The ordering process for Ultimate Fighting Championship
pay-per-views has changed: UFC 244 is only available on ESPN+ in the
U.S.
If you are like us and watch an absurd amount of mixed martial arts
each week, you probably wish there was some sort of rating system
so you would not be 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 ones 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 is the MMA Gradebook for UFC
UFC Fight Night 162:
Known as “The King of Kung Fu,” Salikhov returned to the Octagon
for the second time in two months and put on one of the most
dominant performances of the event. His pressure and sanda-style
kicks were too much for Staropoli to handle, but he put up enough
of a fight to keep it exciting. Salikhov has a ridiculous 185-13
kickboxing record with 76 knockouts, and he is a five-time gold
medalist at the Wushu World Championships. He may have joined the
Ultimate Fighting Championship a bit late, but his striking
makes him an interesting prospect to look forward to.
Take notes ladies and gentlemen because we may be witnessing the
rise of the next great heavyweight. Gane destroyed Mayes on the
feet and then submitted him with a heel hook at the buzzer to cap
off an incredible performance. With the heavyweight division
desperate for new stars, Gane will be making waves in the division
soon.
It was a classic performance from Dariush, who is now on a
three-fight winning streak and on the verge of reaching the Top 15
again. Dariush wasted no time taking the fight to the ground, then
quickly took Camacho’s back and locked up a rear-naked choke for
the submission just two minutes into the fight. I wish we could
have seen some more exchanges on the feet to see how they match up,
but overall, this was an entertaining fight.
I personally scored this one a draw, but it could have gone either
way. Nevertheless, it was a huge win for Ray, who moved to 7-4 in
the UFC. The first round was close, but Johnson clearly won the
second and Ray clearly won the third. A more dominant third round
for Ray allowed him to pull out a majority decision that will go
down as one of the most contentious verdicts of the year.
This was exactly the fight I wanted out of two of the best
grapplers of this generation. They went back and forth on the feet
for a bit, which I honestly wanted to see, but both men clearly
wanted to test their skills on the ground. They gave us one of the
best and closest grappling bouts in recent memory, and I cannot say
anything else other than watch this fight right now.
