Exclusive MMA Interviews News
Steven Peterson ready to "make a run" at featherweight after Chase Hooper win, wants "loudmouth Nate Landwehr"
Cole Shelton - June 16, 2021
Steven Peterson is happy he beat Chase Hooper at UFC 263 but he did want the finish. Entering the fight, Peterson knew he could hang with Hooper on the ground and thought on the feet there would be a massive gap in skill. That ended up being the case as Peterson even had moments on the ground and just pieced up Hooper on the feet. For the Fortis MMA product, he says he’s pleased with his performance.
Matt Brown expecting to have a "great performance" against Dhiego Lima, eyes rematches with Lawler and Cerrone
Cole Shelton - June 16, 2021
Matt Brown is eager to step back into the Octagon. At UFC Vegas 29, Brown will face Dhiego Lima in what should be a very exciting fight. Although they are fighting in the middle of June, the fight was announced in early March which gives the veteran a ton of notice when he says he asked for.
Anderson Silva eager for the "challenge" of boxing Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.: "I'm lucky I have this opportunity"
Cole Shelton - June 15, 2021
Anderson Silva was ecstatic when he got the offer to box Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in Mexico. On Saturday night, Silva will fight professionally against Chavez Jr. in a highly-anticipated fight. After the Brazilian’s release from the UFC, he wasn’t certain what would be next but says he’s lucky this opportunity came together.
Dan Ige eyes stoppage win over Korean Zombie in a "statement" win: "He can't take damage from me"
Cole Shelton - June 15, 2021
Dan Ige called his shot and got his wish as he’ll headline UFC Vegas 29 against Korean Zombie on Saturday. After Ige scored a 22-second KO win in March he called out Korean Zombie. Immediately after the callout, Ige was told the UFC liked the fight and they were quick to book it for the main event.
Stipe Miocic should get immediate trilogy fight against Francis Ngannou, confident he'd "get his belt back," says teammate
Cole Shelton - June 14, 2021
Aleksa Camur, a longtime teammate of Stipe Miocic is confident the former heavyweight champ can reclaim his title. At UFC 260, Miocic lost by second-round KO to Francis Ngannou to lose his heavyweight title. Although he got finished, he had moments in the fight and even rocked Ngannou. With that, Camur says Miocic deserves the trilogy bout, but if not, a scrap against Jon Jones makes sense.
Brian Maxwell believes he would've beat Chad Johnson if it was judged, says he plans on training with 'Ochocino' ahead of BKFC return
Cole Shelton - June 11, 2021
Brian Maxwell didn’t really believe he was fighting Chad Johnson until fight week came along. Maxwell, a combat sports veteran, was messaged out of the blue to box the NFL Pro Bowler of the Mayweather-Paul undercard. It was surreal for Maxwell, but he says even though it was a massive fight, he wasn’t nervous.
Steven Peterson expects to KO Chase Hooper in the first round: "Just totally beat him down with violence"
Cole Shelton - June 10, 2021
Steven Peterson asked for Chase Hooper and he got his wish. Back in January, Peterson revealed to BJPENN.com he was out of his February 6 fight against Seung Woo Choi due to an injury. However, during the interview, he called out Hooper, yet, he didn’t expect the UFC to give him that fight. But, he got his wish as he’ll face the grappling ace at UFC 263.
Matt Frevola believes Ottman Azaitar had IVs to "hide the steroids he's on," plans to give him "a beating he deserves"
Cole Shelton - June 10, 2021
Matt Frevola had a crazy 2020 as he had three canceled fights due to COVID-19 and Frevola fracturing his foot. He was then set to return at UFC 257 but his 2021 also got off to a hectic start. Frevola was set to face Ottman Azaitar at UFC 257 in a highly-anticipated bout. However, on the day of weigh-ins, it was revealed Azaitar was out of the fight due to sneaking people into Fight Island. He ended up having to fight Arman Tsarukyan which he says is a fight he wants back.
Eryk Anders expects to finish Darren Stewart at UFC 263 in their rematch: "It was pretty clear who was winning that fight"
Cole Shelton - June 9, 2021
Eryk Anders has all the confidence in the world when he rematches Darren Stewart at UFC 263. Anders and Stewart first met in a middleweight bout in March. Early on in the fight, Anders dropped Stewart and was landing heavy shots. However, as he was looking to finish the Englishman he threw an illegal knee and the fight was ruled a No Contest.
UFC 263 | Pro fighters make their picks for Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Brandon Moreno 2 title fight
Cole Shelton - June 9, 2021
In the co-main event of UFC 263, Deiveson Figueiredo looks to defend his flyweight title as he rematches Brandon Moreno. Heading into the fight, Figueiredo is a -230 favorite while the challenger is a +185 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The majority believe it will be Figueiredo defending his belt this time around.
Brandon Moreno expects to "bully" Deiveson Figueiredo now that he knows what his power is like
Cole Shelton - June 8, 2021
Brandon Moreno left UFC 256 without the belt, but he gained a ton of confidence for his rematch against Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 263. In the main event of the pay-per-view card, Figueiredo and Moreno had one of the best fights of the year. It was a back-and-forth bout that ended in a draw and for Moreno, he says he feels much better now than he did back in December.
UFC 263 | Pro fighters make their picks for Israel Adesanya vs. Marvin Vettori 2 title fight
Cole Shelton - June 8, 2021
In the main event of UFC 263, Israel Adesanya looks to defend his middleweight title for the third time as he rematches Marvin Vettori. Heading into the fight, Adesanya is a -250 favorite while the challenger is a +200 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The majority believe Israel Adesanya will get his hand raised again and likely do so by stoppage this time around.
Youssef Zalal expects to finish Sean Woodson to get back into the win column
Cole Shelton - June 3, 2021
Youssef Zalal isn’t putting any pressure on himself ahead of his upcoming fight. On the prelims of UFC Vegas 28, Zalal is set to face Sean Woodson in a very intriguing featherweight bout. After starting out his UFC career 3-0, Zalal is now on a two-fight losing skid and could be fighting for his job. Although he is on a losing skid, he still expected to get tough fights and that’s exactly what he gets in Woodson.
Brian Maxwell eyes stoppage win over Chad Johnson to become an "instant superstar"
Cole Shelton - June 3, 2021
Brian Maxwell never thought he would ever be boxing on a Floyd Mayweather undercard, or boxing former NFL star, Chad Johnson. On Sunday in Miami, Maxwell will have an exhibition boxing match against six-time NFL Pro Bowler in Chad Johnson aka Chad Ochocinco. The retired NFL star is now 43-years-old but has been training boxing for years and will finally take a fight and Maxwell never thought he would be his opponent.
Marcin Tybura eyes KO win over Walt Harris at UFC Vegas 28 to earn top-five opponent
Cole Shelton - June 2, 2021
Marcin Tybura had a phenomenal 2020 and is looking to build off of that on Saturday. After being TKO’d by Shamil Abdurakhimov in April of 2019, he returned in September of that year and was knocked out in just 59 seconds by Augusto Sakai. After the losses, he had a new mindset for fighting and went 4-0 in 2020 with wins over Sergey Spivak, Maxim Grishin, Ben Rothwell, and a TKO win over Greg Hardy.
Miesha Tate talks motherly motivation, 'I really want to make my kids proud'
Drake Riggs - June 1, 2021
Miesha Tate is headed back into the Octagon. A lot has changed since “Cupcake’s” initial run in the sport. For her personally, she’s now a mother of two.
Sean Woodson expects to finish Youssef Zalal to "prove I belong" in the UFC: "I have a chip on my shoulder"
Cole Shelton - May 31, 2021
Sean Woodson is looking to remind UFC fans that he’s a problem in the featherweight division. Woodson came into the UFC at 6-0 after winning a flying knee KO over Terrance McKinney on the Contender Series. In his debut, he earned a decision win over Kyle Bochniak. In his second appearance, he took on short-notice replacement Julian Erosa. Early on, he had success but in the third round he lost by submission for his first career loss. Although it was disappointing, he says it was a good learning experience.
Montana De La Rosa expects to "dominate" Ariane Lipski on the ground en route to stoppage win
Cole Shelton - May 31, 2021
Montana De La Rosa knows she has a clear path to victory over Ariane Lipski on Saturday night at UFC Vegas 28. De La Rosa is making a quick turnaround after her draw against Mayra Bueno Silva in February. For the 26-year-old, she still thinks she won the fight but wanted a quick turnaround after the result.