UFC 179 Results: Grades for Every Main Card Fighter
It would be a lie to say that was a lot of fun.
UFC 179 hit the airwaves Saturday night to limited excitement, and it lived up to that billing perfectly. A package of uninteresting bouts kicked off the event before a co-main event win by Phil Davis and a title defense by Jose Aldo capped off the night.
Luckily, Aldo and his dance partner Chad Mendes tore the house down in one of the best fights the UFC featherweight division has ever produced, saving what was an otherwise uninspired evening of combat.
It maybe wasn't the type of event to welcome rabid fans back from a three-week hiatus from UFC action, but regardless, here are the grades for every athlete who competed on the main card.
Carlos Diego Ferreira
1 of 10
Going into UFC 179, Ferreira was a potential face of Brazil in the eyes of the UFC, as an undefeated prospect who might blossom into something bigger with a win. In actuality he proved to be a work in progress, offering little resistance on the way to a decisive loss.
There's not much else to say about him really. At least not on this night. It was a forgettable performance in a forgettable bout.
Grade: D
Beneil Dariush
2 of 10
Dariush made the best of a bad situation at UFC 179, insomuch as he was able to win a dull fight, whereas the other guy lost it.
He used just enough pressure to pace the fight and excelled in the necessary areas to score a decision win. It wasn't fun or particularly pretty, but at the end of the day they don't ask how—they ask how many.
Grade: C
Lucas Martins
3 of 10
The next time someone talks about the bias toward wrestling in MMA, Martins will be quick to raise his hand in hopes of offering his two cents. The Brazilian spent most of the bout pressed against the cage, but when he wasn't, he was scoring combinations and busting up Darren Elkins.
Actually, he even kind of was when he was against the cage.
Still, control trumps all in MMA, and Elkins was in control for large stretches of the bout. Martins did damage when he could, but it just wasn't enough to sway the judges.
Grade: B-
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Darren Elkins
4 of 10
Elkins put in a vintage performance in Brazil, grinding away with clinch work and pressure against the cage to take a split decision.
It was a showcase of winning ugly, one that came at the cost of some plasma and some bumps and bruises thanks to a game performance from Lucas Martins, but it showed that Elkins is not ready to slip into irrelevance just yet.
Grade: B
Hans Stringer
5 of 10
Stringer looked pretty good in the early going, smartly taking his bout with Fabio Maldonado to the ground and stealing a round.
He faded a little in the second, however, and once he found himself eating big shots on the bottom. With his gas tank diminishing and the shots landing, it was only a matter of time before the referee would rescue him.
That's what happened, marking the end of an up-and-down performance.
Grade: C+
Fabio Maldonado
6 of 10
Maldonado labored in the early going; he was clearly caught off guard by a takedown from Hans Stringer that cost him the first round.
With a little more commitment to his own game and a little more commitment to getting off the bottom in the second, though, Maldonado took his fourth UFC win on home soil.
He'll never be a serious contender, but he's as gritty as they come and be entertaining anytime the UFC gives him an opponent who engages. There are worse things in the world than knowing The Iron Hillbilly is on a card you're watching.
Grade: B-
Glover Teixeira
7 of 10
Teixeira looked like a guy who might not have much time left at the top of the division in his bout with Phil Davis. Actually, he kind of looked like his time at the top might already be over.
He struggled with the physicality and athleticism of Davis and had no answer for the American's skills on the mat.
It's too early to say that he's definitely done as a contender, but this was a poor showing.
Grade: D
Phil Davis
8 of 10
Davis was dominant at UFC 179, easily rolling over Glover Teixeria with workable stand-up punctuated by tireless mat wrestling and ground and pound.
Most people expected him to have trouble with the Brazilian or outright lose to him, but he looked much more like a potential contender than a guy on the downswing. His call-out of Anderson Silva was equal parts bizarre, nonsensical and needless at the end of it all, but the performance in the cage was otherwise quite strong.
Grade: A-
Chad Mendes
9 of 10
Mendes was a game challenger on Saturday night, but it wasn't meant to be in his second bid for the UFC featherweight title. He ended up on the wrong side of a unanimous decision despite repeatedly hurting Jose Aldo and serving as one-half of the best UFC main event to happen in months.
It was a good showcase of all the things that he'd improved since his first title shot. His footwork and a technical generation of power put him in position to hurt the champion time and again.
He made a fight contested almost totally on the feet competitive against one of the best strikers in the UFC. He lost it, but it was a commendable performance nonetheless.
Grade: B+
Jose Aldo
10 of 10
Pushed in a way he hasn't been since joining the UFC, Aldo finally showed some glimpses of what the hype has been about against Chad Mendes. Sure, everyone knows he's nasty and talented, but he often elects not to show that side of himself when it's time to perform.
UFC 179 wasn't one of those times.
Aldo stood and traded with Mendes, taking his best shots before firing back. The two produced fireworks—the type of memorable battle that can bring fans out of their seats and erase a long night of otherwise dreadful fights.
That's what happened Saturday night.
Grade: A
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