Exclusive MMA Interviews News
Modestas Bukauskas says fighting back at the Apex is a chance to "change the script," vows to finish Zac Pauga
Cole Shelton - June 13, 2023
Modestas Bukauskas wanted to fight in London in July but is ready for redemption at the UFC Apex. Bukauskas was re-signed by the UFC earlier this year as he took on Tyson Pedro on short notice at UFC 284. Heading into the fight, the former Cage Warriors champ was a sizeable underdog but shocked many when he pulled off a decision win.
Aspen Ladd plans to "start faster" at PFL 5 believing she needs "a first-round finish" to advance to playoffs
Cole Shelton - June 13, 2023
Aspen Ladd knows the stakes are high for her 2023 PFL 5 fight against Karolina Sobek. Ladd lost her season-opening fight by a majority decision to Olena Kolesnyk. It was a close fight that Ladd really took over late in the bout, so with that, she knows she needs to start faster and be aggressive out of the gate.
Daniel Pineda disappointed he lost to Alex Caceres but "happy" he didn't go down from the body shots
Cole Shelton - June 10, 2023
Daniel Pineda had a chance to enter the featherweight rankings last weekend. Not even three months after Pineda submitted Tucker Lutz at the end of March, he took a fight against Alex Caceres at UFC Vegas 74. It was a chance for Pineda to enter the ranks, but in the end, it was Caceres who won by decision.
Beneil Dariush reveals he asked to fight Arman Tsarykuan after Charles Oliveira pulled out of UFC 288 fight
Cole Shelton - June 9, 2023
Beneil Dariush wanted to remain on the UFC 288 card and had an opponent in mind. Dariush had hoped to face Charles Oliveira at March’s pay-per-view event, but the fight wasn’t booked until UFC 288 in May. However, just under a month out, it was revealed Oliveira had suffered a minor injury and the fight would be pushed back to UFC 289 in June.
UFC 289 | Pro fighters make their picks for Charles Oliveira vs. Beneil Dariush
Cole Shelton - June 8, 2023
In the co-main event of UFC 289, Charles Oliveira looks to return to the win column as he takes on Beneil Dariush in a potential title eliminator. Heading into the fight, Oliveira is a +120 underdog while the fourth-ranked lightweight is a -154 favorite on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight at UFC 289, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to make their predictions for the scrap. The pros actually lean towards the underdog in Oliveira getting his hand raised over Dariush.
Kyle Nelson ecstatic to be fighting back home in Canada, vows to KO Blake Bilder at UFC 289 and hand him his first career loss
Cole Shelton - June 7, 2023
Kyle Nelson gets to fight in his home country of Canada once again. Nelson made his UFC debut at UFC 231 in Toronto on short notice against Diego Ferreira. Since then, he hasn’t fought back in Canada – in large part due to the promotion not having an event in the country since 2019 – so he’s eager to get the chance to fight in his home Nation again.
UFC 289 | Pro fighters make their picks for Amanda Nunes vs. Irene Aldana title fight
Cole Shelton - June 7, 2023
In the main event of UFC 289, Amanda Nunes looks to defend her bantamweight title as she takes on Irene Aldana who stepped up after Julianna Pena was forced out of the scrap due to an injury. Heading into the fight, Nunes is a -350 favorite while the Mexican is a +255 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight at UFC 289, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to make their predictions for the scrap. To no surprise, most are picking Nunes to remain the champ, although some think Aldana can make it difficult with her striking.
Dan Ige expects to have a "short, quick, easy night" against Nate Landwehr at UFC 289
Cole Shelton - June 6, 2023
Dan Ige is fine with fighting another unranked opponent. Ige snapped his three-fight losing skid back in January with a KO win over Damon Jackson and will now face Nate Landwehr at UFC 289. After Ige’s win, he says he wanted to return in June and in front of fans, which is exactly what he got.
Randy Couture shares the favorite memory from his legendary MMA career
Cole Shelton - June 3, 2023
Randy Couture is the former UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight champion and has tons of memories from his career, yet one stands out from the rest. In Couture’s career, he was one of the biggest stars and fought the who’s who of his time from Chuck Liddell to Tito Ortiz, to Brock Lesnar, and Vitor Belfort. Although fighting the best was what everyone did, Couture says he is happy he never shielded away from any challenge.
Daniel Pineda expects to KO Alex Caceres in the "first or second round" at UFC Vegas 74
Cole Shelton - June 1, 2023
Daniel Pineda wasn’t sure if he was going to fight again after his UFC San Antonio win. The fight was Pineda’s last on his contract and he admits he said he thought about retiring if the UFC didn’t pay him what he wanted. However, just days after his win, the UFC offered him a new five-fight deal which he was pleased to sign.
Randy Couture hopes the PFL doesn't "protect" Jake Paul when he eventually makes his MMA debut
Cole Shelton - June 1, 2023
Randy Couture is hoping that when Jake Paul does compete in MMA it won’t just be a walkover fight for him. Paul surprised many when he signed with the PFL as an ambassador and said he would fight in MMA down the line. At this moment, ‘The Problem Child’ is still focused on boxing, as he is set to face Nate Diaz on August 5.
Jim Miller admits he is surprised that Jared Gordon accepted a fight with him at UFC Vegas 74 after being knocked out in April
Cole Shelton - May 31, 2023
Jim Miller says he was close to not fighting at UFC Vegas 74. Miller was originally slated to face L’udovit Klein at Saturday’s event, but the Slovak was forced out of the contest due to an injury. Jim was then offered a couple of different opponents, but nothing came to fruition until Jared Gordon accepted the scrap. Had Gordon not taken it, Miller says he likely would have just delayed the Klein fight.
Randy Couture believes Francis Ngannou signing with PFL makes them the clear number two promotion
Cole Shelton - May 30, 2023
UFC Hall of Famer and current PFL commentator, Randy Couture believes the PFL is the clear number two promotion after signing Francis Ngannou. After Ngannou fought out his UFC deal, he made it clear he wanted to box but also wanted to continue his MMA career. After months of negotiating, Ngannou signed with the Professional Fighters League, which was a huge acquisition for the promotion. With that, Couture says this is just the first step in becoming the biggest MMA promotion.
Loopy Godinez believes she deserves a ranked opponent next after short notice win over Emily Ducote
Cole Shelton - May 29, 2023
Loopy Godinez didn’t think she would make such a quick turnaround to the Octagon. After Godinez beat Cynthia Calvillo at UFC 287 she said she wanted a bit of time off to go to Mexico and train with Alexa Grasso and Irene Aldana. Yet, she was offered a short-notice fight against Emily Ducote at UFC Vegas 73 which she accepted as she liked the style matchup.
Joe Pyfer reveals he may need surgery, still hopeful to rematch Dustin Stoltzfus next: "It's personal for me"
Cole Shelton - May 25, 2023
Joe Pyfer isn’t sure when he will be able to fight again. Pyfer is set to grapple Gerald Meerschaert – who he knocked out at UFC 287 – this Saturday night. However, he says he is using that grappling match as a chance to see if he needs surgery on his injury or if he can fight through it.
Jimmie Rivera says four opponents - including Chad Mendes - turned him down in BKFC, expects to fight for the belt next time out
Cole Shelton - May 24, 2023
Jimmie Rivera finally got his first win in BKFC. Rivera made his BKFC debut last June against Howard Davis and they fought to a draw. Since then, he has been campaigning for a fight but he says numerous fighters turned him down, including Chad Mendes, which was frustrating for Rivera as he wanted to be more active than this.
OKTAGON MMA's Miroslav Broz plans to 'not leave anything to the judges' Saturday night
Zain Bando - May 20, 2023
Miroslav Broz comes into his welterweight (turned catchweight) bout with Robert Pukač having nothing to lose and everything to gain. Entering Saturday night, the 34-year-old Czech Republican native re-upped his contract while winning six of his last seven (with one draw) and is looking to continue his winning streak as part of OKTAGON 43’s main card, which is headlined by a highly anticipated middleweight rematch between promotional champion Patrik Kincl and Karlos Vémola.
Cody Stamann planned to call out Movsar Evloev had he beat Douglas Silva de Andrade at UFC Charlotte
Cole Shelton - May 19, 2023
Cody Stamann had an interesting callout ready had he beat Douglas Silva de Andrade at UFC Charlotte. Stamann entered the fight with de Andrade with a ton of confidence as he felt like his wrestling would prove to be too much for his opponent. In the first round, Stamann got de Andrade to the ground but was then hit with an illegal upkick. However, instead of regaining position, the ref stood them up. The Brazilian then won the first round and ended up winning the fight because of that, which Stamann plans to appeal.