Exclusive MMA Interviews News
Christos Giagos expects to "catch" Ignacio Bahamondes at UFC Vegas 90: "It's going to be fun"
Cole Shelton - April 4, 2024
Christos Giagos is excited to face Ignacio Bahamondes at UFC Vegas 90 on Saturday. Giagos is coming off a submission loss to Daniel Zellhuber in September and after the defeat, he was hoping to return to fight in Anaheim at UFC 298. Although fighting at February’s pay-per-view never came to fruition, Giagos did get offered a fight against Bahamondes on Saturday at UFC Vegas 90 and jumped at the chance.
Damon Jackson expects Alexander Hernandez fight to be a "banger" for however long it lasts: "First round is going to be a fury"
Cole Shelton - April 3, 2024
Damon Jackson is expecting his UFC Vegas 90 co-main event fight against Alexander Hernandez to be wild and chaotic for however long it lasts. Jackson is coming off a decision loss to Billy Quarantillo back in August, which was his second straight defeat. After the loss, Jackson focused on getting healthy and says he is now back to one hundred percent.
Alex Morono excited to continue "legends tour" by facing Court McGee at UFC Vegas 90: "I'm going to go throw some heat"
Cole Shelton - April 2, 2024
Alex Morono is eager for the opportunity to face another veteran in Court McGee at UFC Vegas 90 on Saturday. Morono is set for his 20th UFC fight on Saturday as he will take on McGee who is someone he’s eager to compete against. Morono has fought the likes of Anthony Pettis, Donald Cerrone, and Tim Means among others, so he’s excited to add another OG name to his resume.
Andre Petroski plans to continue to prove he's the best grappler at middleweight by beating Jacob Malkoun at UFC Atlantic City
Cole Shelton - March 28, 2024
Andre Petroski has made it clear that he believes he’s the best grappler in the middleweight division and he wants to continue to prove that. Petroski has been calling out the top grapplers since signing with the UFC and had a ton of success early on. However, in his last fight, he stepped up on short notice to face Michel Pereira and he suffered a first-round knockout loss.
Raquel Pennington reveals she dealt with the flu during UFC 297 fight week: "I don't know if I can fight"
Cole Shelton - March 26, 2024
Raquel Pennington had to overcome adversity to even fight at UFC 297 for the vacant bantamweight title. Pennington was set to face Mayra Bueno Silva in January in Toronto, and she says the training camp was one of the best she’s ever had. However, on fight week, Pennington fell ill and she says it was at the worst point on fight day when she woke up and wasn’t sure if she was even going to be able to fight.
Kurt Holobaugh says he's no longer just satisfied to be fighting in the UFC after winning TUF
Cole Shelton - March 21, 2024
Kurt Holobaugh is in his third stint with the UFC and he now has the tools to be a ranked lightweight. Holobaugh made his UFC debut in 2013 but after losing his first Octagon appearance, he was released. He worked his way back to the promotion, but after going 0-3 he was released from the promotion once again.
Julian Erosa plans to "drag" Ricardo Ramos into deep waters at UFC Vegas 89: "He has less stamina and less heart than I do"
Cole Shelton - March 21, 2024
Julian Erosa was hoping to return much sooner than he is at UFC Vegas 89. Erosa hasn’t fought since last April when he suffered a controversial first-round knockout loss to Fernando Padilla, in a fight many believed was an early stoppage. Since then, Erosa has changed his coaches which is partly why he wanted a bit of time off.
Pro fighters make their picks for Rose Namajunas vs. Amanda Ribas
Cole Shelton - March 20, 2024
In the main event of UFC Vegas 89, former strawweight champion Rose Namajunas takes on Amanda Ribas at flyweight. Heading into the fight, Namajunas is a -235 favorite while the Brazilian is a +180 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to make their picks for the main event. The pros believe Namajunas will be too much for Ribas on the feet and get the victory to return to the win column.
Chad Anheliger believes he's fighting for his job at UFC Vegas 88: "I'm expecting an exciting fight and a big finish"
Cole Shelton - March 13, 2024
Chad Anheliger says he’s fighting for his job on Saturday at UFC Vegas 88 against Charalampos Grigoriou. Anheliger is entering his fourth UFC fight and is 1-2 in the promotion and on a two-fight losing skid. He’s coming off a third-round submission loss to Jose Johnson which was frustrating for him as he says he didn’t feel like himself in the Octagon.
Bryan Battle plans an "emphatic" stoppage of Ange Loosa to become the first person to finish him: "Make a statement"
Cole Shelton - March 12, 2024
Bryan Battle is looking to make a statement against Ange Loosa on Saturday in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 88. Battle is on a two-fight winning streak and thought he would get a ranked opponent next. However, when he was offered to fight Loosa, he was excited about the bout as he believes the style matchup makes it an exciting fight.
UFC 299 | Pro fighters make their picks for Gilbert Burns vs. Jack Della Maddalena
Cole Shelton - March 7, 2024
On the main card of UFC 299 on Saturday, a welterweight bout goes down as Gilbert Burns takes on Jack Della Maddalena. Heading into the fight, Burns is a +136 underdog while the Aussie is a -174 favorite on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to make their picks for the welterweight contest. The pros are going with the underdog in Gilbert Burns to beat Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 299 as they believe it is too much of a step up in competition for the Aussie.
UFC 299 | Pro fighters make their picks for Dustin Poirier vs. Benoit Saint-Denis
Cole Shelton - March 7, 2024
In the co-main event of UFC 299, a five-round lightweight bout goes down as Dustin Poirier takes on Benoit Saint-Denis. Heading into the fight, Poirier is a +164 underdog while the Frenchman is a sizeable -215 favorite on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to make their picks for the lightweight fight. The pros are nearly unanimous in thinking Dustin Poirier can pull off the upset and return to the win column in a big way.
UFC 299 | Pro fighters make their picks for Sean O'Malley vs. Marlon Vera 2 title fight
Cole Shelton - March 6, 2024
In the main event of UFC 299, the bantamweight title is on the line as Sean O’Malley defends his strap in a rematch against Marlon Vera. Heading into the fight, O’Malley is a -280 favorite while the the challenger is a +210 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to make their picks for the bantamweight title fight. The pros are actually going with the underdog in Vera to get his hand raised and become the bantamweight champion.
AJ McKee says he was "always keen on" re-signing with Bellator, open to returning to featherweight for Patricio Pitbull trilogy
Cole Shelton - March 5, 2024
AJ McKee always knew he was going to re-sign with Bellator. McKee is the former Bellator featherweight champion and was recently a free agent but opted to re-sign with the promotion. McKee says he is a loyal person and wanted to continue to be the face of Bellator going forward.
Kyler Phillips expects to be "too fast" for Pedro Munhoz at UFC 299
Cole Shelton - March 5, 2024
Kyler Phillips believes his speed and striking will be too much for Pedro Munhoz to handle at UFC 299. Phillips is coming off a decision win over Raoni Barcelos back in August and after the victory, he figured a ranked opponent would be next. Phillips is on a two-fight winning streak and is 5-1 in the UFC, so he’s eager to face someone like Munhoz who has fought some of the who’s who of the bantamweight division.
OKTAGON's Akonne Wanliss ready to 'cook up a storm' in Tipsport Gamechanger
Zain Bando - February 29, 2024
OKTAGON’s Akonne Wanliss’ (7-2 MMA, 1-0-1 OKTAGON MMA) confidence is at an all-time high entering Saturday’s lightweight tilt against Sahil Siraj (9-2 MMA) at OKTAGON 54 in the opening round of the Tipsport Gamechanger. Wanliss sat with BJPenn.com ahead of his fight with Siraj to get a greater glimpse into his dedication to MMA. When he got the call, the Jamaican-born Wanliss did not pass up the opportunity to participate in the tournament.
David Feldman says there are "top-20 pound-for-pound" boxers who are in talks with BKFC: "You won't believe it"
Cole Shelton - February 28, 2024
BKFC founder David Feldman says fans won’t believe the boxers they are in talks with to sign with their sans gloves promotion. At BKFC 57 on Feb. 2, pro boxer Austin Trout won the BKFC welterweight title with a decision win over Luis Palomino. It was just his second fight in the sans gloves promotion as he beat Diego Sanchez in his debut.
BKFC founder David Feldman praises UFC CEO Dana White after recent meeting: "He's a real guy and I like him"
Cole Shelton - February 27, 2024
BKFC founder David Feldman has nothing but praise for UFC CEO Dana White. Feldman recently went to the UFC headquarters and met with White and what they talked about isn’t known. However, Feldman says he wanted to meet with White and after talking to him, he has nothing but praise for the UFC CEO, who also had kind words for the BKFC founder.