Exclusive MMA Interviews News
Stevie Ray ending retirement, in talks with Bellator and Brave CF
Cole Shelton - August 13, 2021
Former UFC lightweight, Stevie Ray will be ending his retirement. Ray retired from MMA in September of 2020 which he said at the time was due to knee injuries. However, he told BJPENN.com this week that there was much more to it, and it was due to the UFC forcing him out of the organization and making him retire.
Stevie Ray details the "shady" tactics the UFC used which forced him to retire
Cole Shelton - August 12, 2021
Stevie Ray announced his retirement from MMA in September 2020, which many thought was due to his knee injuries. However, there is much more to the story, which Ray has never spoken publicly about. Ray competed in the UFC from 2015 and had a 7-4 record where in his last fight, he picked up what he calls the biggest win of his career as he defeated Michael Johnson. He also fought the likes of Paul Felder, and Leonardo Santos as well as defeating Joe Lauzon and Ross Pearson among others. Yet, for quite some time, Ray had heard rumblings the UFC wanted him out of the organization, and that finally happened when they released him, but he covered it up with him announcing his retirement.
Ciryl Gane wants Francis Ngannou fight in Paris in December or January: "It will be a really big fight"
Cole Shelton - August 12, 2021
Ciryl Gane is hoping his heavyweight title unification fight against Francis Ngannou happens in Paris, France. Gane claimed the interim heavyweight title at UFC 265 with a TKO victory over Derrick Lewis. It was the Frenchman’s fourth fight since December of 2020 and now with his wife set to give birth, he is looking to take some time off but is interested in the fight happening late this year or early next.
Ciryl Gane pleased with TKO victory over Derrick Lewis at UFC 265: "It was a really great performance"
Cole Shelton - August 11, 2021
Ciryl Gane never expected he would be fighting for UFC gold in just his 10th professional MMA fight. Gane signed to the UFC at 3-0 and quickly rose up the heavyweight ranks. In his 10th professional fight, he headlined UFC 265 against Derrick Lewis for the interim heavyweight title. For the Frenchman, he says he always knew he would fight for UFC gold but didn’t think it would happen this quickly.
Kevin Lee eyes replacement opponent after Sean Brady forced out of UFC Vegas 35 fight
Cole Shelton - August 7, 2021
Kevin Lee vs. Sean Brady has been canceled for the second time. Multiple sources informed BJPENN.com that Brady suffered an undisclosed injury and his fight against Lee is off. MMAJunkie was first to report the news of Brady’s withdrawal. The two were supposed to fight at UFC 264 but a minor rib injury from Lee forced him off the card and they were pushed back to August.
Georgi Karakhanyan hopes AJ McKee becomes Bellator's lightweight champ so he can earn the rematch for the belt
Cole Shelton - August 6, 2021
Georgi Karakhanyan knew he shouldn’t have cut to featherweight anymore, and his eight-second KO loss to AJ McKee cemented that. Karakhanyan thought of moving up earlier but Bellator started the grand prix which made the 36-year-old stay at 145lbs. Unfortnately, in the opening round, he faced McKee and was knocked out in eight seconds. After the loss, he decided he would move up to lightweight and knows he is much better at that weight class.
UFC 265 | Pro fighters make their picks for Derrick Lewis vs. Ciryl Gane interim title fight
Cole Shelton - August 5, 2021
In the main event of UFC 265, the interim heavyweight title is up for grabs as Derrick Lewis takes on Ciryl Gane. Ahead of the fight, Gane is a -380 favorite while “The Black Beast” is a +290 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The majority of the pros believe it will be Gane being too technical for Lewis and winning a decision. However, they all still think Lewis is a live dog as he only needs to land one punch.
Ode Osbourne expecting a "war" against Manel Kape in "the biggest fight of my life" at UFC 265
Cole Shelton - August 5, 2021
Ode Osbourne is eager to fight Manel Kape at UFC 265. Osbourne is dropping down to flyweight to face the former RIZIN champ in a scrap he’s eager about. He was supposed to fight Amir Albazi back in July but his opponent pulled out and he was matched up against Kape which he likes.
Alonzo Menifield eyes KO win over Ed Herman at UFC 265: "I'm honored to go in there and fight with him and take him out"
Cole Shelton - August 4, 2021
Alonzo Menifield is excited to be getting the chance to fight Ed Herman and in front of a crowd. Menifield returned to the win column last time out with a submission win over Fabio Cherant. The victory snapped his two-fight losing skid and now, he gets a chance to fight Herman at UFC 265 in his home state of Texas which he’s ecstatic about.
Brent Primus wants rematch with Islam Mamedov after controversial loss: "He knows I'm the better fighter"
Cole Shelton - August 4, 2021
Brent Primus was shocked he didn’t get his hand raised against Islam Mamedov at Bellator 263. Although Primus spent the majority of the fight on his back, he was the one doing all the damage. He was landing heavy shots from the bottom while Khabib Nurmagomedov’s protégé was just holding him down and not landing anything significant.
Vicente Luque says UFC 265 scrap against Michael Chiesa "will be the Fight of the Night" if he doesn't get the KO win
Cole Shelton - August 3, 2021
Vicente Luque thought he would be fighting Michael Chiesa after his win over Tyron Woodley in March. Luque and Chiesa are currently ranked fifth and sixth at welterweight and both are dark horses of the division. It’s an intriguing matchup but for the Brazilian, he knows stylistic, it’s a striker vs. grappler matchup. Luque is also expecting the scrap to be an entertaining one for however long it lasts.
Casey Kenney plans to "throw down" with Song Yadong at UFC 265 en route to a stoppage win
Cole Shelton - August 3, 2021
Casey Kenney had a feeling he would be fighting Song Yadong after his last fight. Kenney will make the walk to the Octagon on the main card of UFC 265 in Houston, Texas. The bantamweight contender is coming off a split decision loss to Dominick Cruz in March and after the loss, Kenney says he wanted to be active.
Josh Barnett says 'It would really suck' to never fight Fedor Emelianenko
Drake Riggs - July 29, 2021
Josh Barnett vs. Fedor Emelianenko is one of MMA’s biggest fights that got away — but what if it didn’t have to? The pair of heavyweight legends were originally set to clash in 2009 under the short-lived Affliction banner. Fast-forward 12 years and they’re both in the same promotion once again as Emelianenko has his next bout set for October at Bellator’s first show in Russia.
Pro fighters make their picks for Uriah Hall vs. Sean Strickland
Cole Shelton - July 29, 2021
In the main event of UFC Vegas 33, top-15 middleweights collide as Uriah Hall takes on Sean Strickland. Ahead of the fight, Hall is a +180 underdog while the 11th ranked middleweight is a -220 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 Hall will go the job done by knockout.
Adrian Yanez says he's "not happy" with his TKO win performance against Randy Costa, hopes a top-15 opponent is next
Cole Shelton - July 28, 2021
Adrian Yanez wasn’t happy with his TKO win over Randy Costa at UFC Vegas 32. Yanez and Costa opened up the main card in a highly-anticipated bout between two of the brightest prospects at bantamweight. In the first round, it appeared Costa would be the one getting his hand raised as he was jabbing Yanez and landing heavy shots. For the Texan, he says the way Costa fought the first round threw him off.
Maycee Barber explains why she called out "legend" Jessica Eye after beating Miranda Maverick
Cole Shelton - July 28, 2021
Maycee Barber has never been shy to call out her next opponent and that is exactly what happened after her win at UFC Vegas 32 on Saturday. After Barber earned a controversial split decision over Miranda Maverick, “The Future” got onto the mic to call out Jessica Eye. It’s an opponent she has talked about before so Barber wasn’t surprised Eye responded to the callout, so she hopes that means the UFC will make the fight.
Chris Daukaus expects to finish Shamil Abdurakhimov and get a "big-name" opponent next
Cole Shelton - July 26, 2021
Chris Daukaus didn’t expect that he would be fighting Shamil Abdurakhimov. Daukaus, who joined the UFC in August of 2020, is already 3-0 in the promotion with three first-round knockouts. After his last win over Aleksei Oleinik in February, he expected he would get another ranked opponent next, and was unsure if it would be in the top-10.
Maycee Barber doesn't think she has lost her "hype" despite setbacks: "I’m not going to get cut from the UFC if I lose"
Cole Shelton - July 23, 2021
Maycee Barber has heard all the talk that the UFC will release her if she loses to Miranda Maverick at UFC Vegas 32 on Saturday. Barber was once considered a top prospect and many thought could challenge for a UFC title. However, at UFC 246 she suffered her first career loss by decision to Roxanne Modafferi in a fight she tore her knee. She returned back in February of this year at UFC 258 and suffered another setback as she dropped a decision to Alexa Grasso.