14 MMA thoughts, including what to make of Theodorou, Willis releases
Ariel Helwani is an MMA reporter at ESPN. Follow him on Twitter at @arielhelwani.
It’s Tuesday, time for another edition of Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show, which airs live starting at 1:30 p.m. ET on Twitter and YouTube. After it ends, you can listen to the entire show via the ESPN podcast center.
You know that feeling football fans experience in July when the dawn of a new season is on the horizon?
Or how about the tingly sensation baseball fans get in late February when spring training is about to commence?
Or how about …
You get the point.
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.
Watch on ESPN+
The point is, the offseason is a major reason why traditional sports are so popular. Absence, as a wise person once said, makes the heart grow fonder.
I’m reminded of this feeling after a rare UFC bye week. The week off now has me just a little more excited for UFC Stockholm in a few days. Funny how that works, right? It allowed me, and I’m sure others, to catch their breath and miss the sport a little bit. Now, imagine if there were more off weeks? The plan is for nine in 2019, by the way. That isn’t a lot, especially when you scatter them over 52 weeks.
Don’t get me wrong; I’m not advocating for five-month breaks, like in other sports. That’s way too long. All I’m saying is it sure is nice to miss MMA from time to time.
In addition to UFC in Sweden, we also Rizin, Cage Warriors, LFA and CES, among others, in action.
Here are some other random thoughts on this Tuesday morning:
1. I wonder how Anthony Smith is feeling heading into Saturday’s showdown against Alexander Gustafsson. When I last spoke to him in March, he didn’t seem all that excited about this fight. I loved how honest he was about how he was feeling, but I couldn’t help but wonder why this fight was happening so soon. Of course, this was nine days after he lost to Jon Jones, so it was all understandable. For the record, I still think the UFC called his number too soon (two days after UFC 235, to be exact), but it has been around 2½ months since his loss to Jones, so maybe his feelings have changed. Regardless of what happens Saturday, I’d be surprised if he fights again in 2019.
2. On the other hand, I’m happy to see Gustafsson back so soon. Yes, I know he last fought in December, but when you consider he only has fought three times since 2015, this feels like a quick turnaround for “The Mauler.” I’m not really sure what is at stake in this main event, considering both are coming off losses to Jones, but these guys are two of the better light heavyweights in the game, so it should be entertaining affair regardless.
3. Any time Gustafsson fights back home in Sweden, it is special. I’ll never forget that card in 2015 when he headlined in Stockholm versus Anthony Johnson. UFC held the card in the middle of the night in Sweden to accommodate the American viewers, so Gustafsson getting brutally knocked out by Johnson at around 4 a.m. local time was a massive buzzkill. Stockholm is a lovely city, though. I really enjoyed my lone trip there.
4. Congratulations to retired UFC fighter Paddy Holohan for winning a seat on the South Dublin County Council this past weekend. I very much enjoyed covering Holohan during his UFC run. He is a unique character who always speaks with such passion and charm. Holohan is a legit tea aficionado, as well, and back in 2015, we shot a video at the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum in Beantown. It remains one of my favorite shoots ’til this day. Trust me when I tell you the man really adores his tea, and it now appears as though he shares a similar passion for helping his fellow Irish men and women. Cheers, Paddy.
The UFC is now on ESPN and ESPN+. Subscribe to ESPN+ to get: exclusive live UFC events, weigh-ins and more; Ariel and the Bad Guy; Dana White’s Contender Series; and more exclusive MMA content.
5. The UFC cut ties with Elias Theodorou and Justin Willis last week, which raised some eyebrows. Their UFC records were 8-3 and 4-1, respectively, but both were coming off losses.
The Willis release is a little more surprising, in my opinion. He is a heavyweight, he is charismatic and he has had some solid wins. But a disagreement over the date of his next fight (the UFC wanted him to fight Walt Harris next) led to the promotion cutting the big man. Dana White has never been a fan of big heavyweights who don’t appear to be in good shape (remember his disdain for Roy Nelson‘s belly rub?), and my understanding was Willis knew this and wanted more time to lose weight. In the end, though, the UFC didn’t want to wait for him. I think it should have. It’s not like that fight versus Willis was going to headline a card anyway.
Theodorou’s release doesn’t surprise me as much. His past eight fights have gone the distance, and his fighting style isn’t all that fan-friendly. I had a feeling the UFC might cut ties with him after his recent loss to Derek Brunson. The message is the same one the likes of Jon Fitch, Yushin Okami and Jake Shields, among others, all received in the past: Wins aren’t enough. You have to entertain in the UFC. Like it or not, this isn’t news. It has been this way for a while, and it will continue to be this way.
6. I wonder if former Death Row Records CEO Suge Knight was also referring to some MMA managers when he said this in 1995: “Any artist out there that want to be an artist and stay a star, and don’t have to worry about the executive producer trying to be all in the videos, all on the record, dancing… come to Death Row!” Remember, fighters: The managers are supposed to work for you, not vice versa. And they are supposed to work for your best interests first and foremost, not the promotion’s.
�� YOU NEED TO SEE WHAT FOLDED HIM LIKE THAT pic.twitter.com/gONKdPhnSd
– ESPN MMA (@espnmma) May 24, 2019
7. I’ll admit, I didn’t know much about Movlid Khaibulaev prior to his jumping knee knockout at PFL 2 on Thursday (and I’m guessing neither did you), but I want to see more now. I’m also glad to see Damon Jackson wasn’t seriously injured after that KO.
8. Speaking of PFL 2, I really don’t like that the league decided to start with PFL 1, 2, etc., all over again. This makes things confusing when trying to brand the events and also robs you of the eventual PFL 100 celebration. I get that it is trying to emulate the NFL schedule (Week 1, Week 2, etc.), but it just doesn’t work like that in our sport. I’m not sure why, but this tiny detail bugs me.
9. Juan Adams is a proper step up for Greg Hardy. I have no problem with that matchmaking.
10. Nick Newell returns for the first time in 10 months on Friday at CES MMA 56. We haven’t seen him in action since his Contender Series tryout in July. I am a little surprised a Bellator or PFL didn’t sign him for one of their many East Coast events this year. Maybe those promotions wanted to see him win again before they did?
11. We’ve seen some questionable commission decisions over the years, but I think the Nevada Athletic Commission’s decision to reduce the suspensions of Abubakar Nurmagomedov and Zubaira Tukhugov might just take the cake. You’ll recall both fighters received yearlong suspensions after entering the cage in the midst of the UFC 229 melee in October. Immediately after receiving their punishments, UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov said he wouldn’t fight until their suspensions expired. The only issue is, UFC has a show planned for Abu Dhabi on Sept. 7, and it needs Khabib Nurmagomedov on that card.
So, all of a sudden, the Nevada Athletic Commission reduces the fighters’ suspensions by a random 35 days, which means they now are eligible to return on Sept. 2?! Laughable. I could accept the argument earlier this year that the initial suspension was too strict (and in the end, Abubakar Nurmagomedov and Tukhugov will have served 11 months, which is fine), but to do this now just so Khabib Nurmagomedov (and I’m assuming the other two, as well) can fight on the card is truly disappointing to see.
The Nevada Athletic Commission, which is supposed to be the standard-bearer in combat sports, should be better than this.
12. Minneapolis lost Woodley-Lawler 2, but it gained Francis Ngannou-Junior Dos Santos as a new main event last week. And you know what? I think the city ended up with a better main event. Woodley-Lawler 2, as I recently wrote, never did it for me. Ngannou vs. Dos Santos is a tremendous heavyweight matchup that should probably decide the next heavyweight title contender.
13. The Ayaka Hamasaki vs. Jinh Yu Frey 2 fight for the Rizin super atomweight title fight is the best fight no one is talking about this weekend (yet).
14. Colby Covington might just be the most hated MMA fighter competing these days, but he quietly did a wonderful thing in New York last week. He spent five days with the men and women of the U.S. Navy, Marines and Coast Guard while they were in town for the annual New York Fleet Week. I was told Covington volunteered his time and paid for all of his expenses. Well done, Colby. Now, back to being the heel everyone loves to hate, please.
And with that, here’s today’s lineup for a rare Tuesday edition of the Helwani Show.
1:30 p.m. ET: Show open
1:35: Anthony Smith
Smith will preview his UFC Stockholm main event fight against Alexander Gustafsson.
1:55: Makwan Amirkhani
“Mr. Finland” will discuss his time off and upcoming fight against Chris Fishgold.
2:15: Glover Teixeira
The UFC light heavyweight contender will join us in studio.
2:50: Paddy Holohan
Holohan will talk about his big political win this weekend.
3:10: Al Iaquinta
Iaquinta will reflect on his recent loss to Donald Cerrone and talk about what’s next.
3:30: Alexander Gustafsson
Gustafsson will look ahead to his main event fight fight against Anthony Smith this weekend.
3:45: Max Holloway
Holloway will discuss his recent loss to Dustin Poirier and preview his UFC 240 headliner versus Frankie Edgar.