MMA Gradebook: Rating Every Fight From UFC 235

If you’re like us and watch an absurd amount of mixed martial arts each week, you probably wished there was 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 here, based on competitiveness, the skill and technique on display, excitement, and the story and drama of the contest. However, just because a fight is one-sided doesn't mean it receives a bad rating. Max Holloway vs. Brian Ortega, for example, would have scored high for Holloway’s showcase of technique and the overall drama despite it being a one-sided domination. With that out of the way, let's get into this week’s bouts.

Polyana Viana vs. Hannah Cifers Stagnant fight at times but Cifers’ counter right hand was landing all night and she ended up taking home a split decision victory. Not a great fight to open the card but it wasn’t a bad fight either so this gets an average rating. [2.0]

Gina Mazany vs. Macy Chiasson Quick finish by the debuting Chiasson earns this a 2.75. Chiasson was just 4-0 coming into this bout but was one of the biggest favorites on the card and it showed with the first-round knockout.

Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Charles Byrd Another lightning quick finish for Edmen Shahbazyan that brings his record to a perfect 9-0. The 21-year-old was only a slight favorite but his TKO finish in just 38 seconds proved otherwise. [3.0]

Diego Sanchez vs. Mickey Gall Gall called for the fight with Sanchez and he is certainly regretting that decision today. Sanchez was getting the better of Gall on the feet and dominated him on the ground to get a TKO finish in the second round. Just as it seems Diego is on his way out, he puts together two solid wins in a row and shows everybody he still has some gas left in the tank. [3.0]

Cody Stamann vs. Alejandro Perez Very average fight with most of the action taking place against the cage with both men not doing much. Stamann edged out a unanimous decision with his control against the cage, but nothing special happened. [2.0]

Misha Cirkunov vs. Johnny Walker Wow, Johnny Walker does it again with a flying knee knockout in just 30 seconds. With the state of the division, it wouldn’t be crazy to think Walker will be fighting for a title soon although it would be much better for the UFC to build him up before throwing him to the wolves. [4.0]

Jeremy Stephens vs. Zabit Magomedsharipov Good back and forth action but Zabit controlled most of the fight and took home a unanimous decision. I thought Stephens would come out much more aggressive but instead, he tried to stand in Zabit’s range and strike with him and he paid for it dearly. [3.0]

Cody Garbrandt vs. Pedro Munhoz Garbrandt and Munhoz put on the best fight of the night, which ended in spectacular fashion with Munhoz landing a perfect counter right for the KO win. Both men were standing and trading for most of the fight but Munhoz was the calmer fighter and took most of Garbrandt’s punches on the arms while his were landing clean. Munhoz has now won three in a row and should be in the title picture with a win over the former champion. As for Garbrandt, he needs to leave his gym and take some time to figure out his career after losing three big fights in a row. [4.0]

Weili Zhang vs. Tecia Torres Nothing really exciting or special, but Zhang completely outclassed Torres for 3 rounds and proved to everyone she is a legit contender to keep your eye on in the future. Zhang has now won 19 fights in a row after losing her professional debut and has a bright future in a division that is desperate for new stars. [2.0]

Ben Askren vs. Robbie Lawler This would have received a much higher rating if it wasn’t for the crappy finish. Lawler nearly finished the fight with ground-and-pound early on, but Askren somehow recovered, took the fight to the ground and won via submission with a bulldog choke. Unfortunately, it looked like Lawler went out cold but the second the fight was stopped he stood up and immediately complained. A lot of people were angry with this fight but Joe Rogan said it perfectly during the broadcast -- it was an understandable bad stoppage. Hopefully, they run this one back soon. [2.5]

Tyron Woodley vs. Kamaru Usman I wanted to give this fight a 0 but I felt that was a bit too low for a major title fight. This was still one of the most boring title fights of all time that saw Usman control Woodley on the ground for five rounds but didn’t do much but lay on top. There were multiple moments where he could have postured up and unloaded with ground strikes but instead, he chose to throw light punches to the body over and over again which is not going to finish a fight. Only watch this fight if you are a big fan of Usman, otherwise let's just act like this didn’t happen. [1.0]

Jon Jones vs. Anthony Smith After an amazing night of fights, we ended up getting two bad title fights. This fight gets an average rating for Jones’ dominance, but he played it way too safe and should have finished a defeated Smith. Smith refused to pull the trigger all fight and put on one of the worst performances in UFC title fight history. Similar to Usman, it seemed like Jones could have finished the fight but instead, he held Smith on the ground and only occasionally unloaded with strikes. This win did nothing for Jones’s stock and I hope he gets a real contender next. [2.0]