Exclusive MMA Interviews News
Julian Erosa knew he would submit Charles Jourdain, wants to 'beat up' Steven Peterson next for being 'disrespectful'
Cole Shelton - September 8, 2021
Julian Erosa knew he would not only beat Charles Jourdain but would finish him despite taking it on short notice. Erosa took the fight on 10 days’ notice and was confident he had the skill set to defeat him. He knew he was the more technical striker and had a big advantage on the ground. So, for Erosa, he said the game plan was to not get into a brawl and as the fight started to play out, to then implement his grappling.
Alex Morono eyes Matt Brown next after win over David Zawada
Cole Shelton - September 7, 2021
Alex Morono was pleased with his victory over David Zawada and he has an opponent in mind for his next fight. Morono stepped up on short notice at UFC Vegas 36 against Zawada as he was looking to fight again. He knew it was a good style matchup and that proved as he coasted to a decision victory. Although he got the win and he’s pleased with the performance he does wish he finished the fight.
Bellator veteran Chidi Njokuani plans 'to make a run in the UFC' with a win on Contender Series
Cole Shelton - September 3, 2021
Chidi Njokuani knows he has all the skills to hang in the UFC and all that is left to prove it. Njokuani signed to Bellator in 2015 and went 5-3 and has notable wins over Melvin Guillard and Ricky Rainey. His losses, meanwhile, were to the best of the best in Andrey Koreshkov, John Salter, and Rafael Carvalho. The 32-year-old also beat Max Griffin on the regional scene in 2015 and now he will get a shot to enter the UFC.
Julian Erosa plans to wrestle Charles Jourdain and make it an MMA fight: 'If I wrestle with Jourdain for 15 minutes, I win every time'
Cole Shelton - September 2, 2021
Julian Erosa didn’t think he would actually get the Charles Jourdain fight. Erosa was offered the Jourdain matchup nearly three weeks ago but he said he would only do it at 150-pounds. Two weeks went by and he had no response but finally about a week-and-a-half before the event, he got told the fight was on.
Ray Cooper III believes he's best wrestler in MMA ahead of PFL 2021 Finals, 'I would outwrestle Kamaru Usman any day of the week'
Drake Riggs - September 1, 2021
Ray Cooper III is just one win away from pocketing yet another million-dollar PFL championship. The PFL went without a season in 2020 before picking back up in 2021 where multiple big-name additions entered the fold. Going forward in the world, eventual normalcy will restore the idea of cross-promotion in the sport to its fullest — PFL CEO Peter Murray has seemingly opened up to the idea as this year’s finals draw near.
Bryan Battle wants to 'shut up' Tresean Gore next after winning TUF 29
Cole Shelton - September 1, 2021
Bryan Battle still can’t believe he is The Ultimate Fighter. At UFC Vegas 35, Battle submitted Gilbert Urbina in the second round to win the TUF 29 middleweight season. It was a good performance from Battle and although he won on Saturday, he says it still feels surreal that he is The Ultimate Fighter.
Modestas Bukauskas excited to fight 'idol' Khalil Rountree, expects to finish him with 'something spectacular'
Cole Shelton - September 1, 2021
Modestas Bukauskas knows he is fighting for his UFC job on Saturday at UFC Vegas 36. Bukauskas is set to fight Khalil Rountree in an initruing matchup. When Bukauskas got the message that this was his fight, it was an immediate yes as he says Rountree is an idol to him.
Alex Morono eyes third-round knockout of David Zawada at UFC Vegas 36: 'I'm looking to do as much damage as possible'
Cole Shelton - August 31, 2021
Alex Morono was hoping he would get a quick turnaround after he knocked out Donald Cerrone in the first round, but that wasn’t the case. In May, Morono stepped up on short notice to face Cerrone and he scored a first-round TKO. After that, he was hoping to return in June or July but that didn’t happen. He has now jumped at the chance to face David Zawada on Saturday at UFC Vegas 36, despite it being on short notice.
Kevin Lee believes he poses the biggest threat to Kamaru Usman: "There's nobody else that has my style that can take it to him"
Cole Shelton - August 27, 2021
Kevin Lee believes he is a bad matchup for the welterweight champ, Kamaru Usman. Lee is set to make his return to welterweight on the main card of UFC Vegas 35 against Daniel Rodriguez who took the fight on short notice. It’s an intriguing matchup and Lee already told BJPENN.com he believes he is a top-five welterweight and will only need a few wins to get a title shot. That played a big role in why he decided to move up in weight, and the fact he believes he has the style to defeat Usman.
Andre Petroski didn't expect to be on TUF 29 finale but expects to finish Micheal Gilmore
Cole Shelton - August 27, 2021
Andre Petroski knew the camera crew on TUF liked him, and he thought he would get a UFC fight but didn’t expect it to be on the finale. At UFC Vegas 35, which also serves as the TUF 29 finals, Petroski will face fellow middleweight castmate, Micheal Gilmore. For Petroski, he says he only found out about this fight less than two weeks before the event but immediately accepted it.
Pro fighters make their picks for Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley
Cole Shelton - August 26, 2021
In the main event of a Showtime boxing pay-per-view and on Fite TV on Sunday, brash YouTuber turned boxer, Jake Paul takes on Tyron Woodley. Heading into the fight, Paul is a -200 favorite while the former UFC welterweight champ is a +160 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their prediction for the boxing match. To no surprise, all the MMA fighters polled are rooting for Woodley to pull off the upset but they all admit Paul is better than many give him credit for.
Jake Paul "is a bonafide star in boxing," will KO Tyron Woodley in the first round, says training partner
Cole Shelton - August 26, 2021
Anthony Taylor, a former Bellator fighter and current training partner of Jake Paul, knows the undefeated boxer is legit. Ever since Paul transitioned to boxing, many thought it was a gimmick and he wasn’t doing it for real. However, he has looked impressive and coming off a KO win over Ben Askren in the first round in April. He will now face Tyron Woodley on Sunday on Showtime PPV and Fite TV. For Taylor, he knows Paul is taking boxing seriously and it will show in this fight.
Sam Alvey expects to finish Wellington Turman in his "last shot" to save his UFC job
Cole Shelton - August 25, 2021
Sam Alvey thought he was fighting for his UFC job for his past two fights but he’s getting one more shot at UFC Vegas 35 against Wellington Turman. Alvey is winless in his last six as he’s 0-5-1. Yet, his draw against Dan Un Jung was a fight many thought he won. After the draw, he moved down to middleweight where he was submitted by Julian Marquez. He will remain at 185lbs for this scrap against Turman.
Pro fighters make their picks for Edson Barboza vs. Giga Chikadze
Cole Shelton - August 25, 2021
In the main event of UFC Vegas 35, top-10 featherweights and two of the best strikers in the division collide as Edson Barboza takes on Giga Chikadze. Ahead of the fight, Barboza is a -115 favorite while the Georgian is the -105 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The pros are split on this one but the slight majority lean towards Giga Chikadze getting it done and likely by stoppage.
Anthony Taylor confident he will "shock the world" with a win over Tommy Fury: "The only thing special he has is the last name Fury"
Cole Shelton - August 24, 2021
Anthony Taylor is glad he called out Jake Paul as the brash YouTuber turned boxer has given him a massive opportunity. Before Paul was set to fight Ben Askren, Taylor admits he wasn’t believing his skill and talked crap about him on social media. Paul’s coach then messaged Taylor to come and train and he impressed Paul and he has since been a main training partner of Paul and “The Problem Child” was the one who got him this boxing match against Tommy Fury on his undercard.
Kevin Lee expects to beat Daniel Rodriguez "from bell-to-bell" at UFC Vegas 35: "I'm here to show I'm the best in the world"
Cole Shelton - August 24, 2021
Kevin Lee just wanted to fight at UFC Vegas 35 on August 28 and he got his wish. Lee was supposed to face Sean Brady but the ranked welterweight was forced out of the fight with a foot injury. After that, “The Motown Phenom” began calling out several welterweights but it was Daniel Rodriguez who accepted the fight.
Ramiz Brahimaj says there's no pressure on him after eventful UFC debut, confident he will finish Sasha Palatnikov
Cole Shelton - August 19, 2021
Ramiz Brahimaj had a memorable UFC debut, although it didn’t go the way he wanted. Brahimaj finally made his Octagon debut against Max Griffin in November and lost the fight by TKO due to his ear nearly falling off. Despite the ending of the fight, Brahimaj says the way he fought Griffin and how it was competitive, proves he belongs in the UFC.
Pro fighters make their picks for Jared Cannonier vs. Kelvin Gastelum
Cole Shelton - August 19, 2021
In the main event of UFC Vegas 34, top-10 middleweights collide as Jared Cannonier takes on Kelvin Gastelum. Ahead of the fight, Cannonier is a -150 favorite while Gastelum is a +130 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The majority believe Gastelum will pull off the upset and get back in the win column.