Exclusive MMA Interviews News
Mario Bautista says his finish of Brian Kelleher was "the biggest win of my career," believes he's one win away from top-15
Cole Shelton - June 30, 2022
Mario Bautista believes he made a statement with his first-round submission win over Brian Kelleher at UFC Vegas 57. Bautista entered the fight knowing Kelleher would be at his most dangerous in the first round. Yet, the plan was to also be aggressive early and force Kelleher to make a mistake, which is what happened. Just two minutes into the opening round, Bautista ended up sinking in a choke and got the first-round submission.
Chris Curtis eyes "a knockdown drag-out war" with Kelvin Gastelum next after win over Rodolfo Vieira: "It would be a really fun fight"
Cole Shelton - June 30, 2022
Chris Curtis is hoping to fight Kelvin Gastelum his next time out. Curtis improved to 3-0 in the Octagon at UFC Vegas 57, as he beat Rodolfo Vieira by decision in a fight that saw him defend 20 takedown attempts. Although Curtis got the win, he didn’t get the finish which is something he wanted.
UFC 276 | Pro fighters make their picks for Alexander Volkanovski vs. Max Holloway 3 title fight
Cole Shelton - June 30, 2022
In the co-main event of UFC 276, the featherweight title is up for grabs as Alexander Volkanovski takes on Max Holloway for the third time. Heading into the fight, Volkanovski is a -215 favorite while the challenger is a +164 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The pros are actually split in this one as they all believe it is a very close and competitive fight that likely goes the distance.
Gabe Green plans to "bring the fight" to Ian Garry en route to a finish to derail his hype at UFC 276: "Ian might be a striker but he's going to be after my legs"
Cole Shelton - June 29, 2022
Gabe Green is excited to fight another highly-touted prospect. Green is set to face the undefeated Ian Garry at UFC 276 in a very intriguing matchup. Although Garry has had a lot of hype since he joined the UFC, Green says he wasn’t all that familiar with the Irishman.
UFC 276 | Pro fighters make their picks for Israel Adesanya vs. Jared Cannonier title fight
Cole Shelton - June 29, 2022
In the main event of UFC 276, the middleweight title is up for grabs as Israel Adesanya looks to defend his belt as he faces Jared Cannonier. Heading into the fight, Adesanya is a -480 favorite while the challenger is a +330 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The pros are nearly unanimous in thinking Adesanya defends his belt with ease and will likely score a stoppage win at UFC 276.
Jalin Turner expects to turn Brad Riddell into a wrestler at UFC 276 but plans to "test" his durability: "I'm coming to finish the fight"
Cole Shelton - June 28, 2022
Jalin Turner wanted Brad Riddell next and was excited when he found out that was the fight. After Turner scored a second-round TKO of Jamie Mullarkey at UFC 272 in March, he wanted a ranked opponent next and thought Riddell made sense. Sure enough, the UFC booked the fight as the two will meet on Saturday at UFC 276.
Jim Miller doesn't view Donald Cerrone fight as a rematch, plans to "just go in there and fight" at UFC 276: "I'm confident I can get the W this time"
Cole Shelton - June 28, 2022
Jim Miller doesn’t view his UFC 276 fight against Donald Cerrone as a true rematch. Miller was originally supposed to fight Bobby Green on July 2, but just over a week out it was revealed that Green was out and Cerrone had stepped up on short notice. The fight will also take place at welterweight and for Miller, he’s just happy he got a fight.
Sean Strickland will use his wrestling to submit Alex Pereira, says teammate: "If he listens to everyone, he'll strangle him and get the title shot"
Cole Shelton - June 27, 2022
Chris Curtis wasn’t surprised when his longtime teammate Sean Strickland took the Alex Pereira fight. Strickland is set to face Pereira on the main card of UFC 276 in a highly-anticipated bout. It will serve as Pereira’s first-ranked opponent and the winner will likely get the next title shot and for Curtis, he says he wasn’t surprised that Strickland took this fight.
Jimmie Rivera reveals the "hardest fight" he ever had in the UFC
Cole Shelton - June 24, 2022
Jimmie Rivera fought the who’s who of the UFC’s bantamweight division but he says one fight sticks out as his toughest fight. Rivera competed in the UFC from 2015 to 2021 and fought the likes of Petr Yan, Aljamain Sterling, Urijah Faber, Pedro Munhoz, Marlon Moraes, and John Dodson among others. Yet for Rivera, he says the toughest fight of his career was his 2019 scrap against Petr Yan that he lost by decision.
Adrian Yanez laughed at Tony Kelley when he said he's scared to rematch him after UFC Austin: "I turned him into a meme"
Cole Shelton - June 24, 2022
Adrian Yanez was glad to KO Tony Kelley at UFC Austin. In the lead-up to UFC Austin, Kelley made some bigotry comments and Yanez was told by many people that he needed to KO the American. To only add to that, at weigh-ins and during the fight, Kelley was talking more trash. Even after after losing the fight Kelley continued to chirp which Yanez finds comical.
Vanessa Demopoulos excited to showcase her entire skillset against Jinh Yu Frey, eyes another finish win
Cole Shelton - June 23, 2022
Vanessa Demopoulos is looking to build off her first UFC win.
After helping Sean O'Malley prepare for his bout, Mario Bautista confident he will overwhelm Brian Kelleher as the fight goes on
Cole Shelton - June 23, 2022
Mario Bautista was hoping to fight around this date. Bautista was in training camp helping Sean O’Malley prepare for his UFC 276 fight on July 2 against Pedro Munhoz. During the camp, he got the call to fight Brian Kelleher at UFC Vegas 57 on just three weeks’ notice and jumped at the chance as he feels he’s in good condition.
Christos Giagos plans to hit Thiago Moises with "something big and make him fold" at UFC Vegas 57, eyes Grant Dawson next
Cole Shelton - June 22, 2022
Christos Giagos believes he will finally show just how good he is at UFC Vegas 57 on Saturday. Giagos will return to the Octagon against Thiago Moises in what will be his second fight at Sanford MMA. Giagos made the move to Sanford last camp, but before he could even get accustomed to the gym and have a full camp, he was offered a short-notice fight against Arman Tsarukyan. Unfortnately for Giagos, it didn’t go his way and he says he just wasn’t himself in there.
Danny Sabatello says he hates Leandro Higo, plans to "torture" him at Bellator 282: "I want him to have scars on his face for the rest of his life"
Cole Shelton - June 22, 2022
Danny Sabatello is excited to fight and punish Leandro Higo at Bellator 282 on Friday. Sabatello and Higo are set to meet in the quarter-finals of the bantamweight grand prix in an intriguing matchup. When the bracket was set up, Sabatello was pleased he would get the chance to face Higo as he says he truly dislikes him due to the fact he has missed weight multiple times.
Chris Curtis says he either gets submitted in the first round or KO's Rodolfo Vieira in the second: "The goal is to drown him before he strangles me"
Cole Shelton - June 21, 2022
Chris Curtis says his UFC Vegas 57 fight against Rodolfo Vieira is quite easy to break down. Curtis is set to take on the grappling wizard on Saturday night. When he got the contract, he knew it was a fight he will need to keep standing to win.
Jimmie Rivera relieved to finally make BKFC debut, hoping for a "brawl" against Howard Davis at BKFC 26
Cole Shelton - June 21, 2022
Jimmie Rivera will finally end his long layoff on Friday night. Rivera is set to face Howard Davis in the co-main event of BKFC 26. It will be his first fight since February of 2021 when he dropped a decision to Pedro Munhoz. For Rivera, he says it’s a big relief for him to finally fight, this after suffering two canceled bouts since leaving the UFC.
Pro fighters make their picks for Calvin Kattar vs. Josh Emmett
Cole Shelton - June 16, 2022
In the main event of UFC Austin, top-10 featherweights are set to headline the card as Calvin Kattar takes on Josh Emmett. Heading into the fight, Kattar is a massive -260 favorite on FanDuel while Emmett is a +196 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The pros expect this one to be a very fun and entertaining fight but the majority believe Kattar will get his hand raised as he is the better striker.
Jim Miller reveals "the UFC is having me fight out my contract" at UFC 276: "I win and I still don't know if there is another UFC fight"
Cole Shelton - June 15, 2022
Jim Miller will be fighting out his contract at UFC 276 and he is quite surprised by that. Miller is coming off back-to-back KO wins and is set to face Bobby Green on July 2 in Las Vegas in a fight that is years in the making. The fight will also serve as Miller’s 40th UFC appearance but it also could be his last as he revealed to BJPENN.com on Wednesday that he’s fighting out his contract, and it isn’t his choice.