Jay Primetown gives his thoughts on each of the fighters who competed at UFC on ESPN Plus 22 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Jay gives his letter grades for each fighter on TheMMA-Analysis podcast which can be found on MMAOddsbreaker.com.
Tracy Cortez vs. Vanessa Melo
Cortez: A solid debut for the American bantamweight as she showed a nice variety of skills on the fight along with solid ground and pound. Debut grade is D+
Melo: She was slow, sluggish, and had no answers for her opponent. She doesn’t appear to be UFC caliber. Debut grade is F
Isabela de Padua vs. Ariane Lipski
De Padua: She did a decent job of getting the fight to the ground, but didn’t do enough there to get the win. She took too much damage on the feet. Debut grade is D-
Lipski: She had good moments in this hurting her opponent on the feet. She needs to do a better job of defending takedowns if she’s to move up in the rankings despite the win. Grade remains D
Douglas de Andrade vs. Renan Barao
De Andrade: He did slowdown in the third round, but this was a dominant performance as he bruised and battered for the former bantamweight champion. Debut grade at featherweight is C-
Barao: He has fallen so far since his title reign. Even a move up to featherweight hasn’t helped much as he just doesn’t have the endurance to go a full hard three rounds. It’s likely he will be cut after this loss. Debut grade at featherweight is D
Warlley Alves vs. Randy Brown
Alves: He was able to secure takedowns in this fight, but he didn’t do much with them and never truly threatened in this bout. Like most Alves bouts, he faded after round one. Downgraded from C to C-
Brown: He’s too easily taken to the mat, but he is potent on the feet and surprisingly good on the mat. He’s built himself into a legitimate welterweight fighter. Upgraded from C- to C
Bobby Green vs. Francisco Trinaldo
Green: He didn’t put up enough volume in this fight to take close rounds in what was a road fight for him. Grade remains C
Trinaldo: This fight was close, but he picked it up in the final round against a younger fighter to take the decision. There wasn’t much from a talent standpoint to separate these fighters. Grade remains C
Eduardo Garagorri vs. Ricardo Ramos
Garagorri: This was a tough matchup for him and it played out that way. As soon as he gave up his back, he was in trouble and was submitted. Grade remains D-
Ramos: He looks good at this weight class as he doesn’t need to cut as much weight. This was a dominant performance in a bout he was able to finish inside of the opening round. We’ll learn more once he faces a more well-rounded opponent. Debut grade at featherweight is C
James Krause vs. Sergio Moraes
Krause: He had a solid gameplan in this bout and his slow, steady approach allowed him to take over this fight and get the win. Upgraded from D+ to C-
Moraes: Another lethargic performance from Moraes as he wilted quickly in this bout and looked for a way out of it. Downgraded from C- to D+
Markus Perez vs. Wellington Turman
Perez: He hits hard, but accuracy is an issue for him. He just couldn’t get enough offense going as he dropped a very winnable bout. Downgraded from D+ to D
Turman: In his UFC debut, he mixed in grappling well with strikes to slow down his opponent. Against a dangerous opponent, this was a smart strategy and earned him a solid decision win. Debut grade is D+
Antonio Arroyo vs. Andre Muniz
Arroyo: A lackluster debut from Arroyo and it’s difficult to see him getting another shot in the UFC. Debut grade is F-
Muniz: A fairly easy UFC debut for him. He had the advantage on the feet and on the mat. While he didn’t earn the finish, he certainly won each round to earn a decision. Debut grade is D
Jared Gordon vs. Charles Oliveira
Gordon: He went into the hornet’s nest and like most others before him, he was put away with ease. Not much learned from this bout except that he’s not ready for the next level. Grade remains C-
Oliveira: He once again showed that he’s one of the best finishers in the UFC. Put a fighter in front of Do Bronx and he’s able to put the opponent away. He is now second all-time in UFC history with 15 finishes. Grade remains B-
Paul Craig vs. Mauricio Rua
Craig: He pieced apart Mauricio Rua on the feet early on, but then gave away takedowns in the later two rounds. He had a chance to win this fight and may have been lucky it was scored a draw. Upgraded from D- to D
Rua: He takes way too many punches and is far from the fighter he once was. With that said, he found a way to take control of the fight in the second round after he was beat up in the opening round. Downgraded from C- to D+
Jan Blachowicz vs. Jacare Souza
Blachowicz: He utilized his length advantage well to control the distance striking in this fight. He out landed Jacare in significant by over a three to one clip. The other key was takedown defense as he was able to stuff Jacare’s five takedown attempts. This was a rather risk-free fight, but Blachowicz got the win. Grade remains B
Souza: He fought a composed fight, but was unable to do anything to truly turn the tide in this bout. He couldn’t score takedowns and was unable to land anything decisive on the feet. At 39 years old, Jacare is nearing the end of his career. He’s still a competent, competitive fighter, but that X Factor he once had appears to be lost. Debut grade at light heavyweight is B-
