MMA Gradebook: Rating Every Fight From UFC Fight Night 149

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 at Sherdog 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 149, the Ultimate Fighting Championship's second foray into Russia.

Rafael Fiziev vs. Magomed Mustafaev

After a two year layoff, Magomed Mustafaev made his return to the Octagon to take on UFC newcomer Rafael Fiziev in the opening bout. A quick fight will always be worth watching and the spectacular finish and story behind this fight earns this 3 stars.

Gadzhiumurad Antigulov vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk

Insane action from bell to bell and another finish less than a minute into the fight. Great start to the card so far and as always, a quick finish gets a high rating especially with the crazy back and forth to open the fight. [3.0]

Marcin Tybura vs. Shamil Abdurakhimov

The first bout of the night between two ranked fighters didn’t disappoint as these heavyweights went at it for the entire fight. Yet another quick finish and fantastic back and forth action before the finish earn this fight 3 stars.

Alex da Silva Coelho vs. Alexander Yakovlev

Yakovlev steps inside the Octagon for the first time in nearly three years to take on the debuting “can crusher” Da Silva. Both men put on an insane pace throughout the fight and there was some great back and forth action on the feet, on the ground and in the clinch, exactly what an MMA fight should be. The trend of quick finishes and 3-star ratings continue and hopefully, the rest of the card can live up to these action-packed prelims.

Sultan Aliev vs. Keita Nakamura

Fantastic first round but the action started to slow down a bit in the second and third rounds. Not the best fight but it was rather close on the feet and worth the watch if you’re a hardcore fan. [2.0]

Sung Woo Choi vs. Movsar Evloev

If you’re a fan of stagnant grappling and one-sided domination than this fight is for you. After a crazy start to the night, we end the prelims with two “meh” fights but overall the prelims are definitely worth the watch. [1.5]

Krzysztof Jotko vs. Alen Amedovski

Again, if you’re a fan of one-sided domination, then this is the fight for you. Although the odds were rather close, this was one of the most dominant victories of the year and a complete mismatch on the feet and on the ground. If you don’t want to watch this fight at least skip to the end to see the winner pull off a sweet Booker T spinaroonie. [1.5]

Roxanne Modafferi vs. Antonina Shevchenko

Everyone is expecting Shevchenko to run away with this one but Modafferi is tough as hell and never out of a fight until the final bell rings. This was a surprisingly close contest and both women kept their aggression throughout the fight whether it was on the feet or on the ground. Both women looked better than ever but they have a long way to go to become contenders. [2.75]

Sergei Pavlovich vs. Marcelo Golm

The theme of the night has been quick finishes and these two heavyweights continue the trend. This was an intense fight with both men throwing everything they had from the opening bell to the finish. The counter uppercuts by the winner are enough to make this one worth watching, but add in the insane action throughout the fight and we get the highest rated bout of the night so far. [3.5]

Islam Makhachev vs. Arman Tsarukyan

When the UFC comes to Russia don’t be surprised when you get multiple fights that end up being combat sambo matches. Both men wanted the fight on the ground despite one of them not having much success and there were 21 takedown attempts between the two. This was one of the best grappling fights of the year and although two judges scored it 30-27, it seemed much closer than that watching it live. Both men put on impressive performances and these are two lightweights you want to keep your eye on in the future. [3.0]

Alistair Overeem vs. Alexey Oleynik

We knew this fight wasn’t going to the scorecards but I still thought it would make it past the first round. Great action in the first round though with both men landing clean shots on the feet and Oleinik looking for his famous Ezekiel choke. Any fight that ends in the first round is a must-watch and the action before the finish earns this main event 3 stars and continues the run of 3+ star rated UFC main events.