The UFC will return to our screens this weekend with UFC St. Petersburg. The card is topped by a heavyweight bout between Alistair Overeem and Alexey Oleynik.
A heavyweight bout at the top of the bill is a great way to pull casual fans in. However, upon further review, the seventh offering on the ESPN+ platform promises to entertain on an even deeper level.
With 12 fights scheduled and plenty of local flair, UFC St. Petersburg should deliver. Oh and it doesn’t hurt that the prelims will kick off at 10 am (EST).
Let’s look at some more reasons to tune in this Saturday afternoon.
A Shevchenko Sister Is Fighting
To be specific Antonina Shevchenko is fighting. She is the older sister of women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko. One day soon, however, she hopes to be known simply as one of the very best 125-pound female fighters in the world.
“The Panther” will definitely have the platform as she will be fighting Roxanne Modafferi on the ESPN+ main card. This fight could prove to be a bit of a sleeper as we build towards the weekend.
Modafferi has lost three of her last four fights and likely needs a win to hang around the promotion. Antonina, on the other hand, is a perfect 7-0.
Another Heavyweight Bout
While the headlining heavyweight contest between Overeem and Oleynik will garner the majority of the UFC St. Petersburg headlines (rightfully so), another heavyweight scrap has the potential to steal the show.
Marcin Tybura vs. Shamil Abdurakhimov is exactly the kind of hidden gem you hope to see on a fight card like this.
Tybura, 33, defeated Stefan Struve last July after suffering back to back losses for the first time in his career. He has a good ground game and decent hands. He will be facing a Russian monster named Abdurakhimov. “Abrek” has dynamite in both hands and a real mean-streak to boot. This fight should be fun.
Image: @ivanshtyrkov on Instagram
Ivan “Ural Hulk” Shtyrkov’s UFC Debut
UFC veteran Devin Clark will welcome the “Ural Hulk”, Ivan Shtyrkov to the Octagon at UFC St. Petersburg this weekend.
The fight may not last too as both men are keen finishers. Particularly Shtyrkov, who possess a frame like an iron door. The 30-year-old Russian has yet to be beaten in 17 outings as he boasts a 16-0-1 record heading into his first UFC fight.
Image: @Islam_Makhachev on Instagram
Islam Makhachev vs. Arman Tsarukyan
UFC St. Petersurg has a dandy of a co-main event.
Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan both fight out of Russia but things differ after that. Makhachev should probably already be ranked in the top 15 of the lightweight division. Perhaps that speaks to just how unbelievably stacked the 155-pound division is.
Tsarukyan will make his first walk under the bright light of the UFC in St. Petersburg. That and the fact that he is just 22-years-old could play a significant role in the outcome of this fight. Tune in to find out.
Which fights on the UFC St. Petersburg card are you most excited for?
This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 4/17/2019.
Alistair Overeem is backing Francis Ngannou in his boxing match against Tyson Fury.
This Saturday night in Saudi Arabia, ‘The Predator’ and ‘The Gypsy King’ will clash. For Tyson Fury, the boxing match is the last thing standing between a December title unification with Oleksandr Usyk. Meanwhile, the bout will be the first of Francis Ngannou’s boxing journey, but Alistair Overeem is confident in him.
Former UFC heavyweight title challenger Alistair Overeem has reportedly retired for good.
‘The Demolition Man’ is one of the sport’s most beloved heavyweights. He’s a former veteran of PRIDE, UFC, Strikeforce, and even DREAM. Along the way, he faced some of the biggest names in the sport, including Brock Lesnar, Stipe Miocic, Frank Mir, and more.
Combat sports legend Alistair Overeem’s management appears to have contradicted his recent retirement statement.
Many fans know and love the work of Alistair Overeem. Across kickboxing and mixed martial arts, he’s built an incredible career and reputation for himself. The veteran has fought and beaten the best of his generation, and a few days ago, he seemingly made it clear that he was ready to hang up his gloves.
Glory heavyweight contender Alistair Overeem has seemingly undergone a massive body transformation.
‘The Demolition Man’ has been out of the kickboxing ring since his trilogy bout with Badr Hari last October. The bout was his first kickboxing match in well over a decade and also marked his first since exiting the UFC. Alistair Overeem was famously cut by the promotion following a knockout loss to Alexander Volkov in February 2021.
Team Alistair Overeem is denying PED use following the recent suspension he received from Glory Kickboxing.
Alistair Overeem (47-19 MMA) was cut from the UFC roster following a TKO loss in his fight with Alexander Volkov (36-10 MMA) at UFC Vegas 18 back in February of 2021.
Alistair Overeem has failed a drug test from his GLORY Kickboxing fight back in October.
According to VechtsportInfo, which has since been confirmed by GLORY, Overeem failed a drug test from his October decision win over Badr Hari. With that, Overeem has been suspended for one year along with having his win overturned to a No Contest and he has been removed from the GLORY rankings and has been asked to turn over a percentage of his winnings from the fight.
Former UFC heavyweight title challenger Alistair Overeem could be heading to ONE Championship.
‘The Demolition Man’ was famously released from the UFC in 2021 following a loss to Alexander Volkov. Despite reportedly receiving interest from Bellator, Overeem seemed disinterested in competing in MMA. Instead, he signed to Glory Kickboxing.
