Exclusive MMA Interviews News
OKTAGON's MatÄj PeÅĆ”z says "direct offer to UFC" is goal
Zain Bando - January 25, 2024
OKTAGON’s MatÄj PeÅĆ”z returns to the cage for the first time since December on a two-fight winning streak opposite Matthew Bonner (16-9-1 MMA) on Saturday at OKTAGON 52 in Newcastle, England. The event airs live on DAZN and the promotion’s official website (via internet pay-per-view), beginning at noon ET/9 a.m. PT in the U.S. PeÅĆ”z (8-1 MMA) spoke to BJPenn.com ahead of his middleweight fight about his training camp, Bonner as an opponent, and future MMA career aspirations.
Bruce Buffer always knew the UFC would be one of "the biggest things in sports worldwide"
Cole Shelton - January 19, 2024
Bruce Buffer has seen it all throughout his time in the UFC. Buffer will have been the voice of the Octagon for 29 years next month, and when he first joined the company, MMA wasn’t very popular, and the UFC was struggling to stay afloat. However, Buffer had full confidence the UFC could become the biggest thing in combat sports, but also one of the biggest things in sports, period.
Jimmy Flick claims he's the reason Malcolm Gordon is in the UFC ahead of UFC 297 fight: "It's not going 15 minutes"
Cole Shelton - January 18, 2024
Jimmy Flick knows his UFC job is on the line this Saturday night in Toronto. Flick is set to face Malcolm Gordon in the first fight of the night at UFC 297. The flyweights are opening the card, which is thrilling for Flick who gets to fight in front of a crowd for the first time in his UFC career.
UFC 297 | Pro fighters make their picks for Raquel Pennington vs. Mayra Bueno Silva title fight
Cole Shelton - January 18, 2024
In the co-main event of UFC 297 in Toronto on Saturday, the vacant women’s bantamweight title is up for grabs as Raquel Pennington takes on Mayra Bueno Silva. Heading into the fight, Pennington is a +136 underdog while the Brazilian is a -174 favorite on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to some pro fighters to make their picks for the title fight at UFC 297. The majority of the pros believe Pennington will leave Toronto as the bantamweight champ, and likely doing so by decision.
UFC 297 | Pro fighters make their picks for Sean Strickland vs. Dricus Du Plessis title fight
Cole Shelton - January 17, 2024
In the main event of UFC 297 in Toronto on Saturday, the middleweight title is up for grabs as Sean Strickland looks to defend his belt for the first time against Dricus Du Plessis. Heading into the fight, Strickland is a small -138 favorite while the South African is a +108 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to make their picks for the title fight at UFC 297. The pros believe Strickland will get it done, as they think the American can edge out a decision win, as his pressure will be too much for Du Plessis to deal with.
Bruce Buffer very excited "to perform for the Canadians" at UFC 297: "The fans are rabid and they love the UFC"
Cole Shelton - January 16, 2024
Bruce Buffer was excited to see the UFC returning to Canada in 2024, and Toronto for that matter. Buffer has been to plenty of countries, where he has introduced several fighters inside of the Octagon. Buffer knows no matter where the UFC goes the crowd is always loud and electric, but the voice of the UFC says Canada, and especially Toronto, is always one of the rowdiest and loudest crowds of the year.
Marcus McGhee ready for a "three-round war" against Gaston Bolanos at UFC Vegas 84
Cole Shelton - January 12, 2024
Marcus McGhee is ready to build off of his success in 2023. McGhee made his UFC debut in April of last year where he scored a second-round submission win over Journey Newson. He then followed that up with a first-round knockout over JP Buys in August. Although McGhee went 2-0 with two Performance of the Night Bonuses and is becoming more known, he says that doesn’t add any pressure to him.
Pro fighters make their picks for Magomed Ankalaev vs. Johnny Walker 2
Cole Shelton - January 11, 2024
In the first event of 2024, top-10 light heavyweights collide as Magomed Ankalaev rematches Johnny Walker in the main event of UFC Vegas 84. Heading into the fight, Ankalaev is a sizeable -590 favorite while the Brazilian is a +390 underdog on FanDuel. The two fought back at UFC 294 in October in Abu Dhabi, but the fight ended in a No Contest in the first round as Ankalaev landed an illegal knee to Walker and the doctor stopped the scrap. Ahead of their rematch, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to make their picks for the fight at UFC Vegas 84. The pros believe Ankalaev’s grappling will be the difference and will lead to the win over Walker.
Jim Miller expects to "overwhelm" Gabriel Benitez at UFC Vegas 84, has an "inclination" of who he will fight at UFC 300
Cole Shelton - January 9, 2024
Jim Miller always wanted to fight one more time before UFC 300. For years, Miller has been vocal that he wants to compete at UFC 300, given he has competed at both UFC 100 and 200. However, many were surprised when Miller was booked to fight at UFC Vegas 84 on Jan. 13, exactly three months before the historic event.
Louis Smolka entering tech world as fighting future in doubt after UFC release: "I went back to school"
Cole Shelton - January 8, 2024
Louis Smolka has done a complete 180 with his career. After Smolka suffered a KO loss to Davey Grant at UFC Vegas 54 in May of 2022, which was his second straight loss, he was released from the UFC. With Smolka having been cut from the promotion for the second time, the Hawaiian wasn’t sure what his future held, so he decided to go back to school with an eye toward a tech job.
UFC 296 | Pro fighters make their picks for Alexandre Pantoja vs. Brandon Royval 2 title fight
Cole Shelton - December 14, 2023
In the co-main event of UFC 296, the flyweight title is up for grabs as Alexandre Pantoja takes on Brandon Royval in a rematch of their 2021 fight. Heading into the fight, Pantoja is a -205 favorite while the challenger is a +158 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to make their picks for the title fight at UFC 296. The pros lean towards Pantoja retaining his flyweight title and likely doing so by submission as he did in the first fight.
UFC 296 | Pro fighters make their picks for Paddy Pimblett vs. Tony Ferguson
Cole Shelton - December 14, 2023
On the main card of UFC 296, an intriguing lightweight bout goes down as Paddy Pimblett takes on Tony Ferguson. Heading into the fight, Pimblett is a sizeable -330 favorite while ‘El Cucuy’ is a +240 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to make their picks for the title fight at UFC 296. Many of the pros made it clear they are rooting for Ferguson to turn back the clock to get the win, but don’t think it will happen.
Brian Kelleher confident he can bring out the "old" Cody Garbrandt in a "firefight" at UFC 296: "He's an emotional guy"
Cole Shelton - December 13, 2023
Brian Kelleher is relieved to finally make the walk to the Octagon again. Kelleher hasn’t fought since June of 2022 when he suffered a submission loss to Mario Bautista. He was supposed to face Journey Newson in April of this year, but was removed from the scrap on fight week as he had a neck issue that needed to be fixed.
Ian Machado Garry plans to do "something pretty spectacular" against Vicente Luque at UFC 296: "100 percentā
Cole Shelton - December 12, 2023
Ian Machado Garry is ready to make a statement at UFC 296 on Saturday. Garry is set to take on Vicente Luque in a very intriguing welterweight fight. The two are former teammates at Kill Cliff and have trained and sparred with one another in the past. However, despite their history, he had no hesitation to take the fight as the Irishman had changed his camp to Chute Box.
Vicente Luque eager for "striking match" against Ian Machado Garry at UFC 296: "It will be the Fight Night"
Cole Shelton - December 12, 2023
Vicente Luque is confident he will derail the hype of Ian Machado Garry at UFC 296. Luque returned to the win column back in August with a decision win over Rafael dos Anjos in a Fight Night main event. It was his first fight in a year, and after the win, Luque made it clear that he wanted to fight one more time in 2023.
Jan Blachowicz calls for Jiri Prochazka headliner in Europe after he returns from shoulder surgery
Cole Shelton - December 8, 2023
Jan Blachowicz is hopeful to face Jiri Prochazka in the main event of a Fight Night card in Europe. Blachowicz is set for shoulder surgery, hopefully in the next week or two, he revealed to BJPENN.com on Friday. The plan is for the Pole to return in the summer, once he does the rehab and gets a training camp in.
Jan Blachowicz details shoulder injury, lays out timeframe for return
Cole Shelton - December 8, 2023
Jan Blachowicz says his shoulder injury was something that has hindered him for years now. On Thursday it was revealed that Blachowicz was forced out of his UFC 297 rematch against Aleksandar Rakic due to him needing shoulder surgery. Speaking exclusively to BJPENN.com on Friday afternoon, Blachowicz revealed the injury is something he has been dealing with for years but finally gave out, which forced him to need the surgery.
Drakkar Klose calls for "the easiest fight in the UFC" Mark Madsen at UFC 299 after slam KO win
Cole Shelton - December 6, 2023
Drakkar Klose was relieved to finally make the walk to the Octagon again. Klose was returning to action for the first time sinceĀ tearing his ACL and when he squared off with Joe Solecki at UFC Austin. Heading into the fight, he said he wasn’t worried about the ring rust as he had full confidence in his training camp.