Exclusive MMA Interviews News
Eryk Anders expects to "swing leather" with Darren Stewart until one of them falls
Cole Shelton - March 10, 2021
Eryk Anders is expecting a highly entertaining fight for the fans on Saturday night To open up the UFC Vegas 21 main card, Anders is set to face Darren Stewart. In the lead-up to the fight, Anders, the former D-1 football star at Alabama, left home to go to Arizona and train at Fight Ready. For Anders, he says he needed a change in order to improve.
Tim Elliott "not happy" with his UFC 259 performance, wants Kai Kara-France next
Cole Shelton - March 10, 2021
Tim Elliott dominated Jordan Espinosa for 15 minutes, but he still wasn’t happy with his performance. On the prelims of the card, Elliott and Espinosa were finally set to meet after the fight was rumored to take place for months. Throughout the fight, Elliott used his wrestling to take Espinosa down and control him. However, although he clearly won all three rounds, Elliott wasn’t happy with his performance.
Dan Ige knew Ryan Hall would pull out, expects to "put on a show" against Gavin Tucker
Cole Shelton - March 9, 2021
Dan Ige was preparing to face someone else besides Ryan Hall. Ige was originally supposed to face Hall at UFC Vegas 21 on March 13. However, even as the fight drew closer, he had a feeling the grappling wizard would pull out which would be the case. After Hall pulled out, Ige made it clear he wanted to be on this card and will now take on Gavin Tucker.
Ray Rodriguez expects to KO Rani Yahya to prove he's "one of the best bantamweights in the world"
Cole Shelton - March 8, 2021
Ray Rodriguez is confident he will get his first UFC win. At UFC Vegas 21, Rodriguez is set to return to the Octagon against Rani Yahya. Rodriguez made his UFC debut last September and suffered a 39-second submission loss to Brian Kelleher on short notice. It was a disappointing result for Rodriguez but he knew he’d get another well-known name and he gets his wish against former WEC bantamweight title challenger in Yahya.
Kyler Phillips confident he will "one-up" Song Yadong en route to a stoppage win at UFC 259
Cole Shelton - March 5, 2021
Kyler Phillips was surprised the UFC booked him against Song Yadong but is eager for the fight to happen. Both Phillips and Yadong are considered two of the top prospects at bantamweight so Phillips didn’t think the UFC would match them up against one another. However, when the fight was offered, it was an immediate yes from Phillips.
Tim Elliott says he bet a "significant amount of money" on himself against Jordan Espinosa, believes loser gets cut
Cole Shelton - March 5, 2021
Tim Elliott always wanted to fight Jordan Espinosa. Elliott and Espinosa have been linked to one another for quite some time and at UFC 259 the two will finally share the Octagon. They were supposed to fight on January 16, but it was pushed back to March 6, which Elliott is fine with as long as he got the chance to fight Espinosa.
BKFC "interested" in Junior dos Santos and Alistair Overeem, have already reached out to their teams
Cole Shelton - March 5, 2021
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship is looking to add Junior dos Santos and Alistair Overeem to their heavyweight roster. It was recently revealed both dos Santos and Overeem were removed from the heavyweight ranks. Shortly thereafter, it was reported both men were released from the promotion and they both confirmed the news on their social media.
Drew Dober knows he will get taken down by Islam Makhachev but confident he will "find his chin"
Cole Shelton - March 4, 2021
Drew Dober always had his eye on Islam Makhachev. On the main card of Saturday’s stacked UFC 259 event, Dober is set to return against Makhachev. Although not many were interested in fighting the Russian, Dober was the one who asked for this fight.
UFC 259 | Pro fighters make their picks for Amanda Nunes vs Megan Anderson title fight
Cole Shelton - March 4, 2021
In the co-main event of UFC 259, Amanda Nunes is set to defend her featherweight title as she battles Megan Anderson. Heading into the fight, Nunes is a massive -1000 favorite while the challenger is a +600 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The pros believe Nunes gets the job done and likely does so by stoppage.
Casey Kenney believes Dominick Cruz looked "slow" in his return fight, expects to "put him away"
Cole Shelton - March 3, 2021
Casey Kenney was surprised to see Dominick Cruz’s name on his contract. On the prelims of UFC 259, Kenney is set to face the former bantamweight champion in a very intriguing matchup. Kenney is looking to take a big step up the bantamweight ranks while Cruz is looking to snap his two-fight losing skid. For Kenney, he believes the fight makes sense for that reason.
UFC 259 | Pro fighters make their picks for Petr Yan vs Aljamain Sterling title fight
Cole Shelton - March 3, 2021
In the first of three title fights on the stacked UFC 259 pay-per-view, Petr Yan is set to defend his bantamweight title for the first time. Heading into the fight, Yan is a -120 favorite with the comeback on the American at -110. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The pros are actually split on this one just like the odds have it as a pick’em fight.
Jan Blachowicz says he might wrestle Israel Adesanya but expects to earn KO win and show him "the Legendary Polish Power"
Cole Shelton - March 2, 2021
Jan Blachowicz knew Israel Adesanya would be his next opponent. After Blachowicz TKO’d Dominick Reyes at UFC 253 to become the new light heavyweight champion, and Adesanya beat Paulo Costa on the same card, the promotion was quick to offer the fight. Not even a full day went past and Dana White and company were suggesting that the fight could headline UFC 256. But, with a baby on the way, Blachowicz asked for the contest to take place in March.
Kai Kara-France plans to put on a "clinic" against Rogerio Bontorin en route to a stoppage win
Cole Shelton - March 1, 2021
Kai Kara-France is excited to be on UFC 259. Although Kara-France is on the prelims, he will be competing with some of his teammates in Carlos Ulberg and Israel Adesanya, as well as his Tiger Muay Thai teammate in Petr Yan. It’s a massive event for the UFC and for City Kickboxing.
Petr Yan plans a "very violent finish" to defend his belt against Aljamain Sterling at UFC 259
Cole Shelton - March 1, 2021
Petr Yan is confident he will remain the UFC’s bantamweight champion after Saturday night. In the first of three title fights on the stacked pay-per-view card, Yan is set to defend his belt against Aljamain Sterling. It’s a very intriguing matchup as the Russian is a striker while Sterling should have a grappling advantage. However, Yan isn’t worried about Sterling’s grappling.
John Castaneda says fighting and knocking out "legend" Eddie Winleand was "surreal"
Cole Shelton - February 26, 2021
John Castaneda was honored to fight Eddie Wineland. At UFC Vegas 19, Castaneda was set for his second UFC fight, and on the other end of his contract was Eddie Wineland. For Castaneda, he says it was surreal to get the chance to fight the former WEC champion.
Dustin Jacoby admits he didn't know who Maxim Grishin was, confident he will KO him
Cole Shelton - February 25, 2021
Dustin Jacoby was surprised to see Maxim Grishin’s name on the other side of his bout agreement. Jacoby made his return to the Octagon on Halloween night and scored a first-round TKO win over Justin Ledet. After the win, Jacoby figured he would get a known name but was offered Grishin who fought in PFL and is 1-1 in the UFC. Although the Factory X fighter wanted a known name, he just wants to get back in there and string together some wins.
Alexander Hernandez expects to pick Thiago Moises apart and "dismantle" him
Cole Shelton - February 24, 2021
Alexander Hernandez is extremely confident he will extend his winning streak to two on Saturday night. On the prelims of UFC Vegas 20, Hernandez is set to return to the Octagon against Thiago Moises. It’s an intriguing matchup but it did come as a surprise that “The Great” didn’t get a ranked opponent. However, Hernandez says he didn’t want a ranked foe.
Jairzinho Rozenstruik plans to "shine" against "phenomenal" Ciryl Gane in UFC Vegas 20 main event
Cole Shelton - February 23, 2021
Jairzinho Rozenstruik has heard all the talk about Ciryl Gane being a future UFC heavyweight champion. Rozenstruik and Gane were originally supposed to be the co-main event on March 13 but were moved to the main event this weekend. It’s an intriguing matchup and for Rozenstruik fighting two weeks earlier isn’t that big of a deal.