Jay Primetown gives his thoughts on each of the fighters who competed at UFC 199 in Los Angeles, California. Jay gives his letter grades for each fighter on TheMMA-Analysis podcast which can be found on MMAOddsbreaker.com Dong Hyun Kim vs. Polo Reyes Kim: He showed a fantastic chin in this bout. He’s way too hittable on the feet and it’s hard to see him doing much in the UFC, but this fight certainly will see him stay in the organization despite the loss. Grade remains D- Reyes: His volume work is fantastic and he’s showed a really good clinch game. He’s a bit sloppy in certain situations, but he’s an action fighter that can certainly cause opponent’s problems. Upgrade from D- to D Kevin Casey vs. Elvis Mutapcic Casey: Scored takedowns in the first two rounds, but really ran out of gas again in the later part of the fight. Until he’s able to show a complete 15 minutes in the cage, he’s going to be stuck in the lower part of the middleweight division. Grade remains D+ Mutapcic: His takedown defense is below average which saw him get behind in this fight. He did well late to pour on the volume against a tired opponent. He doesn’t have any difference making ability whether standing or on the ground, so hard to see him moving up much in the rankings. Grade remains D+ Frank Waisten vs. Jonathan Wilson Waisten: Fought a lot better than expected. His work in the clinch and to the body was a huge factor in this fight. His conditioning was on point as he landed with volume in round two and wore out his opponent to get the finish. Upgraded from D- to D+ Wilson: Has some nice striking, but work rate simply not good enough if he can’t put his opponent away early. Not defending himself while on bottom is not a good memory to leave the cage with. Downgraded from D+ to D Tom Breese vs. Sean Strickland Breese: He landed the bigger strikes in this fight overall, but he didn’t stay as busy as his opponent and his counter striking style did not appeal to the judges when it hit the scorecards. Grade remains C Strickland: He did a nice job of landing his jab and controlling the cage. This was a close fight, but Strickland proved he was the smarter fighter on the night in getting a razor close decision on the scorecards. Grade remains C Alex Caceres vs. Cole Miller Caceres: Had an excellent first two rounds Dominated Miller both on the feet and in the wrestling. Taking the fight on short notice, his cardio was poor in the final round, but survived and got the decision. Solid win for Caceres. Grade remains C Miller: Looked old and slow in the cage. Had nothing to offer Bruce Leroy until Leroy slowed down in the third round. May have been ring rust, but very possible Miller is showing his age in the cage. Downgraded from C to C- Jessica Andrade vs. Jessica Penne Andrade: Her first fight at strawweight and was absolutely dominant against a former title contender. She brutalized her on the feet. Penne had no chance. Upgraded from B- to B+ Penne: Her BJJ is really good, but with no ability to get the fight to the ground she had no chance in this fight. Penne was battered around the cage until the referee stepped in to stop it. Penne looks like a fighter who really belongs at 105 and not 115. Downgraded from B to C+ Beneil Dariush vs. James Vick Dariush: He really worked in the leg kicks early in this fight. Once he started to land he had Vick in trouble early and often. This is the Dariush that many see as a top 10 lightweight. Grade remains B Vick: He’s a game fighter, but unless his striking defense significantly improves he’ll be a fighter stuck in the middle of the division for the remainder of his career. The damage he took tonight will likely see him out for the remainder of the year. Downgraded from C+ to C Clay Guida vs. Brian Ortega Guida: He did well early on avoiding going for the takedown and out-striking Ortega. As the fight wore on, the tide began to turn. What was looking like a razor close decision turned to heartbreak for Guida as he was knocked out with a stunning knee in the final 30 seconds of the fight. Not sure where Guida goes from here. Tough way to lose. Grade remains C+ Ortega: He looked a bit lost in the striking exchanges in the early portions of the fight, but I think it was just him being over cautious. He really picked up the pace later in the fight and outworked Guida. His knockout late in the fight eliminated having to sweat out the scorecards. Ortega now has three consecutive third round finishes making him one of the best late rounds fighters in the world. Grade remains B- Bobby Green vs. Dustin Poirier Green: Perhaps it was ring rust or just that he prefers to bob and weave instead of strike, but he was outclassed by his opponent tonight. He had nothing to offer “The Diamond” and was knocked out in the first round. Downgraded from B- to C+ Poirier: He once again looked great in the Octagon. Pressured his opponent and landed big strikes to put Green away. He’s ready for a top five opponent, but everyone in the division is booked so he’ll like have to settle for a top 10 opponent instead. Poirier has proven he’s one of the most dangerous fighters in the division. Grade remains B+ Dan Henderson vs. Hector Lombard Henderson: Went toe to toe with Hector Lombard. It was a firefight with both men having a chance to finish. Henderson was the one who got the finish and his hand raised. He said aftererwards that this might be his last fight. It would be an amazing way to go out for the 45 year old Henderson. Grade remains C Lombard: This is the second fight in a row he had an opponent in trouble and was unable to close out. Lombard is a very good fighter for one round, but if it extends beyond that he’s very likely to be finished. Not sure there’s much left for him in the UFC. Downgraded from B- to C Max Holloway vs. Ricardo Lamas Holloway: His ability to create distance and pick his shots, but also finding openings for blitzes is right near the top of the sport. Holloway’s last loss was to Conor McGregor in 2013. He’s on a nine fight streak and on the verge of a title shot. He’s for real. Grade remains A Lamas: While he doesn’t have the striking prowess of Holloway, he fought hard in this fight especially in the third round. He’s proven to be a formidable gate keeper to the elite in the division. Grade remains A- Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber Cruz: A dominant performance by the champion. He put on a clinic in movement and landing from obscure angles. Faber was never comfortable in the cage. It’s going to be difficult for Cruz to lose in this weight class as long as his speed and conditioning remain at this level. Grade remains A+ Faber: Simply not as good as his longtime rival. Faber didn’t have the speed in hands or footwork to catch Cruz and give himself a chance in this fight. This should be Faber’s final title shot. He’s had a very good career in the UFC, but never able to get over the hump and win a title. Grade remains A- Michael Bisping vs. Luke Rockhold Bisping: He got his chance and scored a knockout in a fight he had no business winning. It’s the ultimate triumph for Bisping. With that said, everyone in the top 10 will be champing at the bit to face “The Count” as he’s a very vulnerable champion. Upgraded from B to B+ Rockhold: Took his opponent for granted and got caught. It cost him the title. Simple as that. Downgraded from A++ to A+
Updated Fighter Grades: Post-UFC 199
