Saturday, the UFC visits Russia for the second time in the history of the promotion for the UFC on ESPN+ 7 fight card.
In the main event, top-15 ranked heavyweight competitors Alistair Overeemand Aleksei Oleinik meet in a bout that will feature a combined 131 fights and 43 years of MMA experience. Both men won their most recent bouts by first-round stoppage.
In the co-headlining bout, Islam Makhachev attempts to win his fifth fight in a row and earn a matchup with a ranked lightweight opponent. Makhachev faces UFC newcomer Arman Tsarukyan.
UFC on ESPN+ 7 takes place Saturday at Yubileyniy Arena in St. Petersburg, Russia. The card streams on ESPN+.
Inside, check out seven burning questions about the fight card.
1. Is the ’Reem really back?
The matchmaking in Overeem’s most recent bout was telling. After knockout losses to rising stars Francis Ngannou and Curtis Blaydes, the UFC slotted him against promotional newcomer Sergei Pavlovich. No one came out and said so, but the booking seemed as if it was made to launch Pavlovich into the heavyweight rankings. Things did not work out that way. Overeem blasted Pavlovich with devastating ground strikes to earn a first-round TKO win.
Overeem shifted his camp from JacksonWink MMA after his loss to Blaydes. During the Pavlovich matchup, Hardy noted that Overeem’s approach was more aggressive and that he seemed to be using his kickboxing base a bit more than he had in recent scraps.
A one-fight winning streak at age 38 shouldn’t be enough for anyone to believe that Overeem is truly back, but if Overeem (44-17 MMA, 9-6 UFC), who is ranked No. 8 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie MMA heavyweight rankings, can get by the No. 15 ranked Oleinik (57-11-1 MMA, 6-2 UFC), his claim will carry more weight.
The 41-year-old Oleinik has won his two most recent bouts and his past four victories have all come by way of submission. He’s claimed “Performance of the Night” bonuses in his previous two outings.
2. What’s the UFC’s plan for Islam Makhachev?
During his most recent fight, UFC commentator Daniel Cormier, who has trained with Makhachev at American Kickboxing Academy, said the 27-year-old could be a potential UFC champion. Makhachev defeated Kajan Johnson by first-round submission in that bout. After the win, Makhachev called for a top-15 lightweight opponent, just like he did when he knocked out Gleison Tibau in his previous fight.
Makhachev, who employs a style similar to his training partner, lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, was briefly tied to a fight with the No. 13 ranked Francisco Trinaldo, but that bout did not come to fruition. Instead, Makhachev (16-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC), who undoubtedly deserves a shot at breaking into the rankings, faces UFC newcomer Tsarukyan (13-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) in St. Petersburg.
Like his previous three fights, Makhachev is a heavy favorite over his 22-year-old adversary.
Early in his UFC tenure, Makhachev had a reputation as a fighter who was content to leave the octagon with a decision, but with his two consecutive stoppages he’s moved on from that knock against him.
If the UFC is taking a slow-build approach with Makhachev, I guess that’s understandable in some ways, but at some point the promotion needs to give him the challenge he’s looking for. If Makhachev can blow by Tsarukyan, that challenge needs to come in his next fight.
3. But can he beat a current UFC fighter?
The first thing you notice about Ivan Shtyrkov is that he definitely knows where they keep the kettlebells. The 30-year-old Russian is a physical specimen. The next thing you notice about Shtyrkov is that he is unbeaten. The last thing to notice about Shtyrkov is that his record has a lot of recognizable names on it, including former UFC fighters such as Thiago Silva, Fabio Maldonado, Phil De Fries, Antonio Silva, Ricco Rodriguez, Rodney Wallace and Jeff Monson. And while those wins are nice, one has to acknowledge that Shtyrkov defeated those men after 2016. That is to say, he faced those fighters when they were all far past their primes.
Shtyrkov (16-0-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) makes his UFC debut against Devin Clark (9-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC) in a light heavyweight contest.
Now, Clark’s name does not ring out in MMA circles in the same manner of Shtyrkov’s previous opposition, but he is currently a member of the UFC roster with a 3-3 record. This matchup should give us a good idea as to what we should expect from Shtyrkov against the current batch of UFC 205-pounders.
4. Can Antonina Shevchenko move out of her sister’s shadow?
Antonina Shevchenko is three years older than her sister, UFC flyweight champion Valentina. However, thanks to Valentina’s accomplishments in MMA, Antonina resides in the shadow of her younger sister. In an MMA-centric vacuum that’s understandable, but let’s not forget that the 34-year-old Antonina is a former muay Thai world champion in her own right.
It’s clear the UFC thinks highly of Antonina. This is her second UFC fight and second appearance on a main card. However, it is her first chance to face a ranked opponent. Shevchenko (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) meets the much more experienced Roxanne Modafferi (22-15 MMA, 1-3 UFC), who is ranked No. 7 in the women’s flyweight division.
This fight won’t be a make-or-break bout for Shevchenko, but it could determine the path the UFC will take when it comes to future matchmaking. If she dominates Modafferi, it won’t be a surprise to see her matched against a top-five opponent next. If she just squeaks by her veteran opponent, the promotion could opt to give her a lower-ranked foe. And if Shevchenko loses, expect to see her get a chance to reset herself against an unranked opponent.
This is the type of opportunity Shevchenko needs to seize, especially with the flyweight division still sorting itself out.
5. Jotko 2.0 or Jotko 0-4?
On New Year’s Eve, Krzysztof Jotko reflected on 2018 by writing, “2018 wasn’t good for me, but I know that after the storm the sun will shine. In next year you’ll see bigger, stronger and smarter version of Jotko. Thanks for support, really can’t wait to be back!”
To be honest, 2017 wasn’t a good year for him either.
Jotko is 0-3 over the past two years. He also suffered an injury that kept him on the shelf for the last eight months of 2018. Jotko was on a five-fight winning streak before things started to go south for him with a split-decision setback to David Branch.
Jotko, whose two most recent losses are the only two knockout defeats on his record, rose as high as No. 9 in the middleweight rankings during his winning streak. At 29, Jotko could potentially get back in the 185-pound mix with a couple of memorable performances. On the other hand, four losses in a row is never a good thing for a UFC fighter’s job security, no matter his age or potential.
Jotko (19-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC), who trains with American Top Team, has promised fans will see Jotko 2.0 when he faces the debuting Alen Amedovskiin St. Petersburg. Amedovski (8-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC), who has fought for Bellator and Cage Warriors has won all eight of his fights by knockout.
6. Can Magomed Mustafaev remind us of his upside?
Magomed Mustafaevhas not fought since he was choked out by Kevin Lee in November 2016. That’s a bummer, because Mustafaev looked impressive in all three of his UFC outings.
The good news is the Mustafaev returns to action in St. Petersburg. At 30, Mustafaev still has time to establish himself as a player in the 155-pound division and has all the tools to do so. He’s a powerful striker who has incredible strength. He’s also exciting to watch on the feet as well as on the ground and he’s a finisher. Before his loss to Lee, Mustafaev had won 13 straight contests by stoppage with none of those bouts leaving the second round.
The UFC has done everyone a favor in matching Mustafaev (13-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) against an adversary who has also never seen the third-round in the undefeated Rafael Fiziev (6-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC).
It’s a challenge for fighters to get noticed in the 155-pound weight class these days due to the depth of talent in the division, but Mustafaev had our attention before, so it’s likely he can do so again.
7. Which debuting fighter should you watch?
There are a handful of fighters who are making their UFC debuts on this card, but there’s one competitor who stands out among that group, and that’s 25-year-old Movsar Evloev.
Before he signed with the UFC, Evloev won and defended the M-1 bantamweight title. His record with M-1 was 10-0. Evloev (10-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) moves up to featherweight to face the also-debuting Seung Woo Choi(7-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) in St. Petersburg.
Evloev, who has a background in Greco-Roman wrestling, has displayed fantastic ground skills. His mat game is not one-dimensional, either. While he seems to prefer to take his opponent’s backs and work for submissions, he also has solid ground striking skills.
Evloev has to beware of the powerful striking of his 26-year-old opponent, but if he can shine in this bout, he could get a big push from the UFC going forward. Evloev is one of the bigger favorites on the card.
For more on UFC on ESPN+ 7, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.
