Helwani: 16 things to watch in MMA this week
Ariel Helwani is an MMA reporter at ESPN. Follow him on Twitter at @arielhelwani.
The UFC went to Russia this past weekend for just the second time in the promotion’s history. Alistair Overeem scored the 23rd KO/TKO of his career when he finished Aleksei Oleinik in the first round of the main event. Veteran Roxanne Modafferi beat Antonina Shevchenko via split decision in a hard-fought affair. And Islam Makhachev continued to impress, earning his fifth consecutive win. Those were the main highlights.
The best insider in the sport, Ariel Helwani, and best personality in the sport, Chael Sonnen, break down the MMA weekend and look ahead to the biggest cards.
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This Saturday, former Strikeforce middleweight champion Jacare Souza meets late-replacement Jack Hermansson in the main event of UFC Fight Night in Sunrise, Florida. The card also includes Greg Hardy, the always-entertaining Mike Perry, hard-hitting Brazilian bantamweight John Lineker versus rising star Cory Sandhagen and former champions Carla Esparza, Andrei Arlovski, among others.
Bellator also has a pretty big show in San Jose, California, featuring two title fights. As for the Helwani Show, we’ve got another jam-packed episode for you later today. But in the meantime, here’s a few things on my mind coming off the weekend:
1. Islam Makhachev needs to fight a ranked opponent next. I don’t really care who it is, but it’s time. I want to know how really good he is.
2. Every time I think Alistair Overeem is winding down, he goes on a run like this. Good on ya, Reem. Sign me up for that Alexander Volkov fight again, depending on when Volkov is ready to return. There’s been conflicting info out there as to why he had to withdraw from the fight. Here’s hoping his “health issues” aren’t too serious.
3. Roxanne Modafferi is what is right about MMA. Thrilled to see one of women’s MMA’s true pioneers finally thrive in the UFC.
4. Kyoji Horiguchi defeated Ben Nguyen this weekend at Rizin 15 for his 12th straight win. The plan is for him to now rematch Darrion Caldwell at MSG on June 14. Though the fight isn’t signed, it has been verbally agreed to according to sources. It’s really fun matchmaking. If only other promoters could get along the way Scott Coker and Nobuyuki Sakakibara do.
5. Speaking of MSG, the UFC might be back there sooner than their usual November show. Stay tuned.
6. I was skeptical at first, but I’m starting to get the feeling that the road to Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Dustin Poirier won’t be as rocky as I initially thought. That’s all thanks to Nurmagomedov, who will come off as an even bigger star if and when that fight happens in Abu Dhabi.
7. Conor McGregor competing in a smoker at his old boxing club warms my heart. Is this sign of good things to come and a return to (somewhat) normalcy for the Irishman? I hope so.
8. Mike Perry fights this weekend. That’s always fun.
9. I think Ilima-Lei MacFarlane is one of Bellator’s best representatives. As long as she keeps on fighting, which she does this weekend, and keeps on winning, Coker will push her to the moon.
10. I’m surprised John Gotti III hasn’t signed with a major MMA promotion yet.
11. Good on Bellator for not being afraid to sign Leslie Smith, considering her strong stance on unionization.
12. UFC should listen to Israel Adesanya and not rush him back so soon versus Robert Whittaker. I believe they will, too.
13. I don’t care how many people were in the field, the fact that CM Punk is still actively competing in martial arts tournaments is all you need to know about the man. He was never in this for the fame or the money, and I hope he has finally proved that.
14. I was in Canada this weekend, and I really missed ESPN+ (which isn’t currently available in Canada). It’s really convenient.
15.Muhammed Lawal said after his loss at Rizin that this is his last year fighting. This makes me sad. Lawal is one of the great characters in the sport’s history. My post-fight interview with him after he beat Gegard Mousasi in 2010 to win the Strikeforce light heavyweight title in Nashville remains one of my favorite ever. Look it up on YouTube. He couldn’t walk after the right so we had to do it in his locker room while he laid down on some mats, crying. I can’t help but wonder what his career might have been like had he not suffered so many injuries and setbacks.
16. Big-time MMA is back in Sunrise, Fla. this weekend. First time I ever covered an event there was Oct. 4, 2008, the night Kimbo Slice lost to Seth Petruzelli in one of the more bizarre nights in MMA history. Sure, EliteXC was a mess at times, but they were really fun to cover. I particularly miss $kala.
1:00 p.m. – Alistair Overeem
Overeem will talk about his win over Alexey Oleynik in Russia this past weekend and what’s next for him.
1:15 – Paulo Costa
Borrachinha will fill listeners in on who the rising middleweight contender wants next.
1:30 – Chris Weidman
I’ll talk to Chris about his recent neck surgery and his road back to the Octagon.
1:50 – Deron Winn
Winn will preview his UFC debut on June 22 in Greenville, South Carolina.
2:05 – Dustin Poirier
What has life been like for Poirier since winning the UFC’s interim lightweight title? We’ll also get a status update on his bid to unify the belt with Khabib Nurmagomedov in September.
2:25 – Jon Fitch
I’ll discuss with Fitch his Bellator welterweight title fight this weekend against champion Rory MacDonald.
2:45 – Colby Covington
What’s the latest on a UFC welterweight title fight with Kamaru Usman? Covington fills us in on the latest.
3:05 – Jorge Masvidal
Masvidal will help preview his upcoming fight with fellow UFC welterweight contender Ben Askren at UFC 239 on July 6.
3:25 – Paddy Holohan
The former UFC fighter will describe why he chose to retire from MMA, and what life will look like after fighting.
3:45 – Ross Pearson
Pearson, who won Season 9 of The Ultimate Fitghter, also chose to retire in April. He’ll discuss that decision and what’s next for him.