UFC 185: Grades for Every Main Card Fighter from Pettis vs. Dos Anjos Fight Card
UFC 185 delivered some of the sport's brightest current and future stars into homes across the globe Saturday evening.
Featuring two title fights, a heavyweight slugfest, a Top 10 welterweight showdown and the official UFC flyweight debut of former Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo, the pay-per-view portion of UFC 185 promised big-time excitement, and it delivered.
While every fight has a clear-cut winner and loser as declared by a finish or by the judges' scorecards, sometimes in MMA a fighter's performance cannot be summarized by a simple "W" or "L."
Let's cut away the fat, add some more letters to the equation and assign every main card fighter at UFC 185 an official grade.
Click on to see the fighters' report cards.
Chris Cariaso: D
1 of 10
The picture above accurately portrays the totality of Chris Cariaso's performance at UFC 185.
He was dominated by Henry Cejudo and his fancy gold shorts.
Cariaso challenged for flyweight champion Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson's title in his most recent outing at UFC 178, but he barely looked like a Top 10 fighter against Cejudo.
While he landed some solid body kicks and threatened with a few submissions, Cariaso did little to nothing against the former Olympian, taking another tumble down the flyweight ladder in the process.
Cariaso would earn an F for (e)"f"fort in this one, but he didn't get finished. That's something, I suppose.
Henry Cejudo: A
2 of 10
Henry Cejudo made weight, stepped into the Octagon as a flyweight and delivered a star-making performance. The division is officially put on notice.
Taking on former title challenger Chris "Kamikaze" Cariaso in the main card opener at UFC 185, Cejudo wrecked house.
He didn't score a finish, but he dominated the action inside the cage for 15 minutes, scoring takedowns and landing strikes at will.
Cejudo's history is plagued with failed attempts to make the flyweight limit, and his own UFC debut was forced to come at bantamweight due to his scaly woes.
This time, however, he made weight and showed some of that Olympic gold-medal potential we've all heard so much about. He'd receive an A-plus if he could have finished the job, but for now, he gets a gold star and a token for one trip into the upper echelon of fighters at 125 pounds.
Roy Nelson: C-
3 of 10
What are you doing, Roy?!
Look at Mr. Nelson up there, diving on a leg like he wants to drag the fight to the mat.
Nelson lives and dies by his sledgehammer overhand right. When he has to deviate from that plan, typically, he loses.
Such was the case against Alistair Overeem at UFC 185.
Nelson tagged Overeem a few times throughout the bout, but every time he had Overeem hurt, he'd follow up with a takedown attempt rather than swarming and hoping to catch his opponent with another punch or two.
This was decidedly unlike Big Country, and it ultimately led to a unanimous-decision loss for him.
Nelson was outpaced on the feet and lacked the technical prowess to keep up with Overeem's polished, efficient attack.
He never landed the lights-out finish (though he did drop Overeem late in Round 3), and he simply did not get it done otherwise.
The loss is disappointing for Nelson, and it highlights the fact that a one-trick pony can only go so far—even in a weak division.
For his efforts, Nelson gets a barely passing C-minus.
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Alistair Overeem: B-
4 of 10
Alistair Overeem fought one of the hardest punchers in the heavyweight division and didn't get knocked out, guys!
That's pretty neat.
Long questioned for his brittle chin, Overeem made a statement against Roy Nelson at UFC 185. He tuned Big County up with oblique kicks, knees and body shots, and he stayed away from the ultimate punishment via Nelson's overhand right.
While Overeem did get clipped late in the fight, he was able to recover and survive. That's something he's failed to do in the past against UFC heavyweights such as Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva and Travis "Hapa" Browne.
Overeem might not be a future heavyweight champ, but he's improving, and his grade of B-minus reflects that.
Matt Brown: C
5 of 10
Matt "The Immortal" Brown just can't get over the hump.
Twice Brown received a fight against a Top Five talent inside the UFC Octagon, and twice he's lost via unanimous decision.
Robbie Lawler first bested Brown on the judges' scorecards at UFC on Fox 12, and then Johny Hendricks frustrated him with a wrestle-heavy attack at UFC 185.
Brown did little of note in this fight, but he did try, and that means something.
When he was on his feet, he threw punches, kicks, knees and elbows. When he was underneath Hendricks on the canvas, he threw up submission attempt after submission attempt.
It just wasn't enough.
The effort was admirable, but Brown didn't get it done at UFC 185.
Johny Hendricks: C
6 of 10
"How can both sides of a clear-cut, 30-27 fight receive the same grade, Professor Homistek?"
Great question.
Here's the thing: Johny Hendricks definitely won the fight at UFC 185. There's no doubt he racked up the points and did what he needed to do to emerge victorious against Brown.
But he can be so much better.
Before challenging for the UFC welterweight title against Georges St-Pierre in November 2013, Hendricks was known as a heavy-handed power puncher with elite wrestling skills in his back pocket should he need them.
Now, he's turned almost exclusively into a wrestler inside the Octagon, and it's greatly diminished his appeal.
Brown's defensive wrestling was never great, and Hendricks exploited that hole.
Great.
Once he had Brown down, though, Hendricks did nothing. He didn't routinely pass his guard, rain down heavy ground-and-pound or look for the submission.
This victory was decisive, but it was also boring and disappointing.
Carla Esparza: F
7 of 10
No, the "F" is not for "flex," Ms. Esparza.
Carla "Cookie Monster" Esparza captured the inaugural UFC Women's Strawweight Championship by defeating Rose Namajunas at The Ultimate Fighter 20 Finale in December 2014, and she failed miserably in her attempt to defend that belt at UFC 185.
As a dominant wrestler taking on a muay thai expert with suspect takedown defense, Esparza figured to have her fight against challenger Joanna Jedrzejczyk under control.
She'd take her opponent down, grind her out and eventually force a submission, right?
Esparza came out flat and then got a little flatter thanks to Jedrzejczyk's elbows and punches, eventually coughing up her title via second-round TKO.
Unfortunately for Cookie Monster, she'll need to repeat her course in Title Defense 101.
She failed.
Joanna Jedrzejczyk: A+
8 of 10
That, my friends, is what an A-plus performance looks like.
Joanna Jedrzejczyk ran her undefeated professional record to 9-0 at UFC 185, completely dominating former strawweight champ Carla Esparza in the process.
Jedrzejczyk looked good in her previous two UFC bouts, but she ascended to a different level in championship action. Her takedown defense was on point, and her strikes were accurate and powerful, leaving Esparza with no choice but unconsciousness.
Her second-round TKO was the best performance of her career, and it set the stage for a lengthy run atop the 115-pound mountain.
Now the question becomes: Can she do it again?
Anthony Pettis: D-
9 of 10
Anthony Pettis avoids an "F" only because he hung tough for the bout's duration.
There were times when he could have wilted and let Dos Anjos take his arm or neck, but he fought back. He threw punches, kicks and knees when he could, but he never landed that flush, one-shot finish he had found so easily in the past.
Unfortunately for Showtime, his run at the top of the lightweight division ends after just one title defense. Now, he'll need to work his way back up the ladder and right his wrongs against Dos Anjos or whoever else happens to hold gold at that time.
If recent history has taught us anything, it's that no champion is safe, no matter how invincible he or she may seem.
The lightweight division just got a whole lot more interesting.
Pettis, UFC champion, is no more.
Rafael Dos Anjos: A+
10 of 10
Rafael dos Anjos is a UFC champion in 2015.
That statement is true. I just watched it happen, yet I can't quite believe it.
For five rounds at UFC 185, the underdog and challenger brutalized the previously untouchable champion Anthony Pettis.
He outstruck him. He landed takedowns at will. He threatened with submissions.
This. Was. Domination.
The UFC 185 main event approached and achieved T.J. Dillashaw vs. Renan Barao at UFC 173 or Chael Sonnen vs. Anderson Silva at UFC 117 (if the last-minute submission never happened) levels of surprising supremacy.
We knew Dos Anjos was good. His resume of late was outstanding, but nobody expected a 25-minute thumping like he put on Pettis Saturday evening.
As a champion, Pettis had it all. He had the flashy knockouts, the smooth submissions, the fan-friendly game and the good looks to bring it all to the masses.
And Dos Anjos took it all away.
This is why we watch. This is why you never discredit a challenger in MMA.
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