MMA Gradebook: Rating Every Fight From UFC Fight Night 162 Main Card
Kevin WilsonOct 28, 2019
The ordering process for Ultimate Fighting Championship pay-per-views has changed: UFC 244 is only available on ESPN+ in the U.S.
If you are like us and watch an absurd amount of mixed martial arts each week, you probably wish there was some sort of rating system so you would not be 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 ones 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 is the MMA Gradebook for UFC UFC Fight Night 162:
Known as “The King of Kung Fu,” Salikhov returned to the Octagon for the second time in two months and put on one of the most dominant performances of the event. His pressure and sanda-style kicks were too much for Staropoli to handle, but he put up enough of a fight to keep it exciting. Salikhov has a ridiculous 185-13 kickboxing record with 76 knockouts, and he is a five-time gold medalist at the Wushu World Championships. He may have joined the Ultimate Fighting Championship a bit late, but his striking makes him an interesting prospect to look forward to.
Take notes ladies and gentlemen because we may be witnessing the rise of the next great heavyweight. Gane destroyed Mayes on the feet and then submitted him with a heel hook at the buzzer to cap off an incredible performance. With the heavyweight division desperate for new stars, Gane will be making waves in the division soon.
It was a classic performance from Dariush, who is now on a three-fight winning streak and on the verge of reaching the Top 15 again. Dariush wasted no time taking the fight to the ground, then quickly took Camacho’s back and locked up a rear-naked choke for the submission just two minutes into the fight. I wish we could have seen some more exchanges on the feet to see how they match up, but overall, this was an entertaining fight.
I personally scored this one a draw, but it could have gone either way. Nevertheless, it was a huge win for Ray, who moved to 7-4 in the UFC. The first round was close, but Johnson clearly won the second and Ray clearly won the third. A more dominant third round for Ray allowed him to pull out a majority decision that will go down as one of the most contentious verdicts of the year.
This was exactly the fight I wanted out of two of the best grapplers of this generation. They went back and forth on the feet for a bit, which I honestly wanted to see, but both men clearly wanted to test their skills on the ground. They gave us one of the best and closest grappling bouts in recent memory, and I cannot say anything else other than watch this fight right now.