Exclusive MMA Interviews News
UFC 278 | Pro fighters make their picks for Paulo Costa vs. Luke Rockhold
Cole Shelton - August 18, 2022
In the co-main event of UFC 278, an intriguing middleweight bout goes down as Paulo Costa takes on the returning Luke Rockhold. Heading into the fight, Costa is a sizeable -340 favorite while the former UFC middleweight champ is a +250 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The majority of pros believe Costa will eventually land something big and KO Rockhold.
Jay Perrin is expecting a "war" against Aoriqileng, but plans to "make a statement” and make sure everyone knows he’s here to stay
Cole Shelton - August 17, 2022
Jay Perrin is expecting to look like a completely new fighter at UFC 278. Perrin is coming off a loss to Mario Bautista in his Octagon debut, a fight which he took on short notice. Although he lost the fight, Perrin says he learned a lot from it and believes he proved he belongs with his performance.
John Dodson explains why he signed with BKFC, confident he will KO Ryan Benoit at BKFC 28: "He will want to quit in the first 10 seconds"
Cole Shelton - August 17, 2022
John Dodson never expected to sign with BKFC but when they gave him an offer he couldn’t refuse. Dodson went to a BKFC open tryout near his hometown solely for his brother as his brother has wanted to do bare-knuckle for quite some time. Yet, at the tryout, BKFC was talking to him about signing and when he got an offer, it was something he couldn’t turn down.
Terrance McKinney doubts UFC would give him Paddy Pimblett next: "I'm too dangerous for Paddy right now"
Cole Shelton - August 17, 2022
Terrance McKinney knows he and Paddy Pimblett will fight one day but doubts it will be booked next. McKinney returned to the win column at UFC Vegas 59 as he scored a first-round submission win over Erick Gonzalez. Although it was another first-round win, McKinney admits he wishes it was by KO.
Geoff Neal believes he "shut people up" by knocking out Vicente Luque, expects "everybody is going to try to wrestle me now"
Cole Shelton - August 16, 2022
Geoff Neal always knew he was going to fight Vicente Luque and he’s quite happy with how it played out. Neal and Luque were the co-main event of UFC Vegas 59 two weekends ago and Neal scored a third-round KO. However, in the first round, Neal appeared to have Luque hurt but he didn’t want to rush anything as he knew the Brazilian was still dangerous.
Sean Woodson wants to be known as "a fan-friendly fighter," expects to KO Luis Saldana at UFC 278: "I feel really strong and confident that I will get the knockout"
Cole Shelton - August 15, 2022
Sean Woodson is ready to make the walk to the Octagon again and will do so in front of fans at UFC 278. Woodson hasn’t fought since November of last year when he scored a first-round TKO over Collin Anglin. Although it was a quick finish, Woodson broke his hand again which kept him out of the Octagon for several months again.
Bryan Battle says his welterweight cut went well, explains why he called out Ian Garry: "I don't see why he wouldn't want it"
Cole Shelton - August 12, 2022
Bryan Battle didn’t expect his welterweight cut to go as smoothly as it did. Battle, who won TUF at middleweight, was set to make his welterweight debut at UFC Vegas 59 against Takashi Sato. Although Battle did a test cut before making the move down, he was still uncertain how he’d feel when he got in the Octagon. Thankfully, Battle says the cut went smoothly and he felt great.
Ode Osbourne plans to be "dominant everywhere" against Tyson Nam at UFC San Diego: "Be a terrorizer and terrorize him every chance I get"
Cole Shelton - August 11, 2022
Ode Osbourne is glad to be fighting a veteran like Tyson Nam at UFC San Diego. After Nam’s fight against Tagir Ulanbekov on June 25 was off again, the UFC then booked Osbourne vs. Nam at UFC San Diego. Although they only got two or three weeks’ notice, the Jamaican stayed in the gym after his last fight so he was ready for anything short notice.
Pro fighters make their picks for Marlon Vera vs. Dominick Cruz
Cole Shelton - August 11, 2022
In the main event of UFC San Diego, Marlon Vera is set to headline his second straight UFC event as he takes on former champ, Dominick Cruz. Heading into the fight, Vera is a -250 favorite while the former champ is a +190 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The pros lean towards Vera getting the job done in a closer fight than the odds suggest.
Tyson Nam believes Ode Osbourne fight will "be fireworks," promises a KO win: "Whoever lands that first shot is probably putting the other to sleep"
Cole Shelton - August 10, 2022
Tyson Nam is ecstatic to be making the walk to the Octagon again. Nam hasn’t fought since January of 2021 due to an injury and then opponents pulling out of slated contests. He was booked to fight Tagir Ulanbekov twice and although he wanted to compete, Nam said he didn’t want to take a short-notice replacement on one week’s notice.
Brandon Moreno's coach will "be surprised" if fourth Deiveson Figueiredo fight happens, expects undisputed title fight against Alexandre Pantoja
Cole Shelton - August 9, 2022
James Krause can finally claim to have instructed a world champion as he coached Brandon Moreno to his UFC 277 win. Throughout Krause’s time as a fighter and a coach, he has been vocal in saying he never wanted to be a world champion, but rather coach one. At UFC 277, he had the chance to do that was he was coaching Brandon Moreno for the interim flyweight title.
Devin Clark expects to "break" Azamat Murzakanov at UFC San Diego: "Every person can be broken so it will come"
Cole Shelton - August 9, 2022
Devin Clark finally got his first UFC finish his last time out and now wants to build off of that. Clark scored a TKO win over William Knight back in April in his heavyweight debut. After the win, there was some thought about staying at heavyweight. Yet, given he trains with Curtis Blaydes he realized he wasn’t big enough to stay at heavyweight.
Bryan Battle explains why he is dropping to welterweight, doesn't expect Takashi Sato fight to go past the second round: "I'm looking to force him into mistakes"
Cole Shelton - August 5, 2022
Bryan Battle will be dropping down to welterweight after winning TUF 29 at middleweight. Battle won the show with a submission win over Gilbert Urbina, but that was after Tresean Gore had to pull out of the finale. Battle then fought Gore and beat him by decision and in the lead-up to that fight, he realized welterweight is where he belongs.
Jason Witt doesn't think Josh Quinlan "is anything special," believes his wrestling will be the difference at UFC Vegas 59
Cole Shelton - August 5, 2022
Jason Witt is looking to get back into the win column in a big way at UFC Vegas 59. Witt is coming off a KO loss to Phil Rowe back in February and will now return on Saturday against Josh Quinlan who’s coming off the Contender Series last year. Although knowing much about UFC newcomers is tough, Witt says he actually knows quite a bit due to the fact one of his teammates fought Quinlan on the regional scene.
Anthony Pettis recalls his favorite career moments in the UFC
Cole Shelton - August 4, 2022
Anthony Pettis is a former UFC champion and has fought the who’s who of the sport but two moments stick out to him over the rest. The big moment for Pettis, of course, is when he won the UFC lightweight title in his hometown of Milwaukee. Although winning the belt is something Pettis will always remember the other moment that sticks out to him is when he knocked out Stephen Thompson in Nashville.
Anthony Pettis says it's "pretty amazing" to see what Charles Oliveira has accomplished since they fought: "Oliveira will clear out the division after this one"
Cole Shelton - August 4, 2022
Anthony Pettis is pretty amazed by what Charles Oliveira has accomplished. Pettis and Oliveira fought in 2016 at featherweight and ‘Showtime’ ended up winning by submission. After the fight, Pettis said Oliveria’s striking was getting better but he didn’t think the Brazilian would turn his career around and eventually become the UFC lightweight champion.
Terrance McKinney plans to "shut the haters up" with stoppage win over Erick Gonzalez: "I guarantee I hit harder than Jim Miller"
Cole Shelton - August 3, 2022
Terrance McKinney wanted to return much sooner than this Saturday night. McKinney is coming off a TKO loss to Drew Dober in a fight where he nearly earned what would have been his sixth straight finish. Although he lost, he says that fight was a win-win as he learned what he needed to improve on.
Sam Alvey fighting out UFC contract against Michal Oleksiejczuk, plans to snap skid with KO win: "It could be the end of my UFC career"
Cole Shelton - August 3, 2022
Sam Alvey will be fighting out his contract on Saturday at UFC Vegas 59. Alvey, who’s on an eight-fight winless streak as he’s 0-7-1, has had a ton of bad luck with controversial decisions and short-notice fights. With that, after his last loss, the promotion decided to let him fight out his contract.