Colby Covington and Kamaru Usman trash talk each other, leading security to step in. For the full UFC Post Show, sign up here for ESPN+ http://plus.espn.com/ufc. (0:55)

It's Monday -- time for another edition of Ariel Helwani's MMA Show, which airs live starting at 1 p.m. ET on Twitter and YouTube. After it ends, you can listen to the show via the ESPN podcast center.

The UFC makes its Uruguay debut on Saturday, with a main event featuring Valentina Shevchenko vs. Liz Carmouche 2. As we've discussed before, this is a rematch of a fight that happened nine years ago and was won by Carmouche in somewhat controversial fashion. Also somewhat controversial is the fact that Carmouche claims she was originally scheduled to fight Shevchenko's sister, Antonina, until the promoter pulled the ol' switcheroo; however, Valentina says she has no recollection of this.

I bet most people who will be watching on Saturday did not watch the first fight live (including me), but I'm still intrigued by the story of Shevchenko, who is one of the top three pound-for-pound female fighters out there, attempting to avenge her first pro MMA loss, and by Carmouche, who was one half of the first female fight in UFC history opposite Ronda Rousey, getting another chance to a finally win that belt six years later.

In addition to that fight, the surging Vicente Luque going up against the always-fun Mike Perry is of interest.

But before we get to all that, here are some thoughts on the week that was in MMA:

1. If you're able to put aside how you feel about him for a second, you should be able to give Colby Covington praise for how he looked against Robbie Lawler on Saturday night. While watching the fight, I thought it was his most impressive performance to date, but maybe that's just because we haven't seen him fight in 14 months. Covington told me afterward that he suffered a deep cut over his left eye three weeks ago, which limited what he was able to do in preparation for this fight. I actually heard about this cut a couple of weeks ago from a source and asked Covington about it. His response? "Yeah, all is good on my end. Something happen to old man Lawler? He break a hip or something?" I guess it was real news, after all. Covington told me Saturday night he actually needed 16 stitches but doesn't think the job was done well, so he'll be getting it checked out in the coming days. He said he covered it with makeup before the fight so the commission wouldn't notice it, and he didn't tell the UFC beforehand, either.

Covington's pace, pressure and cardio are second-to-none in the welterweight division, and it was on full display in Newark, New Jersey. I was curious how he would look against Lawler, because Lawler historically has done well against wrestlers, but Covington mixed it all up very well. Consider these stats: His 541 total strike attempts are the most in a single fight in UFC history, per ESPN's Stats & Information research. His 515 attempted significant strikes, which are also the most in a single fight, passed the 495 attempted by Carlos Condit at UFC 195 -- also against Robbie Lawler. Covington also landed 10 of 18 takedowns, making him just the third fighter along with Georges St-Pierre and Demetrious Johnson to have multiple UFC fights with 10-plus takedowns. That's a complete, dominant performance.

2. Although he didn't score a five-second finish like Jorge Masvidal did last month, there should be no denying that Covington is next in line for a title shot. Simply put, Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington has to happen, and it feels like Nov. 2 at Madison Square Garden is the perfect spot for it. It will be interesting to see how the UFC decides to promote that fight. Covington could make it very political and uncomfortable, and fast. With the fight scheduled to happen 367 days before the 2020 presidential election, you can bet Covington will tap into that, too -- especially in New York. Uncharted territory for the UFC.

3. Speaking of which, we saw President Donald Trump's sons Donald Jr. and Eric sitting cageside in Newark on Saturday afternoon. So, will the president himself show up if the fight happens at MSG? He tweeted at Covington before the fight, and called him after the win -- and you know the invitation will be extended. Stay tuned.

4. I can understand why people have a hard time separating their feelings on Covington the man and Covington the fighter. He certainly doesn't make it easy. He's extremely polarizing on his tamest day. But it's important to note that he wants the world to hate him. That's why he asked Kurt Angle if he could use his entrance song, after all. He wanted all 10,000 fans at the Prudential Center to chant, "You suck." So when Covington says something that makes you think, "Man, he took that too far," it's because he wanted to take it too far. I'm not condoning any of his actions or his behavior. Let's make that very clear. I just hope people recognize that this is all a conscious effort on his part, and it's all working.

5. I thought Covington's comment about Matt Hughes in his postfight interview was too much. I didn't think it needed to be said to garner any more "heat," but then I saw Hughes brush it off on Instagram, and I began to think the line was cleared with him beforehand. You just never know what's real with Covington.

You know, we often like to talk about "heels" and "faces" in MMA as if these fighters were pro wrestling stars, but I'll argue we have never seen a "heel" remotely close to Covington in this game. I've never seen a fighter conjure up this kind of emotion from the fans, fellow fighters and pundits. There have been hated fighters before, but do you ever see anyone defend Covington? That's an island no one wants to be on these days, which speaks to his nuclear heat. And the pro wrestling comparison is apropos, in my opinion, because it's all very calculated on his part. It's one thing to call Jon Jones a heel because he gets into legal trouble, but in reality, that's not the real definition of a heel. Covington is a true heel because he is living a gimmick he concocted. I know some of you non-wrestling fans are about to puke right about now, but trust me on this one. This is all pro wrestling 101.

About two years ago, he seemed to realize that being "Colby Covington, the welterweight prospect" wasn't enough. He needed a hook, if you will. And this is it. The question is: Is it working? Are people tuning in to see him lose, or do they dislike him so much they are simply ignoring him? I think the answer to that question will come only in November. Saturday's fight was merely the reintroduction of Colby Covington. The real title fight will be the true indictment on whether his decision to dial his personality up to 10 was a smart one from a business standpoint, feelings be damned.

6. I thought it was interesting the UFC let Covington hold his previously "stripped" interim belt in the cage. It's one thing to hold it at media events; it's another to bring it in the cage. Maybe I'm just a stickler for that sort of thing.

7. So where does this leave Jorge Masvidal? The obvious answer is Leon Edwards. I'd love to also see that fight end up on the MSG card. If not, don't be surprised if Nate Diaz enters the Masvidal sweepstakes, if he scores a big win on Aug. 17.

8. Yeah, Diaz is back Aug. 17, by the way. So are Daniel Cormier and Stipe Miocic. I feel like this can't be repeated enough. Twelve days.

9. Well, the Cris Cyborg-UFC relationship has mercifully come to an end. The ending was ugly and unfortunate, but I can't say I'm too torn up about it. As I wrote last week, the relationship never worked from the get-go. It was contentious from the start and forced. The UFC never promoted Cyborg the right way, in my opinion, and Cyborg never was the model independent contractor. Truth be told, both are to blame here.

All that said, I thought it was interesting Cyborg decided to bring up the controversial comments from Dana White and Joe Rogan last week on the show. She had re-signed with the company after those comments were made, so why bring them up now? Now, I had no problems with her issues with the way she was misrepresented in the buildup to UFC 240 and the aftermath. I thought the way it was presented, that she didn't want the rematch with Amanda Nunes, was disingenuous at best. She wanted the rematch. We all know she wanted a rematch. She just didn't want the contract attached to the rematch. That was never made clear, and there was no way the UFC was offering her a one-fight deal. That, too, was disingenuous. So, despite bringing up the old, distasteful comments, I thought she was in a good spot around Tuesday.

But then Cyborg (or her team) decided to post a video of her conversation with White after the fight in Edmonton later in the week and, while doing so, made up a part of the conversation to clearly make White look bad. What was the point of that? What a massive misstep. Cyborg, who once upon a time was viewed as a villain because of her failed steroid test in 2011 and suspected use of PEDs prior to that failure, had finally begun to curry favor with the public because of her philanthropic efforts outside the cage and the way she handled herself around the fight game as of late. But you can't just make up stuff like that. Not when the relationship is as volatile as it is. That was disappointing to see. Kudos to her for apologizing, even though I don't believe the inaccurate subtitles were her decision. Still, she promoted the video on her social media channels and had to set the record straight. Just a really unfortunate way to end it all. And now the relationship appears to be over, so we won't get to see the Nunes-Cyborg rematch. I'm OK with that. I'm tired of this feud. It wasn't helping anyone in the long run.

play 1:35 Helwani: Cyborg will be the most coveted free agent in years Ariel Helwani wonders why Cris Cyborg would stay in the UFC if she is unhappy and expects her to draw heavy interest in the sport.

10. Now we wonder where Cyborg will end up. Every promoter under the sun will likely want to sign her, but has her market value taken a hit because they know the UFC won't be a player in negotiations? Most likely. Make no mistake, that was a shrewd business move on the UFC's part. It wanted the public to know it would not be extending an offer. It doesn't usually do this, you know. That was a parting gift on her way out. Or a way of driving down her market value. Your call.

11. I'd like to see Cyborg sign with Bellator or PFL. I want to see Cyborg vs. Julia Budd 2 or Cyborg vs. Kayla Harrison. I think those are the two most interesting fights out there for her, and I know both promotions will come after her hard.

12. I wonder what this all means for the UFC's women's featherweight division. I hope the UFC doesn't dissolve it yet. The more weight classes, the better, even if it seems extremely shallow right now.

13. As for Nunes, sign me up for Nunes vs. Germaine de Randamie 2. I don't see any better options.

Ariel & the Bad Guy 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+

14. Don't look now, but this is the second week in a row when a flyweight impressed during a UFC card. Two weeks ago it was Deiveson Figueiredo, and last week it was Matt Schnell. The 125ers are enjoying a nice second act, and I'm all about it.

15. Back to Newark, the other fighters who I thought looked good Saturday afternoon were: Antonina Shevchenko, Mickey Gall, Scott Holtzman, Jim Miller and Nasrat Haqparast. Regarding Haqparast, whenever the great Georges St-Pierre takes time to corner you, you're a name to keep an eye on. He doesn't do that often.

16. I'm a bit surprised Gall called out Diego Sanchez again. No chance that fight happens six months after it just happened. Gall has a reputation for being a master caller-outter (is that a word?), so maybe I'm a little hard on him here. I get why he wants to run it back with Sanchez, I just don't see it happening, so it felt like a wasted callout.

17. I've thought this before, but I think Lawler has officially reached litmus test status for good. I don't love the term gatekeeper because it feels like there's a negative connotation attached to it, so I prefer to go with litmus test. He's still tough but not quite a contender anymore. If you beat him or can hang with him, you'll find out just how good you are. Sorta like a litmus test.

Eddie Alvarez rallied to defeat Eduard Folayang this past Friday after suffering damage early in Round 1. AP Photo/Bullit Marquez

18. I hope you watched Eddie Alvarez's win on Friday morning against Eduard Folayang. That was vintage "Underground King." Banged up, hurt, on the brink ... and then he somehow pulls it out. Amazing. What a gutsy win by one of the all-time best. Y'all must've forgot.

19. If you missed Cain Velasquez's pro wrestling debut Saturday night, do yourself a favor and find the footage. Velasquez was flying around in there like he was a young Rey Mysterio Jr. Simply put, he was incredible. If you would have told me five or so years ago that Velasquez would make his pro wrestling debut before his good buddy Daniel Cormier, I would have never believed you, but here we are. Stick with this, Cain. You're on to something here.

20. One of my top goals when I joined ESPN about 14 months ago was to do a Daniel Cormier profile for E:60. I'm a huge fan of the show and felt his story was tailor-made for it. Well, on Sunday, a E:60 profile, which we began working on back in October, becomes a reality. I can't wait for everyone to see this. Special thanks to Andy Tennant, Carolyn Hong, Dan Lindberg and Chris Tumminello for making this happen. It was an honor to work on this piece about one of the most heartbreaking and inspiring stories in sports. Hope you all enjoy it.

Monday's Helwani Show lineup:

Matt Schnell earned a first-round submission win over Jordan Espinosa this past Saturday. Vincent Carchietta/USA TODAY Sports

1 p.m. ET: Matt Schnell

He will discuss his impressive win at UFC Newark and the state of the flyweight division.

1:20 p.m.: Colby Covington

Covington will recap his big win over Robbie Lawler and discuss what's next for him.

1:40 p.m.: Chris Weidman

He will preview his light heavyweight debut against Dominick Reyes.

2 p.m.: Tyron Woodley

The former welterweight champion will react to Covington's win and discuss what's next for him.

Derrick Lewis will try to stop a two-fight skid when he takes on Blagoy Ivanov at UFC 244 on Nov. 2. Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Getty Images

2:20 p.m.: Derrick Lewis

The "Black Beast" will look ahead to his UFC 244 fight against Blagoy Ivanov.

2:40 p.m. Action Bronson

The hip-hop artist, chef, writer and TV host will discuss his love of MMA.

3:00 p.m.: Ben Askren

Askren will discuss Covington's win and what's next for him.

3:20 p.m.: Sarah Kaufman

The PFL women's lightweight contender will join us in studio to preview the 155-pound playoffs.

4 p.m.: Alexander Volkanovski

The featherweight contender will look ahead to his eventual showdown with Max Holloway.