MONTREAL -- Before getting into UFC 186 fighter grades, let us talk about the mostly predictable happenings of the injury-depleted main card.
This was not a bad main card whatsoever, but it didn't offer much in the realm of surprise. Demetrious Johnson terrorized an overmatched title challenger for five rounds. Significant sections of the crowd didn't like it. UFC president Dana White reacted to this news by admitting he "doesn't give a s---." This is all par for the course.
The Quinton Jackson fight looked about right. "Rampage" didn't look particularly good or bad. He looked like he has in the recent years. Even the unpredictable events of the night were halfway guessable. Which fighter would need to have his overgrown toenails trimmed by the commission for safety reasons? Fabio Maldonado probably would have been the odds-on favorite when you think about it.
All but one betting favorite won -- and each did so relatively convincingly.
But even though UFC 186 featured minimal unexpected twists and turns, that doesn't mean there's nothing to discuss here. Let's do so, in the form of fighter grades.
(A+) Demetrious Johnson (Round 5 submission win over Kyoji Horiguchi)
Should we go ahead and mark it down for his next fight while we're at it? Until Johnson shows anything less than an A-plus performance, we're going to keep giving him one. The "DJ Phenomenon" has become this truly unique thing, as if, "Nobody gives DJ enough respect!" has gotten so big that EVERYONE is now aware of it. You have these crowds that are trying so hard not to be bored by his fights and it ends up being just this sad thing. In Bell Centre, you literally had sections of the crowd fighting over what to make of Johnson. Some would boo, prompting an immediately response of aggressive cheers. It makes for a very weird atmosphere, man. Anyway, DJ is great.
(A) Thomas Almeida (Round 1 TKO win over Yves Jabouin)
The lack of respect Almeida showed for Yves Jabouin's striking was, well, striking. It's been more than six years since Jabouin knocked someone out, and still Almeida appeared to give absolutely zero thought to avoiding punches and focused solely on putting Jabouin on ice. There are few things more exciting in this sport than a prospect completely living up to the hype that's building around him, and that's what Almeida provided here. There are at least 36 matchups involving Almeida I would watch right now. Excited to see what's next for the 23 year old.
(A) Michael Bisping (Unanimous decision win over CB Dollaway)
Short of the technical marvel that is Johnson, Bisping gave the best performance of UFC 186. The pre-fight stuff has run its course at this point. How many times can we really get excited about Bisping sticking his finger in an opponent's chest and yelling at him at a weigh-in, only to hug him the following day when the fight is over? In the cage, though, he's as entertaining as ever. He took risks he didn't have to take, in an effort to put Dollaway away. If a small part of you isn't rooting for Bisping at this point, you might just be hating. I would love to see him get his title shot, but having to fight tooth and nail to narrowly beat Dollaway doesn't suggest he's close.
(B+) Olivier Aubin-Mercier, Chad Laprise, John Makdessi
The trio of Tristar Gym lightweights looked good. I thought Mercier made a huge mistake when he stopped throwing punches and looked at the referee after dropping David Michaud with a liver kick, but according to Mercier, he did so not because he thought the fight was over, but because he was arguing with Yves Lavigne over the legality of the kick. The fact Lavigne apparently changed his mind on the fly based on Mercier's complaints is suspect, but the outcome ended up being correct anyway.
(B-) Kyoji Horiguchi (Round 5 submission loss to Demetrious Johnson)
Horiguchi arguably just gave Johnson his second-most difficult title defense. Soak that in for a second. This complete washout, during which Horiguchi never won a round, might have been Johnson's second-toughest fight since claiming the belt. That's incredible. Once it became clear Horiguchi wasn't winning this fight (for me, this moment came around the six-minute mark), you could actually recognize a lot of potential in the 24 year old. Horiguchi is going to be really good when it's all said and done. He's probably never beating Johnson, but who is?
(B-) Quinton Jackson ((Unanimous decision win over Fabio Maldonado)
I guess we are in a UFC/Rampage honeymoon phase -- but the kind that comes after a third or fourth marriage. Everyone acknowledges the union and is generally happy for both parties, but not necessarily convinced the kids have finally found true love. There wasn't anything sexy about Jackson's comeback performance. He yelled a lot into the microphone at the end, but his world-famous bungalows weren't especially terrifying. Jackson out-classed a lesser opponent. Even in victory, he looked only slightly better than the Jackson who left the UFC two years ago on a three-fight skid.
(F) Fabio Maldonado (Unanimous decision loss to Quinton Jackson)
Forget that he came to the Octagon un-groomed. More importantly, Maldonado came unprepared. He's had a nice career -- OK, a fun, action-packed career to which he's dedicated more than a few pints of blood to -- but this could have been THE fight of his career. He got Jackson, in Jackson's UFC comeback. That's a big opportunity, even on an injury-depleted, poorly attended pay-per-view. And somehow, he showed up in significantly worse shape than Jackson, who as of five days ago didn't think he was fighting and ultimately required a 215-pound catchweight. Maldonado isn't the fighter Jackson is, but he didn't even give himself a chance here.