Jay Primetown gives his thoughts on each of the fighters who competed at UFC Fight Night 83 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Jay gives his letter grades for each fighter on TheMMA-Analysis podcast which can be found on MMAOddsbreaker.com Shamil Abdurahimov vs. Anthony Hamilton Abdurahimov: Showed off a diverse striking game with jabs, overhands, and a few spinning strikes. For a heavyweight fight, he held a decent pace throughout all rounds. Much needed win for the Dagestani fighter. Grade remains D Hamilton: He simply wasn’t able to counter Abdurahimov’s striking variation. In the past, he’s had success with takedowns and controlling fighters from top position, but he couldn’t get anything going in that regard in this fight. This is likely Hamilton’s last fight in the UFC. Grade remains D- Kelly Faszholz vs. Lauren Murphy Faszholz: Looked really good in the first half of the fight. Striking is potent and appears to have very good power for the weight class. Her size will give fighters fits as she progresses forward. Gave a tough fight to a solid veteran in Murphy. Certainly one to keep an eye on. Upgraded from D to C- Murphy: Had some issues early on the fight, but fought smart and made some great adjustments to begin landing on the feet. Key to the fight was securing takedown in the third round and battering her tired opponent. She’ll be a tough out in this division. Upgraded from C to C+ Ashlee Evans-Smith vs. Marion Reneau Evans-Smith: Slow start and nearly finished twice in the opening round. Used a lot of leg kicks from range to the body which had some success. Did well in round three and snuck out a controversial split decision. Grade remains C Reneau: Came close to finishing Evans-Smith twice in the first round, yet two judges scored the round for her opponent. She needed to do more later in the fight and fought to a stalemate. Judges got this one wrong in my eyes, but still a disappointing performance from the California native. Downgraded from B- to C+ Nathan Coy vs. Jonavin Webb Coy: He withstood Webb in the first round to tire him out and grind to a 29-28 decision. Important win for a Coy against a decent prospect. Upgraded from D to D+ Webb: He started off well, but gas tank really let him down in this fight. Taken down for the better part of the last two rounds and had no answers. Really poor performance. Downgraded from C to D+ Leonardo Guimaraes vs. Anthony Smith Guimaraes: Very slow start, but turned it on late in the fight. Continued to push forward even when winded. Showed off an iron chin as well. Didn’t get the decision, but he showed better than his tape in this bout. Upgraded from D to D+ Smith: Striking was excellent in the first round, but short notice really derailed him late in the fight almost costing him the victory. He’s talented and could have a nice career in the UFC, but needs to put on more consistent performances. Grade remains D+ Oluwale Bambose vs. Daniel Sarafian Bamgbose: Really nice composure in the standup. His creativity on the feet is refreshing in the middleweight division. Needs to show me he’s a capable fighter outside of a quick finish, but this was a great start. Upgraded from D to C- Sarafian: Didn’t look good at the weigh in and offered no resistance to Bamgbose in this fight. Poor performance and perhaps the last we see of him in the octagon. Downgraded from C- to D Alex Garcia vs. Sean Strickland Garcia: His length was a real issue in this fight as he was picked apart by his opponent’s jab He was able to secure some takedowns to make this competitive, but he was hurt from the continued inability to defend the jab and ultimately put away late in the third round. Many had high hopes for Garcia, but he appears to be a middle of the road fighter. Downgraded from C to C- Strickland: This was a big win for the American welterweight. He used his reach advantage well and peppered his opponent with a very smooth jab. He needs to improve his head movement and continue working on defending takedowns, but at 25 years old, he’s a solid fighter. Grade remains C Shane Campbell vs. James Krause Campbell: Taking this fight blind without knowing anything about his opponent was a really poor decision. He was out struck early on this bout and received an education in grappling from Krause in the first two rounds. As his opponent slowed down, he had success late but he needed a finish and couldn’t get one. Grade remains C- Krause: Solid veteran performance from Krause. He pushed the pace, not allowing his opponent to open up with striking. His submission attempts were strong, but he was unable to get the finish. He faded late, but did more than enough in the first ten minutes to get the win. Grade remains C Chris Camozzi vs. Joe Riggs Camozzi: He hurt Riggs early and then followed it up with one of the more visually stunning set of knees I’ve seen in a MMA cage before the referee stepped in. Easy work for Camozzi who is making the most of his second stint in the UFC. Grade remains C- Riggs: He gets hurt in every single one of his fights. Whether it’s from strikes or a misstep in the cage, Riggs can’t seem to be able to put together 15 quality minutes. It’s time for the veteran to hang up the gloves and move on to other things. Downgraded from D- to F Dennis Bermudez vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri Bermudez: He made a mistake in the first round allowing Kawajiri significant time in top control, but made adjustments battering Kawajiri on the feet and on the ground in the final two rounds to earn a unanimous decision. Good win for Bermudez getting him back on track. Grade remains B Kawajiri: He tried to do what he typically does and that is grind out opponents. Unfortunately, he came up against a stronger, better grappler in Bermudez. Grade remains B- Cody Garbrandt vs. Augusto Mendes Garbrandt: He did what he was supposed to do; beat a guy who is a novice in the striking department and had no way to get Garbrandt to the ground. Need to see what he can do against a power puncher before thinking he’s ready for the top 15 in the division. Grade remains C+ Mendes: He appeared more competent on the feet that what I’d seen from him in tape, but he was no match for Garbrandt. The short glimpse of his ground game he looked very dangerous. His problem is that he’s essentially a one trick pony. Grade remains D Derek Brunson vs. Roan Carneiro Brunson: Eye-opening performance from Derek Brunson. Once he got Carneiro to the canvas, he brutalized him with ground and pound. He made easy work of his opponent and should be put back in the Octagon quickly against a top 10 opponent. Upgraded from B- to B Carneiro: He looked like an undersized middleweight and that’s the problem for Carneiro in this weight class. He can be punished by the big, physical fighters in this division. At 37 years old, it’s tough to see him advancing any higher than he already is. Grade remains C+ Donald Cerrone vs. Alex Oliveira Cerrone: Didn’t look great on the feet, so made an effort to take the fight to the ground. Once he got top position, he was several levels above his opponent on the mat. Great triangle to score the easy submission win. Grade remains A- Oliveira: He started off well pressuring the slow starting Cerrone, but he had no answers on the ground. He’s a likable fighter with an action packed style, but he needs considerable work on his ground game to compete with fighters of the same talent level as Cerrone. This was a great learning experience for Oliveira. Grade remains C+
