Exclusive MMA Interviews News
Mackenzie Dern confident she'll submit Yan Xiaonan, eyes Rose Namajunas or the loser of Esparza-Weili next: "It definitely won't be an easy fight"
Cole Shelton - September 27, 2022
Mackenzie Dern is excited to headline another card. Dern is set to headline UFC Vegas 61 against Yan Xiaonan in a crucial fight for the strawweight division. Although Xiaonan is coming off two straight losses, Dern knows she is a tough test and after she defeated Tecia Torres last time out, the American expected this fight to be next.
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.
After being "bedridden" for months and in a dark place due to a back injury, Zak Cummings is finally ready to return
Cole Shelton - September 23, 2022
Zak Cummings has had a difficult two years to say the least. After Cummings beat Alessio Di Chirico in August of 2020 he was offered another fight shortly after at light heavyweight. However, that bout didn’t come to fruition and he was then booked to fight Sam Alvey in April of 2021. Unfortunately for Cummings, he suffered a serious back injury in training and has been on the sidelines ever since.
Julian Erosa happy with "easy fight" against Hakeem Dawodu at UFC 279, eyes Alex Caceres next: "I just want someone that will be a willing dance partner to make it a fun fight"
Cole Shelton - September 16, 2022
Julian Erosa is happy with his win over Hakeem Dawodu at UFC 279. Erosa was coming off a win over Steven Peterson who missed weight which led to a massive payday for him. At UFC 279, he was in a familiar spot as his opponent in Dawodu missed weight. Although some fighters get mad at opponents for missing weight, Erosa is not in the same boat.
After nearly two years away, Louis Cosce confident he will finish Trevin Giles at UFC Vegas 60: "The way his chin is looking I would like to say I'm going to knock him out"
Cole Shelton - September 15, 2022
Louis Cosce will finally be returning to the Octagon. Cosce made his UFC debut at UFC 255 in November of 2020, where he suffered a third-round TKO loss to Sasha Palatnikov. Since then, Cosce finally decided to address a shoulder issue and later got COVID which has kept him out of the Octagon for nearly two years.
Pro fighters make their picks for Cory Sandhagen vs. Song Yadong
Cole Shelton - September 15, 2022
In the main event of UFC Vegas 60 on Saturday at the UFC Apex, Cory Sandhagen looks to return to the win column against Song Yadong. Heading into the fight, Sandhagen is a -215 favorite while the 10th-ranked bantamweight is a +164 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. Most of the pros believe this is too much of a step-up for Yadong and expect Sandhagen to get back into the win column in a big way.
Gillian Robertson confident she'll finish Mariya Agapova at UFC Vegas 60 after training with her for months: "We got a lot of rounds in so we are very familiar with one another"
Cole Shelton - September 14, 2022
Gillian Robertson and Mariya Agapova are very familiar with one another. Robertson was supposed to face Melissa Gatto at UFC Vegas 60, but she received a text that Gatto was out. However, in the same message, she received the news she would now be fighting Agapova.
Daniel Rodriguez details hectic UFC 279 fight week, uncertain if Kevin Holland fight happens next: "I just said f**k it, I'm going to fight on Saturday"
Cole Shelton - September 13, 2022
Daniel Rodriguez says UFC 279 will go down as the most hectic and strange fight week in his career. Rodriguez was supposed to face Kevin Holland at a 180lbs catchweight bout, which is a fight that was years in the making. However, after Khamzat Chimaev missed weight badly, the UFC scrambled to change opponents, and right away the promotion wanted to make Chimaev-Holland. Although it was a big fight, Rodriguez says Holland messaged him to say he won’t take the fight unless the UFC takes care of him.
UFC 279 | Pro fighters make their picks for Nate Diaz vs. Tony Ferguson
Cole Shelton - September 9, 2022
In the new main event of UFC 279, Nate Diaz will take on Tony Ferguson at welterweight. Heading into the fight, Diaz is a +110 underdog while ‘El Cucuy’ is a -130 favorite. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The majority of pros believe Diaz gets it done and many think this will be a much better bout than Diaz-Chiamev was going to be. Many also believe Diaz preparing for five rounds while Ferguson was preparing for three should favor the Stockton, native.
Abus Magomedov "happy" with 19-second front kick KO over Dustin Stoltzfus at UFC Paris: "I know it's a very dangerous kick"
Cole Shelton - September 9, 2022
Abus Magomedov finally made his UFC debut and made quick work of Dustin Stoltzfus at UFC Paris. Magomedov hadn’t fought since December of 2020 in KSW and after that, he was signed to the UFC. He was booked to face Gerald Meerschaert, Aliaskhab Khizriev, and Makhmud Muradov but for different reasons, it never came to fruition. He finally made his debut at UFC Paris nearly two years after his last fight and for Magomedov, he was ready to finally fight again.
Chad Anheliger hoping for a "drawn-out war" against Heili Alateng at UFC 279: "I want this fight to be wild"
Cole Shelton - September 8, 2022
Chad Anheliger is excited to face Heili Alateng at UFC 279 and he’s confident it will be a fun fight for the fans. Anheliger will be making the walk to the Octagon for the second time and will fight on the same card as his teammate Hakeem Dawodu. He will also be fighting in front of fans for the first time in the UFC which he’s excited about.
Darian Weeks plans to proves he belongs with stoppage win over Yohan Lainesse at UFC 279: "I'm better in a lot of positions than he is"
Cole Shelton - September 7, 2022
Darian Weeks believes he will finally get his first UFC win when he faces Yohan Lainesse at UFC 279. Weeks is coming off a decision loss to Ian Garry back in April and before that, he suffered a decision loss to Bryan Barberena in a fight he took on a couple of days’ notice. He was then booked to face Cedric Doumbe at UFC Paris, but due to French commission rules the fight was scrapped and he was then quickly re-booked to face Lainesse at UFC 279 a week later.
Chris Barnett expecting a "war" in "the king of the dad bods battle" against Jake Collier at UFC 279: "We are going to strike, we are going to spin"
Cole Shelton - September 7, 2022
Chris Barnett is excited to face Jake Collier at UFC 279 and to fight in front of fans again. Barnett is coming off a decision loss to Martin Buday, however, the entire camp was a hard one as his wife was in the hospital, and 30 hours before the fight he got a call that he had to make a decision about her. Following the loss, she, unfortunately, passed away. With that, Barnett spent the next few months with his kids but now finally feels ready to fight again.
Julian Erosa believes he has to make it a "dirty" and "crazy" fight against Hakeem Dawodu at UFC 279: "I'm a bonus chaser"
Cole Shelton - September 6, 2022
Julian Erosa is expecting a very fun fight at UFC 279 against Hakeem Dawodu. After Erosa beat Steven Peterson back in February, in a ‘Fight of the Night’ performance, he called out Dawodu and Alex Caceres. Erosa wanted a bigger step-up in competition and got his wish as he will face Dawodu this weekend at UFC 279. Although he got the matchup he wanted, Erosa says his return was pushed back a couple of times.
Johnny Walker believes the "only chance" Ion Cutelaba beats him is if he "does something really different" at UFC 279, says he will retire at 35 if he's not the champ
Cole Shelton - September 6, 2022
Johnny Walker is confident he will not just beat Ion Cutelaba at UFC 279 but will put on a very good performance. Walker is coming off a KO loss to Jamahal Hill back in February and since then he says he has been working a lot on his striking defense. He spent time in Thailand working on his striking and he’s confident it will all pay off at UFC 279.
Coach says Ryan Spann is "one of the scariest dudes that gets into the Octagon," expects Dominick Reyes scrap to be "a great fight"
Cole Shelton - September 2, 2022
Fortis MMA head coach Sayif Saud is excited Ryan Spann is getting a massive opportunity as he faces Dominick Reyes at UFC 281 at Madison Square Garden. Reyes will be making his return after suffering a KO loss to Jiri Prochazka in May of 2021, a setback which marked his third defeat in a row. Spann, meanwhile, is coming off a dominating win over Ion Cutelaba and according to Saud, he believes Spann is one of the scariest guys that fights in the UFC.
Sayif Saud explains why Alonzo Menifield was so "pissed off" with "sauced up" Askar Mozharov: "We just kind of blocked it out""
Cole Shelton - September 2, 2022
Alonzo Menifield had one of the more unusual UFC fight weeks in recent memory. Menifield was set to welcome Askar Mozharov to the Octagon back at UFC Vegas 56 in June, in what was expected to be a banger of a fight. However, fight week was an unusual one as Mozahrov had a record of 25-7 but by the time he made the walk to the Octagon his record was 18-13 as he had used fake names and had fights that never took place on his record.