Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream UFC on ESPN+ live
on your computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN
app.
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 Fight Night 163:
The
Ultimate Fighting Championship kicked off the card with Tiger
Muay Thai’s Popov taking on Grant, who entered the UFC with some
hype in 2013 but proceeded to go 1-3 with the company and
desperately needed a win to avoid getting cut. It was a decent
fight but not a great way to start an early card. The fight was
even on the feet with Popov perhaps taking a slight edge, but
Grant’s grappling was the difference maker and allowed him to take
home a split decision.
A rematch between Kianzad and Clark was the only women’s fight on
the card. The two faced off in Invicta Fighting Championship over
four years ago, with Clark winning a unanimous decision. This fight
ended up going the opposite way. Kianzad dominated on the feet from
bell to bell and defended all of Clark’s takedown attempts, which
allowed her to take home a rather easy unanimous decision.
A Russian gatekeeper in Yakolev took on the young Roberts, who had
compiled an 8-1 record in just three years as a pro. To put that
into perspective, Yakolev had been fighting for 15 years, with a
24-8 mark going into the fight.
Nurmagomedov made his highly anticipated UFC debut when he took on
Zawada, who was 0-2 in the UFC. This was clearly an attempt by the
UFC to get Nurmagomedov an easy win, but the plan backfired. Zawada
ended up securing a triangle choke in the first round, netted a
submission victory and embarrassed Nurmagomedov in front of his
home country.
This fight flew under the radar, but both men were interesting
prospects who could make names for themselves with a big win. After
an average start to the card, we were treated with a thrilling
striking bout that featured an unbelievable comeback as the capper.
Kopylov started to turn it on in the third round, and an
unfortunate eye poke put Roberson at even more of a disadvantage.
However, instead of coasting, he turned up the heat, shot for a
takedown and finished Kopylov with a rear-naked choke with under a
minute to go.
Khabilov dominated Khandozhko on the ground for all three rounds
but did not do much with his top position and grinded out a boring
unanimous decision.
After a rough start for Russian fighters, Ankalaev put on a
dominant performance and finished the fight with one of the best
knockouts of the year. Ankalaev is only 27 years old and already
looks like one of the most polished fighters in the division. He
called out a Top 15 fighter after the win and will almost certainly
get his wish after a performance like this. Keep an eye on
Ankalaev, as we may be seeing the rise of a future champion.
The debuting Gamzatov took on Abreu in the main card opener. Abreu
earned his “Russian Terror” nickname by taking out multiple Russian
fighters in their own country, so this one figured to be
interesting. The fight was close, but it provided little in terms
of entertainment value.
Martin was so fired up before the fight that the referee had to
hold him back during introductions. While some may have thought we
were finally going to get a wild fight to liven up the card, we
instead got another pedestrian fight that saw Martin run away with
a unanimous decision.
After a string of average fights, we were finally gifted with a
slightly above-average fight. Jokes aside, Herman and Ibragimov had
an exhausting encounter that had its moments but was nothing
spectacular. Herman ended up grinding out a unanimous decision and
moved to 12-11-1 in the UFC.
With both men desperate for a win, we were bound to get the first
good fight of the main card. The fight was close, but Roberts
looked to get the fight to the ground while Zelim landed the harder
shots. However, as the second round drew to a close, Roberts landed
a clean counter left hook that sent Imadaev face first to the
canvas and silenced the crowd. Roberts is now 4-4 in the UFC, while
Imadaev is 0-2 despite the hype behind him.
Hardy stepped up on short notice to take on his toughest opponent
to date in Volkov, who entered the cage on the outskirts of title
contention. More was expected out of Volkov in this fight, but he
came through with a dominant performance nonetheless. Hardy had his
moments, but Volkov was the all-around better fighter and never
really found himself in trouble. Because Hardy wields one-punch
knockout power, Volkov played it safe and picked him apart from the
outside with his long kicks and jab.
This featherweight showdown was originally scheduled as the co-main
event but was bumped up at the last minute, resulting in our first
three-round headliner in some time. If any fight could have used
two more rounds, it was this one. The fight was much closer than
the commentators led the public to believe, and Kattar was starting
to turn up the heat in the third round. Meanwhile, Magomedsharipov
was exhausted. He did just enough to edge out the first two rounds
and took home a 29-28 unanimous decision. Magomedsharipov landed a
lot of leg kicks, but Kattar’s punches were arguably the more
damaging blows, so this one could have gone either way.
