MMA Gradebook: Rating Every Fight From UFC Greenville

If you’re like us and watch an absurd amount of mixed martial arts each week, you probably wish there were some sort of rating system so you’re not 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 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's the MMA Gradebook for UFC Fight Night 154: Moicano vs. Korean Zombie.

Deron Winn vs. Eric Spicely

Former Olympic trials wrestler Winn makes his octagon debut against UFC veteran Spicely, who returns to the company after a short stint in CES. What a way to start off the card. This was one of the wildest fights of the year that people will, unfortunately, forget about in a few weeks because it was the opening fight on a weak card. Things got a bit sloppy towards the end but this is still a must-watch. [4.0]

Ariane Lipski vs. Molly McCann

“The Violence Queen” Lipski returns to the Octagon looking for her first UFC win against “Meatball” McCann who made history in her last fight by becoming the first Englishwoman to get a win in the UFC. Another great fight from the early prelims and the action was much closer than odds suggested. I expected this fight to hit the ground more often but both women kept the fight standing and gave us some great exchanges on the feet. [3.5]

Allen Crowder vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik

Crowder returns to the Octagon for the first time since his DQ win over Greg Hardy to take on Rozenstruik, who is coming off a big win over Junior Albini earlier this year. Just watch this, enough said. [3.0]

Matt Wiman vs. Luis Pena

Wiman returns to the Octagon for the first time in five years to take on rising prospect Luis Pena. This was far from a close fight but the showcase of technique from the winner earns this a high rating. [3.0]

Ashley Yoder vs. Syuri Kondo

After a rough 1-3 start in the UFC, Yoder is looking to turn her career around with a win over former professional wrestler Syuri Kondo, who also had a rough start to her UFC career, going 1-2 in her first three bouts. Rather boring fight but a dominant performance from the winner. [1.0]

Dan Ige vs. Kevin Aguilar

Ige steps inside the Octagon for the second time this year to take on the highly touted Aguilar, who is 2-0 since joining the UFC last year. The theme of the night seems to be exciting but one-sided fights and this one was no different. Usually, one-sided fights are rated low but the loser was never really out of it and kept us feeling like he could make a comeback. [3.5]

Kevin Holland vs. Alessio Di Chirico

Rising prospect Holland takes on the often underrated Di Chirico in this middleweight bout. This was a pretty sloppy fight and one of the worst decisions of the year but there was some good action throughout. But if you compare this one with the other fights on the card I would skip it. [2.5]

Andrea Lee vs. Montana De La Rosa

Former amateur kickboxing champion Lee steps inside the Octagon for just the third time to take on the young De La Rosa who many believe is primed to pull off the upset. Some people really hated this fight but I thought it was a decent scrap, although it was fairly one-sided and offered some boring exchanges on the ground. [2.0]

Andre Ewell vs. Anderson dos Santos

Ewell defeated former bantamweight champion Renan Barao in his UFC debut, but dropped his last bout against Nathaniel Wood and is looking to get back in the win column against submission specialist Anderson dos Santos. This fight was similar to Ige vs. Aguilar with a clear winner throughout but the feelings that the loser could still make a comeback. This fight gave us some wild exchanges in the pocket that are worth watching though. [3.0]

Bryan Barberena vs. Randy Brown

Underrated wrestler Barberena takes on Jamaican-born prospect Brown in this welterweight bout. With both men coming off losses, they desperately need a win to stay relevant in one of the most stacked divisions in the UFC. I expected more from this fight and compared to the rest of the card nothing too exciting happened other than the finish. The finish was fantastic though and I suggest skipping to the third round. [2.5]

Renato Carneiro vs. Chan Sung Jung

Although on paper this was one of the worst cards of the year, we are treated to an amazing main event between two top contenders in the division. A win for either man would put him on the shortlist of title contenders while a loss will send them back to the drawing board. Although I wanted to see this play out longer, it was still a great fight with one of the best finishes of the year. Incredibly impressive performance by the winner and we should see him fighting top-5 fighters very soon. [4.5]