Exclusive MMA Interviews News
Chase Hooper plans to "show off" against Steve Garcia at UFC Vegas 63: "I think from here I can start looking up at the division"
Cole Shelton - October 25, 2022
Chase Hooper is glad to be making a relatively quick turnaround. Back in May, Hooper returned to the win column with a TKO victory over Felipe Colares. The fight was his first in nearly a year which Hooper admits he doesn’t like. He will now be returning five months later which is a much better timeframe for him.
AJ Dobson expects a "three-round war" against Armen Petrosyan at UFC 280: "I'll surprise him with my speed"
Cole Shelton - October 20, 2022
AJ Dobson knew he needed to get healthy before he took another fight. Dobson earned his way into the UFC with a win over Hashem Arkhagha by submission on the Contender Series. In his UFC debut, he suffered a decision loss to Jacob Malkoun but he wishes he never took the fight. Dobson explained that he was fighting injured in his last three outings as he needed knee surgery to fix a torn meniscus, a surgery which he finally got after the loss to Malkoun.
UFC 280 | Pro fighters make their picks for Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev title fight
Cole Shelton - October 20, 2022
In the main event of UFC 280, the vacant lightweight title is up for grabs as Charles Oliveira takes on Islam Makhachev. Heading into the fight, Oliveira is a +128 underdog while the Dagestani native is a -164 favorite on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The pros believe Oliveira and his experience fighting top competition will be the difference as they expect the Brazilian to get the win.
Volkan Oezdemir plans to KO Nikita Krylov in the first round at UFC 280 to "get one back" for Alexander Gustafsson
Cole Shelton - October 20, 2022
Volkan Oezdemir knew he was going to face Nikita Krylov next time out right after UFC London. Oezdemir and Krylov both picked up wins at UFC London in July and shortly after the event, the two light heavyweight finishers were matched up. It’s also a scrap that Oezdemir thought was inevitable after they were booked to fight one another in 2020.
Beneil Dariush explains how Mateusz Gamrot inspired him, vows to finish the Pole at UFC 280: "He's that first generation of the new guard"
Cole Shelton - October 18, 2022
Beneil Dariush is ecstatic to be facing Mateusz Gamrot at UFC 280. After Dariush beat Tony Ferguson in May of 2021, he was then booked to face Islam Makhachev that following February. Unfortnately, Dariush suffered a broken ankle which forced him to pull out of the fight. After healing the ankle, he will return to the Octagon against Gamrot at UFC 280 which is a fight he is looking forward to.
UFC 280 | Pro fighters make their picks for Petr Yan vs. Sean O'Malley
Cole Shelton - October 18, 2022
On the main card of UFC 280, an intriguing bantamweight bout goes down as Petr Yan takes on Sean O’Malley. Heading into the fight, Yan is a -260 favorite while ‘Suga’ is a +196 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The pros are nearly split in this one as many think the three rounds favor O’Malley while other pros expect Yan to be too big of a step up in competition too soon for ‘Suga’.
Victor Henry confident he will TKO Raphael Assuncao at UFC Vegas 62: "If I had enough power to rock Raoni and almost finish him, I should have enough power to finish Assuncao”
Cole Shelton - October 14, 2022
Victor Henry is confident he will get a stoppage win when he fights Raphael Assuncao at UFC Vegas 62. Henry is coming off his UFC debut where he scored an upset win over Raoni Barcelos on short notice back in January. After the win, many wanted to see Henry right back in there but he will return 10 months later due to some minor injuries.
Mike Jackson still just fighting for "shits and giggles", but confident he'll KO Pete Rodriguez at UFC Vegas 62: "Everyone knows I'm coming for the knockout"
Cole Shelton - October 13, 2022
Mike Jackson will be returning to the Octagon on Saturday for the second time in 2022. Jackson fought Dean Barry in April, and he won by DQ due to Barry eye-gouging him. After the win, Jackson was unsure when he would fight again but will make a relatively quick turnaround as he’s set to face Pete Rodriguez at UFC Vegas 62.
Brandon Royval says it's "hard to watch video" on Askar Askarov due to his style, confident he'll finish him to set up UFC 283 rematch with Alexandre Pantoja
Cole Shelton - October 12, 2022
Brandon Royval isn’t a fan of Askar Askarov and his style. Royval has taken shots at Askarov in the past saying the Russian is boring and all he does is hold people up against the fence and win decisions. After the comments, the UFC booked Royval vs. Askarov at UFC Vegas 62 which is a fight he thought would happen.
Fernand Lopez reveals the threatening messages he received from rival manager and “owner of MMA media” Ali Abdelaziz over Slim Trabelsi dispute: “Release him or you’re going to get hurt”
Cole Shelton - October 7, 2022
Fernand Lopez just wants the entire story out there. Recently, it was revealed that undefeated heavyweight prospect Slim Trabelsi signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship and was set to debut at UFC 280 against Parker Porter. However, the fight won’t take place as Trabelsi was released after Lopez and his promotion Ares FC wouldn’t let him go, which he says was for good reason.
Mike Davis admits he "probably won't re-sign" with the UFC after his current contract, wants to fight "bums" until he gets a pay bump
Cole Shelton - October 6, 2022
Mike Davis has had a hard time getting fights and is hoping to fight out the final three bouts of his deal soon. Davis returned to the Octagon at UFC Vegas 61 against Viacheslav Borshchev after his original opponent, Uros Medic was forced to pull out. When Davis made the walk to the Octagon it was the first time he fought since January 2021 and he admits the rust was there.
Jeremy Kennedy explains why he wants Pedro Carvalho next, says he's open to rematch with Aaron Pico in the future
Cole Shelton - October 5, 2022
Jeremy Kennedy isn’t sure what to take away from his Bellator 286 win over Aaron Pico. Early on in the fight, Pico threw a punch that dislocated his shoulder and he kept fighting for the rest of the round. With this shoulder being out, the first round was dominant for Kennedy and after the round, the fight was waved off.
Don Shainis planning to make Sodiq Yusuff scrap a "dog fight," plans to "f**k up the whole 145 division" with upset win
Cole Shelton - September 30, 2022
Don Shainis believes he has no pressure on him entering his UFC Vegas 61 fight against Sodiq Yusuff. Yusuff was supposed to fight Giga Chikadze on September 17 but after the Georgian was forced out of the bout, the UFC got Shainis as a replacement to fight Yusuff on October 1. Although many expect Yusuff to win with ease, Shainis knows he’s a dog and has confidence in himself, and plans to f**k up the entire division with a massive upset win.
Randy Costa vows to KO "technical street fighter" Guido Cannetti at UFC Vegas 61: "I need to make a statement, I need to do something good"
Cole Shelton - September 29, 2022
Randy Costa has made a ton of changes following his TKO loss to Tony Kelley at UFC 269 last December. After Costa lost the fight, he knew he had to switch camps to get more personalized training which is what he did. He also says he cut a lot of toxic people out of his life and after nearly 10 months off, Costa is finally set to return with a new confidence.
Ben Rothwell reveals the two favorite moments from his UFC career
Cole Shelton - September 29, 2022
Ben Rothwell says two moments stick out from his UFC career. Rothwell has been fighting professionally since 2001 and was in the UFC from 2009 to 2022. ‘Big Ben’ fought the who’s who of the heavyweight division but says his wins over Alistair Overeem and Josh Barnett are two of his career highlights.
Ben Rothwell plans to make Bobo O'Bannon "regret" wanting to fight him at BKFC 30: "I know I'm one of the best fighters in the world"
Cole Shelton - September 28, 2022
Ben Rothwell is finally set to make his BKFC debut on Saturday in the co-main event of BKFC 30 in Monroe, Louisana. Earlier this year, Rothwell asked for his UFC release and later signed with BKFC. Once he signed with BKFC, he expected to get a fight relatively soon but that didn’t happen and he will now fight Bobo O’Bannon on Saturday.
Damon Jackson knew he couldn't pull out of his fight after his brother passed, eyes Julian Erosa after TKO win over Pat Sabatini
Cole Shelton - September 24, 2022
Damon Jackson knew he wasn’t going to pull out of his UFC Vegas 60 fight against Pat Sabatini. As Jackson was in Las Vegas getting ready for his fight against Sabatini, he found out his older brother passed away. Immediately, he told his coach he was going to fight and informed the UFC of the news but remained adamant he was going to compete.
Trey Ogden happy to prove the doubters wrong as the biggest underdog at UFC Vegas 60
Cole Shelton - September 23, 2022
Trey Ogden figured he would be the underdog against Daniel Zellhuber but didn’t expect to be the biggest underdog on the card at UFC Vegas 60. Ogden was coming off a split decision loss to Jordan Leavitt in his debut and was set to fight the undefeated Zellhuber. Going into the fight, Ogden knew people would be doubting him and he was fine with that.