diff --git a/app/helpers/merge_requests_helper.rb b/app/helpers/merge_requests_helper.rb
index f3c3d437710..cc63db2035e 100644
--- a/app/helpers/merge_requests_helper.rb
+++ b/app/helpers/merge_requests_helper.rb
@@ -42,4 +42,8 @@ module MergeRequestsHelper
       "Branches: #{@merge_request.source_branch} #{separator} #{@merge_request.target_branch}"
     end
   end
+
+  def issues_sentence(issues)
+    issues.map { |i| "##{i.iid}" }.to_sentence
+  end
 end
diff --git a/app/views/projects/merge_requests/show/_state_widget.html.haml b/app/views/projects/merge_requests/show/_state_widget.html.haml
index bff5b36821d..c30310f1258 100644
--- a/app/views/projects/merge_requests/show/_state_widget.html.haml
+++ b/app/views/projects/merge_requests/show/_state_widget.html.haml
@@ -37,5 +37,5 @@
         %i.icon-ok
         Accepting this merge request will close #{@closes_issues.size == 1 ? 'issue' : 'issues'}
         = succeed '.' do
-          != gfm(@closes_issues.map { |i| "##{i.iid}" }.to_sentence)
+          != gfm(issues_sentence(@closes_issues))
 
diff --git a/spec/helpers/merge_requests_helper.rb b/spec/helpers/merge_requests_helper.rb
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..5a317c4886b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spec/helpers/merge_requests_helper.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+require 'spec_helper'
+
+describe MergeRequestsHelper do
+  describe :issues_sentence do
+    subject { issues_sentence(issues) }
+    let(:issues) do
+      [build(:issue, iid: 1), build(:issue, iid: 2), build(:issue, iid: 3)]
+    end
+
+    it { should eq('#1, #2, and #3') }
+  end
+end