Exclusive MMA Interviews News
Davey Grant believes he's "a real hard fight for anyone" at bantamweight, vows to KO Louis Smolka and earn spot on UFC London
Cole Shelton - May 11, 2022
Davey Grant knows the pressure is on him to get back into the win column at UFC Vegas 54. Grant is coming off a split decision loss to Adrian Yanez and a decision loss to Marlon Vera in two entertaining fights. He’s finally set to return against Louis Smolka at UFC Vegas 54 on Saturday and it’s a matchup he thinks is a favorable one for him.
Brandon Royval wants to be the backup for the interim flyweight title fight after UFC 274 submission win over Matt Schnell
Cole Shelton - May 10, 2022
Brandon Royval wants to return at UFC 277 and serve as the backup fighter for the interim flyweight title fight between Brandon Moreno and Kai Kara-France. Royval is coming off a first-round submission at UFC 274 over Matt Schnell, which was his second in a row. Prior to the fight, Brandon said he wanted the bout to be wild and chaotic, but he admits it was crazier than he expected.
Maycee Barber plans to make a statement in UFC 276 fight with Jessica Eye: "Prove my dominance in this division and pave my way to the title"
Cole Shelton - May 10, 2022
Maycee Barber always wanted to fight Jessica Eye and she now gets her wish. After Barber defeated Montana De La Rosa, ‘The Future’ was offered a fight with ‘Evil Eye’ at UFC 276. Jessica had just lost her slated opponent Casey O’Neill, who was forced to pull out of the contest due to a torn ACL. Once the fight with Eye became official, Barber got right back into training camp.
Gabe Green wants Daniel Rodriguez rematch, confident the fight would go differently: "I do think I beat him nine out of 10 times"
Cole Shelton - May 6, 2022
Gabe Green is hoping to rematch Daniel Rodriguez. Green fought Rodriguez on short notice in his UFC debut which was his first fight in two years. It was a competitive fight but one Green lost and since then, he has rallied off two straight wins beating Phil Rowe by decision and TKO’ing Yohan Lainesse last weekend. For Green, he says his in over Lainesse went exactly how he thought.
Fernie Garcia says he "couldn't ask for a better opponent" for his debut in Journey Newson, wants to get on the Texas card in June
Cole Shelton - May 5, 2022
Fernie Garcia thought he would get to the UFC much sooner than this. Garcia, a Fortis MMA fighter, started out his career 5-0 and got a big win on the Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz 3 card. He dropped a split decision in his next fight but then went on a five-fight wining streak including getting a TKO victory on the Contender Series to earn his contract.
Loopy Godinez wants to be as active as possible, eyes stoppage win over Ariane Carnelossi to earn a ranked opponent
Cole Shelton - May 5, 2022
Loopy Godinez didn’t think she would be on the sidelines for this long. Godinez made her UFC debut on short notice and came up short dropping a split decision to Jessica Penne. She then returned in October and had three fights in just over a month. However, since November she has been on the sidelines which was not her plan.
UFC 274 | Pro fighters make their picks for Michael Chandler vs. Tony Ferguson
Cole Shelton - May 5, 2022
On the main card of UFC 274, an intriguing lightweight bout takes place as Michael Chandler takes on Tony Ferguson. Heading into the fight, Chandler is a massive -385 favorite on FanDuel while ‘El Cucuy’ is a +290 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. As the odds suggest, the pros believe Chandler gets the job done as many think Ferguson is no longer the same fighter.
Julian Lane says he has "nothing to lose" against David Mundell at BKFC 25, casts doubt on a rematch with Mike Perry
Cole Shelton - May 4, 2022
Julian Lane is making a quick turnaround and jumping up in weight to do it. Lane is set to face David Mundell at BKFC 25 and is moving up a weight class to do so. Julian says he wanted a quick turnaround after his loss to Mike Perry and he got his wish.
UFC 274 | Pro fighters make their picks for Rose Namajunas vs. Carla Esparza 2 title fight
Cole Shelton - May 4, 2022
In the co-main event of UFC 274 Rose Namajunas is looking to defend her strawweight title as she rematches Carla Esparza after seven-and-a-half years. Heading into the fight, Namajunas is a -220 favorite on FanDuel while the challenger is a +176 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The pros are unanimous in thinking Namajunas defends her belt again and does so by late TKO or decision.
Brandon Royval plans to have "chaotic" fight against Matt Schnell at UFC 274: "I'm going to have a war and see who survives it"
Cole Shelton - May 3, 2022
Brandon Royval is ecstatic he will finally get to fight in front of fans again. Royval is set for his sixth Octagon appearance against Matt Schnell at UFC 274 but it will be the first time he competes in front of a crowd in the UFC. The sixth-ranked flyweight contender believes he has a fan-friendly style and sort of views this as his official UFC debut.
Joe Lauzon plans to blitz Donald Cerrone early in what could be his final fight: "The earlier I get on him, the better it is for me"
Cole Shelton - May 3, 2022
Joe Lauzon will make the walk to the Octagon for the first time since October 2019 on Saturday night. Lauzon is set to open up the UFC 274 main card against Donald Cerrone in a fight between two legends. Although Lauzon picked up a first-round TKO win at home in Boston his last time out, he says COVID played a key role in keeping him on the sidelines.
Blagoy Ivanov plans to be better than ever when he competes for the first time in two years at UFC 274: “There won’t be any ring rust”
Cole Shelton - May 2, 2022
Blagoy Ivanov will finally be making the walk to the Octagon again. Ivanov is set to face Marcos Rogerio de Lima on Saturday at UFC 274 which will be the first time he’s fought since May 30, 2020. Since then, Ivanov has been dealing with some injuries but he says after intense rehab, he is finally healthy again and feels better than ever.
Yancy Medeiros happy to re-sign with Bellator now that he's "having fun" fighting again: "I'm happy I could please the crowd"
Cole Shelton - April 29, 2022
Yancy Medeiros says his Bellator debut served as the first time he had fun fighting in quite some time. After losing four in a row in the UFC, he was not re-signed but quickly inked a one-fight deal with Bellator. He was set to fight back home in Hawaii against Emmanuel Sanchez and heading into the fight, Medeiros says the focus was just giving back to Hawaii and he wasn’t putting any pressure on himself to get the win.
Gabe Green eyes a second-round knockout of Yohan Lainesse, targets future rematch with Daniel Rodriguez
Cole Shelton - April 28, 2022
Gabe Green is excited to finally be healthy again. Green has not fought since UFC 258 in February 2021 when he defeated Phil Rowe by decision. Since then, he had eye surgery which he says has benefited him a ton as he can now see punches and kicks coming.
Claudio Puelles sends a warning to fellow lightweights following submission win over Clay Guida: "People should've paid attention"
Cole Shelton - April 28, 2022
Claudio Puelles didn’t think Clay Guida would go to the ground with him. Puelles was set to face Guida in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 52 which was the biggest fight of his career. Heading into the fight, he figured Guida would want to strike with him and Pulles was confident he would find the KO. Yet, once the veteran took it to the ground, he was confident he would submit Guida.
Pro fighters make their picks for Rob Font vs. Marlon Vera
Cole Shelton - April 28, 2022
In the main event of UFC Vegas 53, a key bantamweight bout headlines the card as Rob Font looks to get back into the win column against Marlon Vera. Heading into the fight, Font is the -140 favorite on FanDuel while ‘Chito’ is a +114 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The pros believe Font’s experience in five-round fights and his jab will be too much for Vera and he will get his hand raised.
Tristan Connelly is pumped to fight Darren Elkins, expects it to be a very "fun fight" for the fans: "I've grown up watching him"
Cole Shelton - April 27, 2022
Tristan Connelly was pumped when he got the contract to fight Darren Elkins at UFC Vegas 53. Connelly says he was offered to fight Elkins last year but ‘The Damage’ wasn’t ready so the Canadian fought Pat Sabatini at UFC 261 and lost by decision. After the fight, Connelly suffered an injury that kept him out for a year but he will now return against Elkins which he is pleased about.
Grant Dawson explains why he changed gyms to go to ATT, expects a "grueling fight" against Jared Gordon
Cole Shelton - April 26, 2022
Grant Dawson made a big change in his fighting career after his draw against Ricky Glenn. Dawson trained at Glory MMA under James Krause for his entire pro career and spent the last couple of years helping coach. Yet, after his last fight, he says he felt burnt out and knew he needed to make a change which is why he changed gyms to go to American Top Team.