Exclusive MMA Interviews News
Steve Garcia admits he was surprised he put Chase Hooper away so early, hopes to re-sign with UFC after fighitng out his contract
Cole Shelton - November 3, 2022
Steve Garcia knew he had to drop down in weight after his last fight. Garcia went to Singapore to take on Maheshate at UFC 275 in June and after he weighed in, he had a hard time putting on weight. He ended up losing by first-round TKO and after the loss, he knew he needed to drop down to featherweight.
Chase Sherman asked the UFC for Josh Parisian fight, says if he doesn't get a "highlight-reel finish" he'll be "slightly disappointed"
Cole Shelton - November 2, 2022
Chase Sherman wanted Josh Parisian next and approached the UFC with the matchup. After Sherman scored a third-round TKO over Jared Vanderaa he wasn’t sure what would be next. But, after going on social media he saw many mention a fight against Parisian made sense. He then talked to his coaches who also liked the matchup, so he pitched the fight to Mick Maynard who made it happen as the two will meet at UFC Vegas 64.
Grant Dawson reveals six fighters turned him down before taking short notice bout against Mark Madsen, vows to finish him and get ranked
Cole Shelton - November 1, 2022
Grant Dawson has had a hard time getting a fight. Dawson hasn’t fought since April when he submitted Jared Gordon. Since then, he revealed he was offered six opponents with some of the names being Dan Hooker, Rafael dos Anjos, Damir Ismagulov, and Gregor Gillespie, but all six turned him down. Although some got different fights, Dawson says it is frustrating waiting on the sidelines.
Josh Fremd believes he's fighting for his job at UFC Vegas 63, sees a "lot of holes" in Tresean Gore
Cole Shelton - October 28, 2022
Josh Fremd was happy when he got rebooked to face Tresean Gore as he believes this is a very favorable matchup for him. Fremd and Gore were booked to fight one another back in July but an injury forced Fremd out of the matchup. His teammate in Cody Brundage then took the scrap and got a KO win and after the fight, Fremd was glad when he got the call to face Gore.
On last fight of deal, Jared Vanderaa switched camps and vows to finish Waldo Cortes-Acosta to earn a new contract
Cole Shelton - October 28, 2022
Jared Vanderaa will be fighting for his UFC career on Saturday night. Vanderaa is set to face Waldo Cortes-Acosta at UFC Vegas 63 in a do-or-die spot for his career. He’s on a four-fight losing skid but the promotion is giving him the final fight on his deal due to him taking short-notice fights.
Pro fighters make their picks for Jake Paul vs. Anderson Silva boxing match
Cole Shelton - October 27, 2022
In the main event of a Showtime boxing pay-per-view on Saturday in Arizona, Jake Paul has the toughest test of his career as he takes on former UFC champ, Anderson Silva. Heading into the fight, Paul is a -192 favorite while the Brazilian is a +150 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. Many believe Silva will get it done while some are starting to believe Paul is legit.
Max Griffin says Dana White and Mick Maynard told him he beat Neil Magny, hopes to submit Tim Means at UFC Vegas 63
Cole Shelton - October 26, 2022
Max Griffin didn’t know who he was going to fight next. Griffin took on Neil Magny at UFC Columbus back in March and lost a split decision in a very close fight. It could’ve gone either way but right after the fight, Mick Maynard went up to him and told him that he and Dana White both thought he should have won. With that, they were going to pay him his win bonus but it left Griffin confused.
Dustin Jacoby plans to "expose" and KO Khalil Rountree at UFC Vegas 63: "If he's not the best Khalil it's going to be a quick night"
Cole Shelton - October 25, 2022
Dustin Jacoby was hoping for a ranked opponent next time out but is happy to be facing Khalil Rountree next time out. Jacoby scored a first-round KO win over Da Un Jung back at UFC Long Island in his first fight as a ranked light heavyweight. After the win, he wanted to face another ranked opponent but that won’t be the case as he will take on Rountree at UFC Vegas 63.
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.
UFC 280 | Pro fighters make their picks for Aljamain Sterling vs. TJ Dillashaw title fight
Cole Shelton - October 19, 2022
In the co-main event of UFC 280, the bantamweight title is up for grabs as Aljamain Sterling defends his strap against TJ Dillashaw. Heading into the fight, Sterling is a -184 favorite with the challenger being a +142 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The majority of pros believe Sterling will be able to mix in the wrestling to edge out a win to defend his bantamweight title.
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.
Jonathan Martinez "surprised" Cub Swanson is dropping down down to bantamweight but honored to welcome him to the division: "It should be a good fight"
Cole Shelton - October 12, 2022
Jonathan Martinez is pumped to be welcoming Cub Swanson to the bantamweight division at UFC Vegas 62. After Martinez picked up his third win in a row, he wasn’t sure what would be next for him, but did want a legend like Frankie Edgar. Although he didn’t get the Edgar fight he did get another legend as he will face Swanson on Saturday.
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.