Exclusive MMA Interviews News
UFC Brasilia | Pro fighters make their picks for Kevin Lee vs. Charles Oliveira
Cole Shelton - March 12, 2020
In the main event of the closed-door UFC Brasilia card, Kevin Lee is going into hostile territory when he battles Charles Oliveira. Heading into the fight, Lee is a -145 favorite while the Brazilian is a +115 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The slight majority believe Kevin Lee gets it done but many also believe this is a true pick’em fight.
Pedro Carvalho says he'll finish Patricio Freire inside three rounds to bring another belt to SBG Ireland
Cole Shelton - March 11, 2020
Pedro Carvalho is confident he will become Bellator’s new featherweight champion on Friday. In the main event of Bellator 241, Carvalho is set to battle Patricio Freire in the quarter-finals of the featherweight grand prix. It is a fight “Pitbull” picked during the selection show, which for Carvalho shows it is destined he becomes a world champion on Friday.
Renato Moicano still plans on going back to featherweight as he has 'business to settle'
Cole Shelton - March 11, 2020
Renato Moicano is looking to snap his two-fight losing streak when he moves up to lightweight at UFC Brasilia to battle Damir Hadzovic. In his last fight, he was knocked out by Korean Zombie in the main event of UFC Greenville in just 58 seconds. After a bad weight cut for that one, he realized it was time to move up.
Gilbert Burns plans to submit Demian Maia, then call out Colby Covington for talking 'so much crap'
Cole Shelton - March 10, 2020
Gilbert Burns is getting the biggest fight of his career in the co-main event of UFC Brasilia this weekend when he takes on Demian Maia. It was a fight Burns had wanted but he didn’t expect Maia to accept. When he found out the scrap was happening, he was ecstatic.
Patricio Freire says he'll be 'the greatest featherweight of all-time' with Bellator grand prix win
Cole Shelton - March 9, 2020
Patricio Freire believes he can cement his legacy during the Bellator featherweight grand prix. “Pitbull” already defeated Juan Archuleta in the opening round and will now take on Pedro Carvalho on Friday in the quarter-finals. It is a fight the Brazilian picked during the selection show but says he did it because of the date, not because of the opponent.
Renato Moicano says former foe Jose Aldo getting a title shot 'isn’t a smart decision'
Cole Shelton - March 7, 2020
Renato Moicano doesn’t think Jose Aldo getting a title shot at bantamweight is fair to the rest of the division. At UFC 250, Aldo, who is 0-1 at bantamweight and riding a two-fight losing skid is fighting for the belt against Henry Cejudo. It is a fight the champion called for and one that UFC president Dana White wanted due to Jose Aldo being a legend.
Marvin Vettori blasts Ariel Helwani, calls for a future fight with Darren Till
Alfredo Zullino - March 6, 2020
UFC middleweight Marvin Vettori isn’t only a legit contender in his division, he’s also one of the most outspoken fighters on UFC roster. The Italian juggernaut isn’t a rookie when it comes to having some beefs on the web, as he uses the internet to call out fighters via his social media accounts, from time to time. He did that with Eric Spicely, then with Andrew Sanchez and more recently with the former UFC welterweight title contender Darren Till.
From Mezzocorona, to London, to Huntington Beach, back to London: the story of Marvin Vettori
Alfredo Zullino - March 5, 2020
Marvin Vettori, “The Italian Dream”, the quintessence of the self-confidence, the only hope for Italian MMA in his own words. You can tell the Italian is a real one just from looking at the beginning of his professional mixed martial arts career. Fighters usually start their path competing in their own backyards, cutting their teeth in a comfort zone, but that was not the case for Marvin Vettori.
Meng Bo, the only woman to defeat Weili Zhang, discusses UFC champ’s success
Tom Taylor - March 4, 2020
You have to scroll a long way down Weili Zhang’s 20-1 record to find her only loss. That solitary L occurred all the way back in 2013, in her very first fight, when she was defeated by a woman named Meng Bo at a regional mixed martial arts show in Xuchang, China. The bout was Meng’s first, too. Although she and Zhang began their careers on the same night, the pair have had traveled different paths in the years since.
Juan Adams reveals ARES is paying him more money than UFC contract did, doesn't expect to fight Reug Reug
Cole Shelton - March 1, 2020
When Juan Adams was released from the UFC following his loss to Justin Tafa at UFC 247, ARES Fighting Championship immediately showed interest. When Adams was looking to sign with a new promotion, he wanted to make fighting his full-time job. And, ARES has given him that opportunity as he revealed the African-European based promotion is paying him more money than the UFC did.
Team Deiveson Figueiredo releases statement on weight miss, says doctors told him to stop cutting
Cole Shelton - February 28, 2020
Deiveson Figueiredo was looking to become the new UFC flyweight champion on Saturday but that will no longer be the case. In the main event of UFC Norfolk, Figueiredo was set to take on Joseph Benavidez for the vacant flyweight title. Yet, on Friday morning, the Brazilian missed weight by 2.5 pounds and didn’t attempt to cut the remaining pounds. Meaning Benavidez will be the only one who can win the flyweight title on Saturday night.
Troy Worthen recounts his journey from Central Florida to the bright lights of ONE Championship
Tom Taylor - February 27, 2020
Troy Worthen was in line to ride Doctor Doom’s Fearfall at Universal Studios in Orlando when he got an email that changed his life. Several weeks prior, he applied to try out for Evolve MMA, a famed fight team based in Singapore — a world away from his Central Florida home. As he waited to get on the ride, he finally heard back.
UFC Norfolk | Pro fighters make their picks for Joseph Benavidez vs. Deiveson Figueiredo title fight
Cole Shelton - February 27, 2020
In the main event of UFC Norfolk, the vacant flyweight title is on the line as Joseph Benavidez battles Deiveson Figueiredo. Heading into the fight, Benavidez is a slight -145 favorite while the Brazilian is a +115 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The majority are leaning towards Joseph Benavidez finally becoming a UFC champion but they realize how dangerous Deiveson Figueiredo is.
Deiveson Figueiredo plans to finish Joseph Benavidez inside two rounds and send him into retirement
Cole Shelton - February 27, 2020
Deiveson Figueiredo is confident he will become the UFC’s flyweight champion on Saturday. In the main event of UFC Norfolk, Figueiredo will battle Joseph Benavidez for the vacant flyweight title. When the Brazilian got the news that he would be fighting for the belt he knew it meant he could finally achieve his goal of being a UFC champion.
Janet Todd plots major upset in ONE title fight with Stamp Fairtex
Tom Taylor - February 26, 2020
In late February of 2019, Janet Todd battled Stamp Fairtex for the inaugural ONE Strawweight Muay Thai World Championship. Todd lost that fight by decision, but in a few short days, she’ll get a second crack at Stamp under slightly different circumstances. This Friday, in the main event of ONE: King of the Jungle, Todd will challenge Stamp for the ONE Strawweight Kickboxing World Championship — the other belt in the Thai’s trophy case.
ONE Championship's Iuri Lapicus discusses upcoming title fight with Christian Lee
Alfredo Zullino - February 26, 2020
When Iuri Lapicus stepped foot in ONE Championship’s ring for the first time, back in May of 2019, nobody but the most hardcore fight fans knew who the undefeated Italian-Moldavian athlete was. During that debut fight, Iuri Lapicus (14-0 MMA, 2-0 ONE) was able to bring home the victory with a slick rear-naked choke on Thai veteran Shannon Wiratchai in the third round. But it was earlier this month that he made a huge statement and shocked the entire MMA community, finishing former ONE and M-1 Global featherweight belt-holder Marat Gafurov with Gafurov’s own signature move, the rear-naked choke.
Leon Edwards wishes he could've fought Darren Till at UFC London last year to prove he's 'the best in the UK'
Cole Shelton - February 26, 2020
Leon Edwards thinks it’s crazy how different he and Darren Till’s careers went in 2019. Last March at UFC London, Till was the main event against Jorge Masvidal while Edwards was the co-main against Gunnar Nelson. Yet, during the press conference, it was the two Englishman going back-and-forth in trash-talking one another. Edwards admits that was the fight he would’ve rather had.
Megan Anderson embracing the art of 'not giving a s**t' what people think
Mike Heck - February 25, 2020
Heading into her upcoming fight on Saturday, Megan Anderson has found a new lease on life. The now 30-year-old will face the unbeaten Octagon debutante Norma Dumont at UFC on ESPN+ 27. The event takes place at the Chartway Arena in Norfolk, Va. and will be headlined by Joseph Benavidez and Deiveson Figureiredo battling for the vacant UFC flyweight title.