was lucky to come away with the split decision win. Aging fighter that really struggles when unable to bully opponents. Grade remains C- Francimar Barroso vs. Ryan Jimmo Barroso: Showed some improvements in his striking, but ultimately won this fight because his opponent ultimately didn’t care to win it. Grade remains D Jimmo: Showed zero urgency in this fight. Far more talented striker, but allowed himself to be pushed against the cage. At his best when able to maintain distance and strike from range. Has complained about recent Reebok deal and wouldn’t be surprised if he was looking to get cut from the UFC. Downgraded from C to D+ KJ Noons vs. Alex Oliveira Noons: When forced to fight at lightweight, simply isn’t the same caliber of fighter that he is as at a catchweight or even welterweight. Skill wise he is beginning to slow down as well. Downgraded from C+ to C Oliveira Showed off his grappling ability in this bout for the biggest win of his career. Oliveira is a dangerous striker as well making him an intriguing prospect at lightweight. With more experience, he could potentially make a run at the top 15 in the division. Upgraded from C to C+ Nik Lentz vs. Charles Oliveira Lentz: Better fight from Lentz in this meeting than their first fight. Still a bit reckless on the feet which opens opportunities for his opponent. With that said, he’s a game performer not afraid to face anyone in the division. Grade remains B Oliveira: As dangerous as they come in the submission game in this sport. Oliveira can threaten with submissions from just about any position in a fight. An absolute handful to deal with. Still very young and will be in title contention for years to come. Grade remains B+ Thiago Alves vs. Carlos Condit Alves: Competitive early on, but once Condit going Alves got dusted in the striking exchanges be a more rangy, accurate striker. Will be sidelined for a good length of time after the beating he took from Condit. Grade remains B- Condit: One of the all-time great 5 round fighters in the history of MMA. Amazing cardio combined with varied striking combinations. Condit got off to a slow start, but after he landed he was relentless. Clear top five fighter in the division. Grade remains A
