UFC 303 fight grades -- How good was Pereira-Procházka 2? - ESPN

The lead-up to UFC 303 was anything but typical. Superstars were bowing out due to injury and illness. New fights were booked on the fly, just weeks out -- or even the day of the event. Through it all, the promotion delivered, as the event provided memorable finishes and dramatic moments, as well as some questionable contests and bizarre outcomes.

So, which fights were the best of the night? Which ones left us wanting for more?

After each MMA pay-per-view, we break down and assess the quality of each matchup and the fight card as a whole based on skill displayed, competitiveness and what is at stake. A bout that earns an A or higher could be considered one of the year's best fights, such as Max Holloway vs. Justin Gaethje at UFC 300. Fights that earn a D-minus or lower will be fights that could be considered the worst matchups of the year. Think Rose Namajunas vs. Carla Esparza at UFC 274 or Francis Ngannou vs. Derrick Lewis at UFC 226.

Here are the grades for all 13 fights on the card -- including one definitive A and a few fights that failed to pass the grade.

Alex Pereira def. Jiří Procházka via second-round TKO

Grade: A

A high-octane match between two of the sport's most intimidating and violent strikers ends with a vicious head kick that cements the legacy of one of the most fascinating rises in MMA history? That's about as good as it gets, and Pereira didn't need magic to pull it off.

The highly anticipated rematch between the former champion (Procházka) and the current champion (Pereira) left little doubt there would be fireworks. It was about as good of a replacement fight that could be made when Conor McGregor had to pull out of the initial main event vs. Michael Chandler. Nobody was upset when the fight was announced and few could be upset with how it ended.

And it wasn't one-sided, either. Procházka made an excellent account for himself early on, landing several hooks and using his awkward movement to keep Pereira from timing him. But it didn't last long, as Poatan's trademark left hook found its mark at the end of the first round and sent Procházka crashing to the canvas. After a strong finish to close out Round 1, Pereira picked up where he left off, opening the second round with a head kick that sent Procházka to the mat again.

Pereira is in another stratosphere right now, as every performance allows his legend to grow.

Watch this fight on ESPN+.

Diego Lopes def. Dan Ige via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Grade: B

Imagine preparing for a test and having everything you studied for changed the day of. How would you perform? Lopes planned to fight Brian Ortega at featherweight, then lightweight, and then got a different opponent just three hours before he was scheduled to fight. Did all the changes affect how he would perform? Sure. Did it matter? Nope. Lopes performed under less-than-ideal circumstances, earning the win and entertaining throughout. And how about Ige? Despite the last-minute change of plans, he delivered an entertaining performance that will keep him in the UFC's good graces moving forward. It wasn't an absolute barnburner but, given the circumstances, this is the best you could ask for.

Watch this fight on ESPN+.

Payton Talbott def. Yanis Ghemmouri via first-round KO

Grade: B

Talbott is a problem. One of the biggest betting favorites in recent UFC history proved why he's worth the hype after he decimated Ghemmouri in just 19 seconds. A vicious straight right hand sent Ghemmouri to the mat and the fight would end shortly after. Talbott is one of MMA's most exciting young prospects, and the arrow is pointing to the moon for him. It'll be nice to see what happens when he faces resistance in a fight.

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Joe Pyfer def. Marc-Andre Barriault via first-round KO

Grade: B-

Goodness gracious. Pyfer had been salivating to rebound after dropping a decision to Jack Hermansson in February and delivered a stunning performance that left a scary visual of Barriault convulsing on the canvas. The ending sequence showcased Pyfer's devastating power and reminded us why we were so high on "Bodybagz" to begin with. The hype train is back on track.

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Jean Silva def. Charles Jourdain via second-round KO

Grade: B-

Silva is powerful, and he knows it. He pursued Jourdain from the opening bell and waited for his moment to strike. And, boy, did he strike. Jourdain fought almost exclusively with kicks and used lateral movement early, but when he tasted Silva's power -- courtesy of a punch that scored a flash knockdown in the first -- he decided that engaging in a striking battle wouldn't be wise. His second-round takedown attempt was his demise as Silva got to his feet, drilled Jourdain with elbows and hit a nasty one-hitter-quitter as the uppercut finished the job. Silva's style will likely produce exciting fights in the featherweight division going forward, but he loses points for missing weight.

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Macy Chiasson def. Mayra Bueno Silva via second-round TKO (doctor stoppage)

Grade: C+

Just when this fight was about to hit another gear, a gruesome cut suffered by Bueno Silva from a Chiasson elbow ended it. Before the unfortunate ending, Bueno Silva and Chiasson exchanged punches, kicks, elbows and knees, as both were determined to make a statement in a division in need of a boost. This had the potential to be the fight of the night, but the fight had to be stopped, as that cut will have Bueno Silva on the shelf for a while.

Watch this fight on ESPN+.

Vinicius Oliveira def. Ricky Simon via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Grade: C+

The "Lok Dog" made a major leap in the bantamweight division by taking care of Simon by stopping the takedown and deploying some unorthodox striking. There wasn't a great deal of drama outside of a checked leg kick hurting Oliveira. Outside of that, it was a serviceable performance by Oliveira that will likely pique interest for his next fight. But the lack of drama doesn't move the needle very far above a C grade.

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Andre Fili def. Cub Swanson via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)

Grade: C

This was largely a standup affair that lost its momentum whenever Fili shot for a takedown. It had the potential to become a barnburner, but neither fighter could actually light the fire. It had its moments, but we won't be talking about this fight tomorrow.

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Ian Machado Garry def. Michael Page via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Grade: D+

This had the potential to be really good or really bad. Unfortunately, this fight ended up not being good. Once it was clear that Machado Garry couldn't match Page in the striking department, he deployed his grappling to get the job done. This was certainly a "by any means necessary" approach to winning a fight, but it was a clunker that could have been fun if Machado Garry had opted to exchange. Oh well.

Watch this fight on ESPN+.

Gillian Robertson def. Michelle Waterson-Gomez via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)

Grade: D

This was an absolute canvas clinic by Robertson, as Waterson-Gomez had no answers whenever the fight hit the mat. From ground and pound to armbar attempts, this was about as one-sided as it gets. For some reason, Waterson-Gomez went for a takedown early in the third round when it was painfully obvious that was the last place she needed to be. It's no surprise that Robertson reversed position and controlled the fight for the remainder of the round. Robertson looked great, but Waterson-Gomez offered little to no resistance. "The Karate Hottie" retirement was fitting after all the years she has given to the sport, but it was clear that it was time to call it a career.

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Rei Tsuruya def. Carlos Hernandez via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Grade: D-

Fifteen minutes of grappling with very little damage from strikes equated to a pretty unexciting win for the 22-year-old Tsuruya in his formal promotional debut. Tsuruya dominated most of the early exchanges and threatened a rare Twister submission in the second round but slowed down considerably in the third round. Hernandez couldn't muster much offense and both left the Octagon looking like they hadn't been in a fight. Tsuruya has a bright future in the flyweight division, but this won't be a win that he'll look back on with fond memories outside of having WWE superstar Shinsuke Nakamura in his corner.

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Martin Buday def. Andrei Arlovski via split decision (30-27, 29-28, 28-29)

Grade: F

Have you ever seen a fight in slow motion? That's what Arlovski and Buday gave us with a clinch-heavy fight between two plodding heavyweights. Fans booed the fight relentlessly and rightfully so, as neither -- specifically Arlovski -- seemed uninterested in engaging. When the biggest pop of the fight comes from the referee breaking up a clinch and the most devastating strike is a low blow, there's not much to write home about.

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Roman Dolidze def. Anthony Smith via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Grade: F

Well, this fight wasn't great. Granted, both Smith and Dolidze were sitting on the couch three weeks ago and were called in to save UFC 303. But the lack of action was unforgivable as both fighters spent long stretches staring and feinting rather than striking. Dolidze did just enough striking to get the job done, but the fans weren't thrilled with this affair.

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Overall grade for UFC 303

Grade: C+

This was a card of two extremes: Brutal and relatively fast finishes or plodding decisions that lacked drama. The bad outweighed the good early, but Lopes-Ige being as good as it was considering the circumstances along with a brilliant performance by Pereira en route to a devastating knockout elevated this card to slightly above average.