The ordering process for Ultimate Fighting Championship
pay-per-views has changed: UFC 243 is only available on ESPN+ in the
U.S.
If you’re like us and watch an absurd amount of mixed martial arts
each week, you probably wish there were some sort of rating system
so you’re not forced to sit through a boring fight waiting for
something to happen. In order to help, we rate the fights on major
cards for your convenience. If you happen to miss an event, check
back here for ratings so you can pick and choose which bouts to
watch and which to skip.
Fights are ranked on the scale shown below, based on
competitiveness, the skill and technique on display, excitement,
and the story and drama of the contest. Wherever possible, the
fights are described without spoiling the outcomes. Here's the MMA
Gradebook for
Dominant performance from Taha, but this was still a fun fight.
Silva came forward no matter how much damage he took, but Taha took
him down in the third round and locked up an arm-triangle for the
finish. It would have been nice if this fight had been closer, but
it was still a good way to kick off the night.
A fantastic fight between two unknown but interesting future
contenders. Kim was just more experienced and the better all-around
fighter, and she picked Kassem apart for nine-plus minutes before
finishing her late in the second round. Keep your eye on both
women, as Kassem is just 23 years old and already looks
promising.
This was a tune-up fight for Anderson, and she put on the best
performance of her career with a quick submission finish against
Fairn dos Santos. This was Anderson’s first fight in her native
country since 2014, and she certainly put on a show for the home
crowd.
For those looking for a wild fight that hit all three levels of
fighting -- striking, grappling and clinch -- then this is the
must-watch fight of the night. If you are looking for a closely
contested bout with high-level technique, this is not the fight for
you. The third round of this fight looks to be a contender for
“Round of the Year,” but the winner was never really in trouble,
which keeps the match from achieving five-star status.
It was a wild back-and-forth fight on the feet, but things got
stagnant once they hit the ground. However, the striking exchanges
throughout were enough to give this 3.5 stars. Potter had five
minutes of top control time, which ended up winning him the
fight.
This was not a bad fight, but compared to the rest of the card, it
lacked anything to set it apart. Matthews handled Skman across
three rounds and landed 61 of 136 strikes thrown to Akman’s 15 of
110. Matthews is now 8-4 in the UFC, and at just 25 years of age,
he has plenty of time to round out his game and become a serious
title contender.
Lately, the heavyweights have not been putting on great fights, but
Tafa and De Castro broke that mold. Just when it seemed Tafa was
getting the better of De Castro, the Dana White’s Contender Series
alum landed a beautiful counter right hook that sent Tafa flying to
the canvas for the knockout victory.
Too much action for a zero, but this was the one must skip fight of
the night.
Some may disagree with this rating since the fight had a lot of
stagnant action on the ground, but the story behind the fight
provides the reason for the high rating. This seemed like the
classic UFC trick of putting a fighter like Spivak against someone
it thinks could be a top star one day in Tuivasa and expecting the
latter to put on a show in front of his home crowd. Instead, Spivak
dominated the fight on the ground from the get-go and finished
Tuivasa with a beautiful arm-triangle midway through the second
round. Spivak is only 24 years old and could soon have a number
next to his name.
While most expected this fight to be closer, Hooker’s brilliant
performance earns it an above-average rating. Hooker tripled the
amount of strikes Iaquinta landed, and outside of a few moments, he
was never really in danger. His outside striking and ability to
keep the fight at his range looked unstoppable, and it would not be
all that surprising to see him fighting for a title sometime in
next few years.
If this fight was a bit closer or lasted longer, it might have
netted five stars. Nevertheless, it wound up being the best fight
on the card. Whittaker seemed like he knew he could not sit on the
outside and outstrike the rangy Adesanya, so he pushed the pace and
swung wild in the pocket. He landed a few nice right hands, but
almost every time he came forward, Adesanya met him with a counter
right hook. Midway through the second round, Whittaker forced a
wild exchange in the pocket and landed a right hand, but the
always-quick Adesanya countered with two consecutive right hands
that set up the technical knockout and crowned a new undisputed
king at 185 pounds.
