Making the Grade: Passes/Fails for UFC 186: Johnson vs. Horiguchi

The UFC returned to Montreal on Saturday night for UFC 186 which featured flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson getting his sixth straight title defense as he took out Kyoji Horiguchi in the main event.

Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson also returned on the card and picked up a victory over heavy-handed Brazilian Fabio Maldonado.

But we already know the results from the card so today we're going to dig a little deeper into UFC 186.

What moments stood out above the rest and where did the card falter and fall? These are the passes and fails for UFC 186: Johnson vs. Horiguchi.

PASSES

Latest Finish in History

UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson may still be battling to find a fan base, but whether people are watching him or not, he's still pulling off some incredible finishes as he decimates contenders in the 125 pound division.

Last night at UFC 186, Johnson put on a wrestling heavy performance to take Kyoji Horiguchi down a total of 14 times and absolutely maul him on the ground. Johnson was cruising towards a five round unanimous decision victory but decided to go for broke with just seconds remaining in the fifth round.

Johnson pivoted his body around Horiguchi and trapped an armbar with less than 10 seconds to go in the fight. Johnson wrenched up the hold and Horiguchi tapped out with exactly one second left to go on the clock.

The stoppage came at 4:59 in the fifth round, which of course is the latest stoppage to ever happen in the UFC and it's a record that will stand forever because it's impossible to have a finish at the 5:00 mark.

Say what you will about Johnson's choice of strategy through the first four rounds or not taking chances to go for a finish earlier. The fact that he pulled off a submission this late into a fight is still quite amazing and adds yet another accolade on his already impressive resume.

Rampage Still Draws a Crowd

Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson had a rather unceremonious exit when he left the UFC after his fight with Glover Teixeira in 2013, but the veteran fighter returned just over two years later and put on a very solid performance to beat Brazilian boxer Fabio Maldonado.

'Rampage' said on numerous occasions since re-signing with the UFC that he was one of those guys who thought the grass would be greener on the other side, but found out in a hurry that he missed the comforts of the Octagon and the money he was making as a fighter performing there.

Jackson had to go through a long legal process just to fight at UFC 186 and when he showed up it was classic 'Rampage' and people still clamored to see him perform.  He may not be a title challenger any more and chances are he'll still complain a whole lot if he gets matched up with a wrestler, but 'Rampage' is still more than capable of drawing a crowd and people will definitely still pay to see him fight.

It may only take a year or so for 'Rampage' to get disgruntled again, but when he's in good spirits and having fun in the cage, he's still one of the best attractions the UFC could hope for in 2015.

Third Time's the Charm

Alexis Davis avenged two previous losses to Sarah Kaufman with a second round submission victory at UFC 186 while also bouncing back from a lightning fast loss to women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey last July.

When Davis was originally matched up with Kaufman even she was taken back by the fight because typically in MMA when somebody loses to another fighter two times, the chances of a third chance is usually slim to none.

So Davis knew there was no way she could waste this opportunity and after a rough start in the first round, she showed why she might be the most dominant ground fighter not named Ronda Rousey in the UFC women's bantamweight division. Davis took Kaufman down, immediately moved to mount and then transitioned for a triangle choke before adjusting into an armbar. Seconds later she got the tap and Davis proved the third time's the charm as she finally vanquished Kaufman from her record once and for all.

FAILS

Bisping/Dollaway Deserved 'Fight of the Night'

Take nothing away from Chad Laprise and Bryan Barberena, who put on a fine performance in their lightweight bout on the prelims, but it was Michael Bisping and C.B. Dollaway who deserved 'Fight of the Night' honors at UFC 186.

Bisping and Dollaway engaged in a back and forth battle in a featured bout on the pay-per-view with each fighter blasting away at the other throughout the 15-minute fight. Bisping was in control early and then Dollaway dropped him with a punch. Just when it looked like Dollaway was about to unload anther big left hand a little bit later, Bisping countered and hurt the former All-American wrestler.

Bisping finally took over late in the third round, but Dollaway never backed down and gave the veteran middleweight everything he could handle. It was a truly fun fight and one that deserved a little more recognition, especially considering the ebb and flow with near finishes on both sides from Bisping and Dollaway.

Fight bonuses are always a roll of the dice, especially when there are a lot of choices to pick from, but in this case Bisping and Dollaway put on the best show and should have been rewarded for it.

The Ladies Got Buried

It was truly a bummer to take a look at the UFC 186 card from top to bottom and see three women's fights taking place with none of them getting placement on the pay-per-view main card or even the featured bout on the prelims. The worst part was two of the fights featured competitors in the top 10 of their respective divisions and still the UFC couldn't find a way to put either of them in a showcase slot on the card.

Randa Markos and Aisling Daly had an exciting fight to kick off the show and considering they were ranked No. 6 and No. 10 overall going into the night, there was plenty of reason to want to see this one. The more egregious offense was the fight between Alexis Davis and Sarah Kaufman, especially considering they put on one of the best women's bouts of all time the last time they met back in 2013.

No offense to the fights that took precedent over these matchups, but Markos vs. Daly and Davis vs. Kaufman deserved better placement on the card. As it turned out, both fights were ultra exciting and featured some of the best action of the whole night.  Hopefully the next time there's an opportunity to showcase the best women in the world, the UFC will give them a more visible place to shine.

EPIC FAIL

Enough's Enough

Nothing personal against referee Jerin Valel, but enough's enough -- he can't be allowed to referee fights in the UFC any longer and something has to be done about it.

Valel was a referee at UFC 184 back in February when he twice failed to stop a fight after a submission choked somebody unconscious to the point where it got really uncomfortable to watch on television. He watched as Mark Munoz went limp in his fight against Roan Carneiro and more or less just stared at his lifeless body for a few moments before finally pulling the choke loose and calling a stop to the fight.

He then failed to notice Josh Koscheck literally foaming at the mouth after being choked out by Jake Ellenberger and once again had a late stoppage in that fight.

On Saturday night, Valel oversaw the women's bout between Alexis Davis and Sarah Kaufman and once again failed to do his job.

Davis caught Kaufman in an armbar in the second round and instead of positioning himself in the place where he could see if the former Strikeforce champion was tapping out, he went to the other side where he couldn't see much of anything. Kaufman tapped once, twice and then again before she finally screamed out that she was done and thankfully Davis let go of the hold so she wouldn't do any further damage to her opponent's arm.

Valel is woefully bad at his job and now there are three examples of him putting fighters at risk in just the last two months alone! Kaufman could have easily had her arm broken or dislocated thanks to the late stoppage, and that could put her out of action for months where she wouldn't be earning any money despite doing the thing fighters are supposed to do when caught in a submission with no chance of escape.

Valel just isn't cutting it and he shouldn't be refereeing high level MMA bouts like those taking place in the UFC.  If the NFL, if a referee makes enough mistakes, they are demoted. It should be no different in MMA and in this case the leash should be even shorter considering Valel is playing with fighter's careers and long term health by not doing his job.