Jordan
Heiderman might be most unknown commodity among the PFL
heavyweight semifinalists.
Advertisement
The former college football player fought just once during the PFL
regular season, earning a spot in the playoffs thanks to a
first-round finish of Patrick
Brady on June 16. That has earned him a showdown with Denis
Goltsov — perhaps the favorite in the field — on Friday at The
Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York. The evening’s main
card airs on ESPN and ESPN+ at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT following
prelims on ESPN+ 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.
“I love being the new guy, the darkhorse,” Heiderman said during a
PFL media day. “It’s a perfect fight. I love being the no-name. I’m
gonna come in and turn some heads with my performance.”
Some might remember Heiderman from “The Ultimate Fighter 30,” where
he fell to Zac Pauga in
the semifinals of the reality show. The 31-year-old says he’s
“evolved tremendously” since then.
“I definitely think I’m light years better than what I was on the
show,” Heiderman said.
In addition to fights on “TUF” and with Legacy Fighting Alliance,
Heiderman was a collegiate defensive lineman who played football in
junior college and at Indiana University.
“Throughout my career in athletics, I’ve been on big stages. State
tournaments, big football fields…so just being under the spotlight,
it doesn’t scare me,” Heiderman said. “It doesn’t get me nervous at
all.”
With just seven professional bouts to his credit, Heiderman’s time
on the PFL postseason stage might have come more quickly than
expected to some, but he’s ready for the challenge.
“I think everything works out as it’s supposed to,” he said. “I’m
supposed to be here. The PFL is the perfect fit for me. I’m not
scared of the challenge ahead. These are tough competitors. That
gets me more excited about being a part of the PFL and being in the
playoffs. You’ve just got to take risks. You’ve got to accept big
fights, big opportunities and you’ve got to go out and perform.
That’s just part of the game. That’s what I love about it.”
Part of that is squaring off against an opponent in Goltsov who has
38 professional bouts to his credit. Heiderman is confident that he
has the necessary tools to pull off the upset.
“With Denis’ style of fighting, he’s pretty diverse,” Heiderman
said. “He’s got a ton of submissions. Ton of knockouts, a ton of
fights in general. Where I think I have the advantage is, my
athleticism and my explosiveness. I’m gonna get in his face and
make it ugly and make it uncomfortable for him. When things get
uncomfortable, people make mistakes and that’s where I’m going to
capitalize.”