Jay Primetown gives his thoughts on each of the fighters who competed at UFC Fight Night 142 in Adelaide, Australia. Jay gives his letter grades for each fighter on TheMMA-Analysis podcast which can be found on MMAOddsbreaker.com
Alex Gorgees vs. Damir Ismagulov
Gorgees: He had nothing to offer his Russian opponent as he wasn’t able to land any punches that hurt his opponent. Furthermore, he had no answers for Ismagulov’s grappling. Debut grade is D
Ismagulov: He utilized a clean game plan and limited his opponent to just 15 strikes landed over 15 minutes. He dominated this fight from start to finish and is still planning to drop down to featherweight for his next bout. He’s one of the best prospects in the featherweight division with no clear weaknesses. Debut grade at featherweight is C+
Christos Giagos vs. Mizuto Hirota
Giagos: He showed improvements on the feet and despite running out of energy in the third round, clearly won the fight. A win is a win, but it’s hard to see Giagos advancing much beyond this level. Grade remains D+
Hirota: He has slowed down and he wasn’t able to stop the takedown attempts until Giagos got tired. Not a good performance from Hirota who is nearing the end of his career. Downgraded from D to D-
Elias Garcia vs. Kai Kara-France
Garcia: He had Kara-France in some dangerous positions on the mat, but was unable to get the submission. He was brutalized in the striking department being out struck by over a 100 strikes. He showed a lot of heart getting to the final bell, but he was thoroughly out classed. Grade remains D+
Kara-France: He found himself in a couple of threatening positions, however his striking and scrambling in this bout appeared to be at an elite level. His ability to continue to throw with speed and volume deep into the thread round are great signs for him as he moves up in the UFC. Debut grade is C
Keita Nakamura vs. Salim Touahri
Nakamura: He kept Touahri on the back foot and did just enough on the feet to win a split decision in what was a fairly lackluster bout. Grade remains D+
Touahri: He started well, but struggled to land in combination and was too reliant on counter punches to beat Nakamura over fifteen minutes. Grade remains D
Ben Nguyen vs. Wilson Reis
Nguyen: Struggled to defend the takedown attempts and therefore never got himself into the fight. This was a fight he needed to take the next step in his career and the result was a dud. Grade remains C+
Reis: A smart fight from the Brazilian as he stayed out of harm’s way and made it a difficult night for Nguyen. Expect another top ten opponent in his next bout. Upgraded from B- to B
Alexey Kunchenko vs. Yushin Okami
Kunchenko: He had no problems with Yushin Okami absolutely out classing him on the feet and stuffing all of the Japanese fighter’s takedown attempts. The only think Kunchenko didn’t get was the finish which is a bit of a worry as he begins to face the better fighters in the division. Upgraded from C to C+
Okami: This was a tough matchup for him made worse that he wasn’t able to secure even one takedown. Okami is nearing the end of his career and this could be the last one he has in the UFC. Grade remains D+
Paul Craig vs. Jim Crute
Craig: He did better than the odds indicated he would. He was able to gain top control in the second round and win that round, but in the third round he lost position and was eventually submitted. Craig has some wins in the UFC, but he’s a limited fighter. Grade remains D
Crute: Despite showing some endurance issues, Crute pushed through it in the third round and found a late finish. He has some holes, but the 22-year-old is a talented fighter. Debut grade is D+
Suman Mokhtarian vs. Sodiq Yusuff
Mokhtarian: He was given a tough opponent in his debut and simply couldn’t keep up on the feet. Need to see him against a more comparable opponent to determine if he can make the cut in the UFC. Debut grade is D
Yusuff: He was considered a good prospect entering this bout and nothing about that changed as he crushed his opponent in the first round. Expect to see him back in the Octagon sooner rather than later. Debut grade is C
Tony Martin vs. Jake Matthews
Martin: He flew all the way around the world in what was a pickem fight on paper. He started to pick up the pace as the fight wore on and took advantage of a tiring Matthews to get the submission to continue his winning streak at welterweight. Grade remains C-
Matthews: He looked composed through two rounds, but once the fight went to the mat in round three, he had no answers and was submitted by a better submission grappler. Matthews is talented but struggles to put in a complete performance. Grade remains D+
Tyson Pedro vs. Mauricio Rua
Pedro: He had Shogun in all sorts of trouble in the first round and should have gotten the finish. After the first round, it was a completely different fight as he was dominated and finished by the legendary Brazilian. Given how Shogun has fought of late, this was a terrible loss and a fight Pedro should have won. Downgraded from C- to D+
Rua: In a fight he desperately needed to win, Shogun came from behind to earn a stoppage victory over Tyson Pedro. He’s nearing the end of his illustrious career and his comeback showed more recent fight fans why so many love the future Hall of Famer. Upgraded from D+ to C-
Mark Hunt vs. Justin Willis
Hunt: He struggled with the mobility of Justin Willis and wasn’t able to land anything meaningful to change the trajectory of this fight. It was the last fight on Hunt’s contract and he is expected to leave the UFC. Grade remains C
Willis: He employed an excellent game plan. He continued to move and didn’t allow Hunt an opportunity to land anything meaningful. As importantly, he had great composure and didn’t show any signs of nerves in easily the biggest UFC fight of his career. This was a big win and one that should jump him up the rankings. Upgraded from C to B
Junior dos Santos vs. Tai Tuivasa
Dos Santos: He had a difficult start to this fight as he struggled with the speed of his opponent. It took a round for dos Santos to adjust, but he did well in round two clipping the Australian fighter and finishing him on the mat. Perhaps a top five opponent is next for dos Santos as he looks to get back in the title picture. Grade remains B
Tuivasa: Despite not getting the victory, he showed he is more than capable of competing against the fighter the caliber of Junior dos Santos. He’s a young fighter that I expect to learn a lot from this loss. Upgraded from C to C+
