UFC Fight Night 30: Grades for All Main Card Fighters

Let’s be honest: After UFC 166, it was going to be hard for any fight card to look good by comparison.

UFC Fight Night 30 was a good card, save for some fights that were plagued by the shortcomings that occur whenever humans take the stage.

One thing above all is that we got a lot of finishes in the main card. Three out of five fights saw the judges rendered useless. That is a very good thing in contrast to UFC 33, for instance, which saw nearly every fight go to a decision.

We got some of the answers we wanted, and in one fight we were left a little unfulfilled, but overall it was better than I thought it would be. When expectations are surpassed, it’s always nice.

Here are the grades for all the main card fighters.

Phil Harris

Division: Catchweight (128 lbs)

Result: Defeated via TKO at 2:51 of Round 1

Grade: C

Phil Harris gets a lot of leeway, given that John Lineker didn’t make weight.

It seemed like he was in there against a bantamweight at times. People may wave this off, but in the lighter divisions, every pound counts a whole lot more.

Harris was game, but he lacked power when it came to trading shots, and when you choose to do that, you run the risk of being sent home early.

John Lineker

Division: Catchweight (128 lbs)

Result: Victory via TKO at 2:51 of Round 1

Grade: B+

Yes, I know—a first-round stoppage is about as good as it gets, right?

Well, John Lineker did look very good, to be certain. It wasn’t a flawless night, but it was damn good.

He ate some shots but kept on the attack and mixed it up, attacking high and then digging downstairs. For a minute (just barely), I thought I was watching a vintage Micky Ward.

It was a good fight for Lineker. He looked focused and determined, which isn’t always the norm.

Sadly, he didn’t make weight, which at the lower weight classes is unacceptable. If he can’t make that weight, perhaps the UFC should relocate him to the appropriate weight division.

Alessio Sakara

Division: Middleweight

Result: Defeated via submission at 3:07 of Round 1

Grade: D-

Sometimes, I am stunned that Alessio Sakara is still fighting in the UFC. At times he seems capable with his hands, and at other times it looks like he throws it all away to play darts in the dark.

Whatever he’s struggling with, he needs to turn a corner sooner rather than later. As for his time in the UFC, it’s probably over.

With Sakara, it always seems like a tale of “so much skill, so little game plan.”

He hung tough and got a reversal, so he doesn’t outright get an F, but it was close.

It stings me to say that considering how much I have always liked him as a fighter, but he’s keeps getting drawn from the high grounds and into losing battles when it doesn’t have to be the case.

Nicholas Musoke

sherdog.com

Division: Middleweight

Result: Victory via submission at 3:07 of Round 1

Grade: B+

After surviving a moment when he looked seriously stunned, Nicholas Musoke returned the favor by attacking Sakara from the top and looking good in the process.

And then, after Sakara secured top control, Musoke didn’t panic and never stopped fighting or moving. As a result, he got a very nice armbar.

It seems sad that for his door to open to the UFC, he had to close another, but such is the nature of the sport. At least he closed the door quickly without undue damage to either himself or Sakara.

Norman Parke

Division: Lightweight

Result: Victory via unanimous decision

Grade: B

After possibly losing the first round to a very game opponent, Norman Parke kept his foot on the gas and outworked and outfought Jon Tuck to earn the decision.

For every strike that Tuck threw, Parke threw two. It was an ongoing story that continued right up until the end. He came in shape and was willing to let it all hang out, and as they say, showing up in shape is half the battle.

Jon Tuck

mmafighting.com

Division: Lightweight

Result: Defeated via unanimous decision

Grade: D

It’s always a shame when a fighter comes out looking good in the first frame and then comes out in the second like he just woke up from a bender.

Jon Tuck looked great in the first round. Then he came out for the second as if he did zero cardio work in preparation.

You can be as tough as the day is long (and Tuck did his best to hang tough), but if you’re not in shape, you haven’t committed to fighting a whole fight.

Like they say, there is a difference between living life and simply existing. The same goes for fighting.

Jimi Manuwa

sherdog.com

Division: Light Heavyweight

Result: Victory via TKO at 4:41 of Round 2

Grade: B+

Sometimes one forgets just how much damage a knee strike can do.

An opponent fighting Manuwa isn't apt to forget it for a long time. The "Poster Boy" just looked like he was on a different level on Saturday night.

Clearly it’s time for a jump up in competition. He’s finished all of his opponents and is ready to step up to the next level.

But it would be nice if he would improve his cardio. For a while, it looked like he was going to lose the second round.

Ryan Jimmo

Division: Light Heavyweight

Result: Defeated via TKO at 4:41 of Round 2

Grade: D

I am not sure if Ryan Jimmo lost because he hurt his leg or because Jimi Manuwa hurt him, but it is safe to say it was probably a combination of both.

He was in against a finishing machine in Manuwa, and he did eat a lot of strikes, including knees. Maybe he twisted his ankle, or maybe it was any number of things (perhaps an ACL injury). At the end of the day, he was facing a man who was landing more, and that is going to ruin your night if you are not ready to mount a serious comeback and attack as if you want it.

Jimmo is a good fighter, and he was game, but he just wasn’t ready for Manuwa.

Ross Pearson

Division: Lightweight

Result: No-Contest (cut due to illegal knee from Guillard)

Grade: Incomplete

I would like to give Pearson a grade simply because he didn’t get the time required to give us an actual representation of where he is right now, but I really can’t.

It’s kind of a bittersweet moment, truth be told. Pearson wasn’t doing awful or great.

He looked good at some turns, and quite possibly he is better than he looked, but given the early stoppage and the way it was stopped, the jury is still out oh him.

Perhaps that’s what happens when you base part of your technical game plan on “playing the game.”

Melvin Guillard

Division: Lightweight

Result: No-Contest (cut due to illegal knee from Guillard)

Grade: Incomplete

Don’t start with the whole “that’s a stupid rule, Melvin should get the win” nonsense. It is the rule, and it’s been that way for a long time.

Guillard knows the rules and has been fighting in the UFC for years, so it’s not like he’s not used to the pressure of the big stage.

Did he just time the second shot wrong? Was he trying to shave it just right and ended up firing too soon?

If either is the case, then perhaps he was a little desperate to get the win. We just honestly don’t know.

As usual, he looked sharp in some ways and explosive as well. But there’s no grade to be had for obvious reasons. If it was an honest mistake, then it was a rookie mistake as well.

For his sake, I hope the brass at Zuffa sees things differently, because if not, his time with the company may be done.

But the stoppage did look like it was on its way to being the highlight of the night.

Mark Munoz

Division: Middleweight

Result: Defeated via KO at 3:10 of Round 1

Grade: D

Munoz is going to get a big benefit of the doubt due to the conventional wisdom that says the first round is the most dangerous one.

He was fighting a damn tough man to nail down, previous training partner or not. More than a few good fighters have been left looking frustrated or foolish against Machida, and this was no exception.

But it would have been much better for him if he would have employed even a little aggression. It almost seemed as if he let himself get walked down, and given that the range favored Machida, Munoz was running out of room in the cage.

Seriously, in some ways I wondered if Munoz knew the fight had even started.

Lyoto Machida

Division: Middleweight

Result: Victory via KO at 3:10 of Round 1

Grade: A

He came out looking shredded, moved around the Octagon, threw his kicks and in the end disposed of Munoz like he was a cardboard cutout just waiting to be tipped over.

When you make it look that easy, you get an A.

And the way he just held back the punch instead of going after the kill? Very impressive, indeed.