Jay Primetown gives his thoughts on each of the fighters who competed at UFC 202 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Jay gives his letter grades for each fighter on TheMMA-Analysis podcast which can be found on MMAOddsbreaker.com Alberto Uda vs. Marvin Vettori Uda: Outside of some decent strikes from the clinch, he offers nothing that is UFC level. He offers little off his back and was submitted rather easily despite being a black belt. Downgraded from D+ to F Vettori: He did well to get back to his feet when taken down and followed that up with a takedown of his own. He found an opportunity for an arm in guillotine and got the job done. In a time when fighters have struggled in their debuts, Vettori did well to get a first round finish. Grade remains D+ Colby Covington vs. Max Griffin Covington: A one sided beating by Covington in this fight. His striking looked improved in the limited time standing in this fight and he had all the answers securing takedowns and dominating his opponent on the mat. The ref stepped in to stop in the third round and could have easily done so earlier. Upgraded from C to C+ Griffin: He never had much of a chance in this fight. The key to beating Covington is stopping the takedowns or blitzing him early. Neither are easy to do; especially for a fighter in his debut. Downgraded from D+ to D Lorenz Larkin vs. Neil Magny Larkin: The best performance of Larkin’s career in the UFC. He knew Magny was vulnerable to leg kicks and put together a fantastic attack to limit his movement. The elbows he landed to finish the fight were vicious. Easy victory that puts him a win away from title contention. Upgraded from B to B+ Magny: Perhaps it was the match-up, but Magny looked completely out of his element in this bout against Lorenz Larkin. The leg kicks and the power striking really took their toll on Magny for which he had no answers. I think this fight showed Magny’s vulnerabilities. Downgraded from B+ to B Cortney Casey vs. Randa Markos Casey: Solid performance by Casey reversing positions on the ground and eventually sinking in a choke. This was easily her biggest win the Octagon. Upgraded from C- to C+ Markos: Disappointing performance. She gave up position pretty easily on the ground and ultimately got submitted. Her UFC performances seem to be getting worse. Not a good sign. Downgraded from C+ to C Chris Avila vs. Artem Lobov Avila: Outside of showing a decent jab, he had nothing for his opponent. Doesn’t appear to be a UFC caliber fight. Debut grade is F Lobov: He was able to out strike with technique and power to win a clear decision. His opponent certainly doesn’t rate well, but the win should keep him around for at least a couple fights. Grade remains D- Raquel Pennington vs. Elizabeth Phillips Pennington: Maybe not her best performance, but she continued to show nice variety beating her opponent both standing and on the ground. Pennington is the type of fighter who fights to her level of competition. Grade remains C+ Phillips: She was competitive in the first round, but the inability to secure takedowns tired her out as the fight went on. This was never going to be a good result for Phillips, but she still featured better than expected. Grade remains D Cody Garbrandt vs. Takeya Mizugaki Garbrandt: Decisive, dominant performance from the undefeated bantamweight. He landed early and put his opponent away. Garbrandt is very close to earning a title shot. Upgraded from B+ to A- Mizugaki: He’s had difficulties in his last few fights. As he’s gotten older, speed has been a major issue and he had no answers in this fight. Grade remains C+ Sabah Homasi vs. Tim Means Homasi: He offered nothing offensively and did well to survive for as long as he did. This was ultimately a mismatch. Not convinced he has what it takes to stick around in the UFC. Grade remains D Means: Excellent striking display by the New Mexico based fighter. He kept his opponent on the back foot landing elbows, knees, and whatever else is located in the kitchen sink. Grade remains B- Hyun Gyu Lim vs. Mike Perry Lim: He’s a massive welterweight, but outside of a size advantage he didn’t offer much else at UFC 202. He stands too upright and makes himself very hittable on the feet. His chin certainly seems to be a worrisome trait moving forward. Downgraded from C to D+ Perry: He forced Lim into a striking contest. He did well to land on the counter and made his opponent pay. Great win in his UFC debut. Upgraded from D to D+ Donald Cerrone vs. Rick Story Cerrone: His best fight at welterweight. He not only took down a very durable opponent, but he beat him up on the feet securing a finish. It’s time to realize that Cerrone is a contender in this division. Grade remains B Story: Never got started in this fight. Seemed to struggle with Cerrone’s length and found no way to hurt his opponent in the standing exchanges. Perhaps, Story reached his peak. Downgraded from B to B- Anthony Johnson vs. Glover Teixeira Johnson: This one ended quickly with Johnson landing a vicious uppercut to put his Brazilian opponent away. If Jones doesn’t return by the end of the year, Johnson is next in line for the championship. Grade remains A Teixeira: Tough to gauge much in such a quick fight. Teixeira was blasted by an uppercut in the opening exchanges that put him in a way. Grade remains A- Nate Diaz vs. Conor McGregor Diaz: Classic battle where Diaz seemed to get better as the fight went on. He needed to do better when McGregor was tired, but was too willing to fight on the fence to allow the Irishman to catch his breath. With the close loss, the expectation for a third fight is there at some point in 2017. Grade remains A- McGregor: He did an excellent job landing leg kicks early to limit Diaz’s movement. As the fight wore on and he got tired, he was in danger of being finished. It was surprising to see him get a second win and find a way to win the fourth round to be able to win a decision on the scorecards. Grade remains A+
Updated Fighter Grades: Post-UFC 202
