Making the Grade: Passes/Fails from UFC 179: Aldo vs. Mendes II

Jose Aldo retained his UFC featherweight title in an absolutely classic battle against Chad Mendes. Phil Davis looked great and we're not talking about his pink shorts. And Fabio Maldonado saved a listless undercard.
You already know the results from UFC 179 on Saturday night. But we here at Haymaker are not concerned with who won and who lost. We prefer to go a step beyond.
Here's what we took away from the event in Rio de Janeiro

PASSES
'Wonderful' change

This new Phil Davis is all right. Those close to him already knew he was a funny dude, a joker. Davis never really let the fans in on that personality until recently. "Mr. Wonderful" was hilarious leading up to his fight with Anthony Johnson at UFC 172 in April, mostly ripping on light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. Johnson smoked him, though. Davis' comedy plays a hell of a lot better after a dominating win, like the one he picked up against Glover Teixeira on Saturday night.
After the victory, Davis called out Anderson Silva, of all people. Good for you, Phil. If you're going to challenge someone, why not the greatest UFC champion of all time? That fight could not make any less sense, but we appreciate Davis giving it a try. Fighting Silva would make him a lot of money and, honestly, he would probably win with his dominant wrestling. Of course, that will never happen and Davis probably knows that. Still, it's 100 percent better than saying: "I'll fight whoever the UFC gives me." Snore.

What a brilliant move by the UFC to bring Conor McGregor down to Rio de Janeiro for UFC 179, even if he isn't fighting Jose Aldo next. McGregor's Fight Club Q&A on Friday before the weigh-ins was the most entertaining UFC Q&A of all time. Entertaining for those watching, that is. For McGregor, it should have been downright scary. The entire crowd was shouting at him and booing every word that came out of his mouth. It was a hostile environment.
Of course, ever the entertainer, McGregor handled the entire thing with aplomb. He was charismatic and charming as usual, but also got under the skin of Brazilian fans without ever actually insulting Brazil. That's worth noting, because that was a go-to routine for Chael Sonnen. McGregor doesn't need to get any cheap heat to be hated. All he has to do is show up and be his cocky, brash self. If McGregor beats Dennis Siver in January, a fight between him and Aldo will be the biggest in featherweight history -- whether it's in Ireland or Brazil.