Jay Primetown gives his thoughts on each of the fighters who competed at UFN 75 in Saitama, Japan. Jay gives his letter grades for each fighter on TheMMA-Analysis podcast which can be found on MMAOddsbreaker.com. Shinsho Anzai vs. Roger Zapata Anzai: His standup is poor, but his offensive wrestling is decent. That alone will allow him to have moments of success in the sport. Sure, it was a fluke finish, but he was well on his way to victory. Grade remains D- Zapata: Inability to be the aggressor on the feet did him in this bout. Furthermore, he allowed himself to be pushed up against the fence. Zapata just doesn’t have what it takes to be successful in the UFC. Downgraded from D- to F Kajan Johnson vs. Naoyuki Kotani Johnson: Offensive striking and movement were miles ahead of his opponent in this bout. Johnson still has vulnerabilities, but he’s proven he can beat the bottom rung fighters in the organization. Upgraded from D to D+ Kotani: Standup simply isn’t UFC caliber. If he can get top control on the ground, he can be dangerous. If unable to do that, he’s target practice for his opponent. After this loss he should be cut from the UFC. Downgraded from D to D- Nick Hein vs. Yusuke Kasuya Hein: Solid counter striker and does well to stifle takedowns, but his lack of striking power is a real concern as he faces better standup fighters. He got the win at UFN 75, but it was not his best performance in the cage. Downgraded from C- to D+ Kasuya: This was a closer fight than I expected. He landed well early in the fight, but slowed as the bout went on. He showed he can compete in the UFC. Upgraded from D- to D Li Jingliang vs. Keita Nakamura Jingliang: He looked close to finishing this fight a couple times in the second round, but gave up his back in the third round. Shocking loss for the Chinese fighter. Grade remains D+ Nakamura: Impressed me early on dropping Jingliang in the first round. He impressed me even more by fighting adversity and coming from behind latching on a submission to win in the third round. Upgraded from D to D+ Mizuto Hirota vs. Teruto Ishihara Hirota: Took awhile to adjust to Ishihara’s reach, but did well as the fight went on. It was a close fight hitting the scorecards and the judges decided it was a draw. Grade remains a D Ishihara: Started well landing with regularity on the fight. Conditioning let him down late in the fight as he struggled to get to the end of the fight. Should be happy judges scored that draw as I thought he lost the fight. Debut grade is D Diego Brandao vs. Katsunori Kikuno Brandao: The former TUF Champion did what he does. He blitzed his opponent from the opening bell and gave Kikuno no chance to recover. Excellent win and gives him a lot of momentum. Grade remains C+ Kikuno: He’s lost his ability to take a punch and he’s way too slow to compete with most fighters in the UFC. His days of dominating fights are over. Downgraded from C- to D+ Takeya Mizugaki vs. George Roop Mizugaki: Easily outstruck his opponent to get a clear decision victory. Did what he was supposed to do. Grade remains B- Roop: His length is the only thing above average about his fighting acumen. He’s mainly target practice for his opponents. Grade remains C- Chico Camus vs. Kyoji Horiguchi Camus: Just not in the same class as Japan’s top MMA fighter. Downgraded from B to B- Horiguchi: Smart fight from Horiguchi in which it was already settled at the bell. Deserves to face a top three fighter in the division in his next bout. Grade remains A- Uriah Hall vs. Gegard Mousasi Hall: He got absolutely dominated in the first round, but delivered in the second round with one of the truly stunning victories in my time watching MMA. By far the biggest win of his career and the one that could really rejuvenate his career. Upgraded from C to B- Mousasi: Looked awesome in top control in Round one, but got caught by a truly special strike by Uriah Hall. Mousasi’s stock drops a bit with this loss, but still believe he’s a top 10 middleweight. Downgraded from B+ to B Josh Barnett vs. Roy Nelson Barnett: Tremendous performance from Barnett. Showed he can compete for 25 minutes and hold a solid pace. Good combination striking and clinch fighting. Upgraded from B to B+ Nelson: Big Country had one of his best performances inside the Octagon. He showed more of a wrestling game than he has in previous fights. He definitely showed some additions to his tool set in this fight, but it wasn’t enough against a superior fighter. Grade remains B-
