Jay Primetown gives his thoughts on each of the fighters who competed at UFC Fight Night 95 in Brasilia, Brazil. Jay gives his letter grades for each fighter on TheMMA-Analysis podcast which can be found on MMAOddsBreaker.com. Glaico Franca vs. Gregor Gillespie Franca: His size gave Gillespie problems early on, but his inability to prevent the takedown late in the fight was the difference late in the bout between winning and losing. Grade remains C- Gillespie: This was a difficult matchup for a debut bout, but Gillespie was able to eat a few strikes and out grappled his opponent to earn a quality decision. If he’s able to move down to featherweight, he can move into the Top 15 very quickly. At lightweight, it will take more time given the level of the competition. Upgraded from C- to C Vincente Luque vs. Hector Urbina Luque: His power striking certainly stands out in this weight class. He did what he was supposed to do in making quick work of Hector Urbina. Upgraded from D to D+ Urbina: His striking is simply not at a UFC level. He didn’t move his head off the line and it was a real problem as he was clipped early in the fight and ultimately finished. This is likely his last fight in the UFC. Grade remains D- Alan Patrick vs. Stevie Ray Patrick: This fight came down to grappling and he used his size advantage to get Ray to the mat and control the fight from top position. Upgraded from C- to C Ray: Disappointing performance inside the octagon. He wasn’t able to keep it a striking matchup as he was takenn down repeatedly in this bout. Grade remains C- Luan Chagas vs. Erick Silva Chagas: He had his chance to finish this fight in the second round, but was unable to do so. Allowing Erick Silva opportunities will likely end up in defeat like it did tonight. Grade remains D+ Silva: First and foremost, he’s a finisher. He’s an opportunistic fighter and got the job done in a fight he needed to win to stay in the promotion. Grade remains C- Jussier Formiga vs. Dustin Ortiz Formiga: He’s one of the best in the sport in taking back control and dominating his opponents on the back. He did that very well against a very capable wrestler in Dustin Ortiz. Grade remains B+ Ortiz: He scrambled well in the first round to get top control, but in the final two rounds he was taken down and unable to find ways to gain position losing a clear decision. Downgraded from B to B- Michinori Tanaka vs. Rani Yahya Tanaka: He has a nice transition game on the mat, but he simply is not at the level of grappling that Rani Yahya is able to impose in the cage. Downgraded from C- to D+ Yahya: His grappling is crisp and his persistence continues to see him in top position throughout his fights. He continues to be one of the most underrated fighters in the UFC. Grade remains C- Gilbert Burns vs. Michel Prazeres Burns: Struggled with the size and punching power of his opponent in this bout. When Burns can’t get the fight to the ground, he’s going to struggle. Downgraded from C to C- Prazeres: He continues to out-perform expectations in the UFC. Despite missing weight, his cardio looked good and he got the better of the striking exchanges to get the win. Upgraded from C- to C Mike de la Torre vs. Godofredo Pepey De La Torre: He didn’t have the athleticism or punching power to keep pace with his opponent. He eventually succumbed to a chock towards the end of the first round. Grade remains D+ Pepey: Dominant fight from Pepey from start to finish. He landed a couple of early strikes from the start and continued to pour it on until got fight. Grade remains C Thiago Santos vs. Eric Spicely Santos: A flat performance. He’s had poor takedown defense at times in the past, but I didn’t think that would come into play here. Santos was submitted rather easily when he gave up his back. Downgraded from B to B- Spicely: He was able to get Santos down early in the fight and won this fight the only way he would be able to do so; by submission. Stunning win for Spicely. Upgraded from F to D Paul Felder vs. Francisco Trinaldo Felder: He got out struck on the feet by an older fighter with less creativity in his strikes. Felder continues to disappoint considering just how much hype he had when he started in the UFC. Downgraded from C+ to C Trinaldo: He now holds a seven-fight winning streak in the UFC and is really starting to beat some quality opposition. At 38 years old, it’s quite a late-career renaissance for the Brazilian. Upgraded from C+ to B- Roy Nelson vs. Antonio Silva Nelson: It took him longer than most thought it would, but the result was the same. Once he found an opening, Nelson landed a clean upper cut driving Silva to the canvas. He followed with strikes to put his opponent away. He’s not the fighter he once was still good enough to finish Bigfoot Silva. Grade remains C Silva: His chin continues to haunt him. He doesn’t have the strength to keep opponents at distance and he doesn’t have tenacity to fend off his opponent’s advances. Grade remains D+ Renan Barao vs. Philippe Nover Barao: It wasn’t a particularly entertaining performance from Barao, but he got the job done against a large, durable featherweight. One has to think he will struggle against mid-level featherweights. Downgraded from B to C+ Nover: Just didn’t have the answers for the varied striking attack from his opponent. This fight was booked to make Barao look good. Nover made it competitive, but at the same time didn’t make a case for himself to get the win. Grade remains D+ Cris Cyborg vs. Lina Lansberg Cyborg: Beautiful performance from the best female mixed martial arts fighter in the world. She showed some excellent variety landing big time shots on the feet and pressing her opponent against the cage. It was on the ground where she did her best work. She mounted Lansberg and landed vicious shots particularly with her elbows to force the referee to intervene. Grade remains A++ Lansberg: She provided no offense in this bout and was basically a punching bag until the referee decided she had taken too much damage. Facing Cyborg is a tall task for anybody. Grade remains C
Updated Fighter Grades: Post-UFC Fight Night 95
