UFC 183: Grades for Every Main Card Fighter

UFC 183 is in the books, and it will go down as an event certainly worthy of its main event designation in terms of the weird and wonderful. On a night when Anderson Silva beat Nick Diaz in a bout that was nothing more than a fantasy up until it was actually booked, the undercard was full of twists and turns, comebacks and thrills, and the event lived up to the hype.

Here are the grades for main card participants.

Thiago Alves

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It looked like Thiago Alves would be going home on the wrong side of a beating based on the opening frame, as he had trouble gauging distance in the early goings against Jordan Mein, eating all manners of punches and elbows from every distance imaginable.

Then, out of nowhere, he landed a vicious body kick that snapped loudly above the din of the MGM Grand crowd and crumpled his Canadian foe in a hurry. Follow-up shots on the ground were academic, and Herb Dean called the fight, securing The Pitbull his first TKO win since UFC 85.

Grade: B

Jordan Mein

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Mein looked good early against Thiago Alves, smoothly combining strikes and countering anything coming back at him with slick movement. Unfortunately he couldn’t keep it up, and after a goofy roll away from Alves in the second the next exchange saw him buckled with a body kick.

It was a weird tale of two fights for Young Gun—the first stanza was one where he looked like a world-beater, while the second was one where the world saw him getting beaten. That’s the way things go in MMA, though, and the 25-year-old will surely come to learn from the experience.

Grade: B-

Tim Boetsch

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Tim Boetsch was predictably game in his bout with Thales Leites, but in a grappling match with the elite black belt, he was destined to come out on the wrong side.

He did.

While he was punishing in the stand-up, leaving Leites busted-up and swollen, he succumbed to an arm triangle when the fight hit the mat. Even that came after a protracted struggle that saw Boetsch escape a first attempt, though. It was a pretty good showing for the Maine native, but one that surely didn’t turn out how he’d hoped when he signed the bout agreement.

He may never compete with the upper echelon of the division, but you can always be sure you’ll see some significant heart when he takes to the cage.

Grade: C+

Thales Leites

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Leites battled Boetsch tooth and nail for a round-and-a-half before finally locking in an arm triangle for his fifth straight UFC win. He took as much as he gave standing up and had to overcome some major resistance on attempted takedowns and work on the mat before finally landing a submission, but it was certainly the type of win that could get some attention.

He’s now on a remarkable run against the fringes of the relevant at 185, and there’s no way the UFC can ignore him any longer. He absolutely has to start getting consideration against more elite middleweights, and it all fell into place here against Boetsch.

Grade: B+

Al Iaquinta

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Al Iaquinta worked up to quite a crescendo against Joe Lauzon, methodically getting into a rhythm in the first round before pulling away in the second and scoring an impressive stoppage. His technique and power have developed nicely since his time on The Ultimate Fighter, and he’s suddenly become something of a dark horse at lightweight.

Perhaps most impressive was his pursuit of the finish, coming off a nasty shot that wobbled his man. Instead of going wild at the sight of his opponent’s misstep, Iaquinta stalked him down and continued to up the pace until the staggering Lauzon wilted.

It was a solid showing by the Long Island native, one that will surely have people talking about bigger potential matchups in the near future.

Grade: A-

Joe Lauzon

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Lauzon put in work against Al Iaquinta, but he couldn’t quite bring it all together in time to secure a win. Though he reminded people that he’s more than just a grappler with his continued pacing of the fight on the feet, eventually Iaquinta found a home down the middle and split Lauzon’s guard with a fight-changing strike.

Though he wasn’t finished in the traditional sense, Lauzon was battered all over the cage by Iaquinta after being hurt, strike after strike landing on the way to a TKO. It was a nasty bit of business, but as perhaps the most exciting fighter on the UFC roster, it’s very much in line with the kill-or-be-killed approach to combat that Lauzon has exhibited in his career.

This one will sting for a while, but make no mistake, you’ll see him back and plying his trade before long.

Grade: B-

Tyron Woodley

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Tyron Woodley looked good against Kelvin Gastelum, if unspectacular. He spent much of the bout measuring his man for a big right hand, and while it landed on occasion, it seemed like Woodley was ill-equipped to follow it up with any ferocity.

The win keeps him afloat in the shark tank that is the welterweight division, but there’s no clear avenue to a title shot or any other challenge at the moment. He might be best suited to wait it out for a little bit and see how things flesh out in the coming months.

Grade: B

Kelvin Gastelum

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After a controversial week filled with a dreadful weight cut and all of the vitriol that comes with such a happening, Kelvin Gastelum seemed to make the best of what he had against Tyron Woodley. He was clearly a diminished version of himself, lacking the movement and craftiness that has become something of a hallmark, but he stayed busy enough to cause Woodley trouble for the duration.

The bout was largely panned by the live crowd, a reaction possibly primed by Gastelum’s weight gaff, but all things considered, this could have been worse. It was the first loss of his pro career, making it a learning experience in more ways than one, but it’s the type of thing that could help redefine the path of a young athlete still learning the game.

Grade: C

Nick Diaz

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Diaz did as Diaz does against Anderson Silva, talking trash and trying to draw his man into a donnybrook at center cage. Silva wouldn’t take the bait, however, and the result was a fairly one-sided loss for Stockton’s favorite son.

That said, it was likely more competitive than the worst-case scenario many would have anticipated going in.

When the two were in close quarters Diaz, often got the better of dirty boxing and clinch exchanges, and even at range he hit Silva with some combinations. He also showed a marked improvement in the variation of his strikes, mixing in leg kicks in a way he’s never done before.

Strangely, it seems as though Diaz might be the best he’s ever been fighting out of his natural weight class and having only competed three times in as many years.

For a guy coming up from 170 pounds and having spent the past two years on the sidelines, it was a decent performance.

Grade: B-

Anderson Silva

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Silva took a little time to loosen up in his return against Diaz, but once he got into a groove, he looked good. He chose his spots wisely and struck with the ferocity seen in his prime, looking every bit as clean and crisp as he did in years past.

This bout was, in many ways, a tune-up for him, though. Diaz was tailor-made to let him excel, and that’s what he did.

Getting back in there against some highly ranked middleweight competition will truly prove where Silva is right now, but there’s no reason to discount the excitement of seeing him back in action and looking good in doing so.

Grade: A

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