Exclusive MMA Interviews News

Pro fighters make their picks for Leon Edwards vs Sean Brady
Cole Shelton - March 19, 2025
In the main event of UFC London, former UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards will take on Sean Brady. Heading into the fight, Edwards is a +130 underdog while the American is a -166 favorite on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro-fighters to get their predictions for the welterweight main event. The pros are torn but the majority believe Brady will silence the crowd and beat the former champ.

Kurt Holobaugh expecting a "wild fight" against Alexander Hernandez at UFC Vegas 104: "It's going to be fun"
Cole Shelton - March 14, 2025
Kurt Holobaugh is eager to fight Alexander Hernandez at UFC Vegas 104 on Saturday. After getting back into the win column last time out, Holobaugh wasn’t sure what would be next for him. But, he was excited when he got the offer to face Hernandez.

Alex Morono looking to do "15 minutes of damage" against Carlos Leal and prove doubters wrong at UFC 313
Cole Shelton - March 7, 2025
Alex Morono is looking to prove the doubters wrong that he still is a top contender at UFC 313. Morono is coming off a split decision loss to Daniel Rodriguez, which was his second-straight loss. The losses were disappointing, especially given that Morono feels like those are fights that he should have won.

UFC 313 | Pro fighters make their picks for Alex Pereira vs Magomed Ankalaev title fight
Cole Shelton - March 5, 2025
In the main event of UFC 313, the light heavyweight title is up for grabs as Alex Pereira defends his strap against Magomed Ankalaev. Heading into the fight, Pereira is a -120 favorite while the challenger is a -106 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro-fighters to get their predictions for the light heavyweight fight. The pros are unanimous in thinking Alex Pereira will be able to get the win and defend his belt against Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313, and likely doing so by knockout.

John Castaneda plans to walk down Douglas Silva de Andrade at UFC Vegas 103: "I'm going to hurt him"
Cole Shelton - February 25, 2025
John Castaneda expects to be the aggressor in his UFC Vegas 103 fight against Douglas Silva de Andrade. Castaneda is set to fight for the first time since June, in a much longer layoff than he wanted. However, the bantamweight contender says he used the time to get better in the gym.

Modestas Bukauskas eager to fight "dangerous" Raffael Cerqueira at UFC Seattle
Cole Shelton - February 21, 2025
Modestas Bukauskas is set to make his return to the Octagon at UFC Seattle on Saturday. Bukasukas is coming off a submission win over Marcin Prachnio and will now face Raffael Cerqueira. The light heavyweight contender hasn’t fought since July which was frustrating, but he’s eager to get to fight in front of fans in America.

Pro fighters make their picks for Henry Cejudo vs Song Yadong
Cole Shelton - February 19, 2025
In the main event of UFC Seattle, former UFC champ-champ Henry Cejudo takes on Song Yadong. Heading into the fight, Cejudo is a +220 underdog while the eighth-ranked bantamweight is a -295 favorite on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro-fighters to get their predictions for the bantamweight main event. The pros are nearly unanimous in thinking Song Yadong will get his hand raised and beat Henry Cejudo, likely by decision.

Anthony Hernandez plans to prove he's ready for a "title shot" with win over Brendan Allen at UFC Seattle
Cole Shelton - February 18, 2025
Anthony Hernandez is ready to prove he’s the best middleweight on the roster. Hernandez is set to take on Brendan Allen in the co-main event of UFC Seattle on Saturday. It serves as a rematch of their 2018 fight in LFA which Hernandez won by decision to win the LFA middleweight title. Given he has fought Allen before, Hernandez

Andre Petroski says he's "confident no matter where" his UFC Vegas 102 fight goes againt Rodolfo Vieira
Cole Shelton - February 13, 2025
Andre Petroski has been saying he wants to prove he’s the best grappler in the UFC and his latest fight is a chance to further prove that. Petroski is set to take on Rodolfo Vieira at UFC Vegas 102 in an intriguing matchup. It’s a fight that Petroski has wanted and asked about, and he’s thrilled the bout is taking place.

Youssef Zalal eager to "solve the puzzle" of Calvin Kattar at UFC Vegas 102: "Shake up the division"
Cole Shelton - February 12, 2025
Youssef Zalal is excited to prove he’s a true title contender at UFC Vegas 102. Zalal was brought back into the UFC last year and went 3-0 to show he’s a true contender. He will now get a tough test as he will face Calvin Kattar in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 102 on Saturday night at the Apex.

Kody Steele focused on putting on "entertaining fights" ahead of debut at UFC 312: "I'm there to put on a show"
Cole Shelton - February 8, 2025
Kody Steele wants to become a fan favorite due to his exciting fighting style. Steele is set to make his UFC debut on Saturday at UFC 312 against Rongzhu. The undefeated fighter will be making the trip to Australia and he says he has talked to several fighters about how to adjust to the long flight and handle his weight cut.

UFC 312 | Pro fighters make their picks for Weili Zhang vs Tatiana Suarez title fight
Cole Shelton - February 6, 2025
In the co-main event of UFC 312, the women’s strawweight title is up for grabs as Weili Zhang defends his belt against Tatiana Suarez. Heading into the fight, Zhang is -113 while the challenger is also -113 as the title fight is a pick’em on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro-fighters to get their predictions for the strawweight title fight. The pros believe Suarez is destined to be a champ and will defeat Zhang as they think her wrestling and strength will be too much for the strawweight queen.

UFC 312 | Pro fighters make their picks for Dricus Du Plessis vs Sean Strickland 2 title fight
Cole Shelton - February 5, 2025
In the main event of UFC 312, the middleweight title is up for grabs as Dricus Du Plessis rematches Sean Strickland. Heading into the fight, Du Plessis is a -215 favorite while the challenger is a +164 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro-fighters to get their predictions for the middleweight fight. The pros expect it to be another close fight, but the slight majority believe it will be Strickland getting his hand raised at UFC 312 to become the new champ.

Terrance McKinney believes he got the "perfect" opponent in Damir Hadzovic at UFC Saudi Arabia
Cole Shelton - January 30, 2025
Terrance McKinney is ready to prove that he’s a contender at lightweight. McKinney is set to return to the Octagon at UFC Saudi Arabia against Damir Hadzovic. It’s his first fight since May when he was knocked out by Esteban Ribovics. After the loss, McKinney wanted to make sure he was completely healthy and made a change in his camp, which led to a longer layoff.

Pro fighters make their picks for Israel Adesanya vs Nassourdine Imavov
Cole Shelton - January 29, 2025
In the main event of UFC Saudi Arabia, a pivotal middleweight bout goes down as Israel Adesanya takes on Nassourdine Imavov. Heading into the fight, Adesanya is a -164 favorite while the Frenchman is a +128 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the middleweight fight. Ultimately, the pros believe Adesanya will get a win over Imavov, as most of the fighters interviewed believe Izzy’s striking will be the difference. They also believe the former champ’s cardio over five rounds will help him edge out a win.

Jairzinho Rozenstruik admits he wasn't looking to fight former training parner Sergei Pavlovich at UFC Saudi Arabia: "We are professionals"
Cole Shelton - January 29, 2025
Jairzinho Rozenstruik turned himself back into a contender at heavyweight in 2024. Rozenstruik went 2-0 with a stoppage win over Shamil Gaziev and a decision win over Tai Tuivasa last year. His hope was to fight one more time in 2024, but he is fine with returning at UFC Saudi Arabia on February 1.

UFC 311 | Pro fighters make their picks for Islam Makhachev vs Arman Tsarukyan 2 title fight
Cole Shelton - January 15, 2025
In the main event of UFC 311, the lightweight title is on the line as Islam Makhachev takes on Arman Tsarukyan. Heading into the fight, Makhachev is a sizeable -400 favorite while the challenger is a +285 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro-fighters to get their predictions for the fight. The pros believe Makhachev will beat Tsarukyan again to remain the UFC’s lightweight champ after UFC 311. However, all the pros believe it should be a very competitive fight as they feel like these are the two best lightweights.

UFC 311 | Pro fighters make their picks for Merab Dvalishvili vs Umar Nurmagomedov title fight
Cole Shelton - January 15, 2025
In the co-main event of UFC 311, the bantamweight title is up for grabs as current champion Merab Dvalishvili takes on Umar Nurmagomedov. Heading into the fight, the champ is a +240 underdog while the challenger is a -330 favorite on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the bantamweight title fight at UFC 311. The pros believe Merab Dvalishvili will be able to pull off the upset and hand Nurmagomedov his first career loss at UFC 311.