Exclusive MMA Interviews News

Mike Heck - January 31, 2020

While there were two big events in the MMA world on Saturday night — UFC on ESPN+ 24 and Bellator 238 — Montel Jackson may have won the entire weekend before his fight with Felipe Colares even began. Prior to his unanimous decision win over Colares in Raleigh, NC, Jackson walked to the Octagon to a song very few combat sports fans expected to hear: Whitney Houston’s mega-hit song released in November 1992, I Will Always Love You.

Cole Shelton - January 30, 2020

Ryan LaFlare is looking to end his retirement. LaFlare went 7-3 in UFC and headlined a card against Demian Maia and had a notable win over Santiago Ponzinibbio. Yet, he had to end his MMA career after a knockout loss to Anthony Rocco Martin at UFC 229 due to his injuries.

Cole Shelton - January 30, 2020

Kevin Lee has made it clear he is looking to sign two bout agreements at once. Lee is set to headline UFC Brasilia against Charles Oliveira on March 14, yet many expected him to fight Islam Makhachev. After Lee knocked out Gregor Gillespie, he and the Russian went back-and-forth and agreed to fight one another on social media. But, according to “The Motown Phenom” why it isn’t happening next is because Makhachev wanted to wait until June.

Cole Shelton - January 29, 2020

Ilir Latifi expects Alexander Gustafsson to fight again soon. Shortly after Gustafsson was submitted by Anthony Smith in the main event of UFC Stockholm he announced his retirement. Yet many thought the Swede would come back and a few months later he revealed he is considering a return.

Cole Shelton - January 28, 2020

Sodiq Yusuff is now a perfect 4-0 inside the Octagon, and ranked in the featherweight top-15. At UFC 246, Yusuff competed in the biggest fight of his career when he took on Andre Fili. The Nigerian-American knew it was going to be a tough fight but was confident he would get his hand raised. That is exactly what happened as he edged out a decision victory.

Cole Shelton - January 27, 2020

Diego Ferreira knows the best is yet to come. At UFC 246, Ferreira picked up the biggest win of his career when he submitted Anthony Pettis in the second round. The victory got the Brazilian a spot in the UFC rankings, and it also happened to take place on his birthday which he says was a great present.

Cole Shelton - January 27, 2020

Kevin Lee believes he’s the true champion of the lightweight division. Lee recently returned to the win column with a massive knockout win over Gregor Gillespie at UFC 244. Following the win, “The Motown Phenom” is set to headline UFC Brasilia against Charles Oliveira. He then plans to fight Islam Makhachev in Russia.

Cole Shelton - January 24, 2020

Curtis Millender is entering his fight at Bellator 238 fight against Moses Murrietta with a chip on his shoulder. Millender, who was recently released from the UFC, immediately reached out to Bellator to try and sign back with the promotion after fighting for them in 2015 and 2017.

Cole Shelton - January 24, 2020

In the main event of Bellator 238, Julia Budd is looking to defend her featherweight title against Cris Cyborg who’s making her promotional debut. Heading into the fight, Budd is a +325 underdog while the Brazilian is a -450 favorite. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The pros believe this is a closer fight than the odds suggest but the majority are leaning towards Cyborg becoming the new champion.

Tom Taylor - January 23, 2020

After 14 years and 27 fights with the UFC, Thiago Alves found himself longing for a fresh start. So, when the promotion offered him a new deal after a pair of losses to Laureano Staropoli and Tim Means, he respectfully declined, and signed an exclusive contract with upstart bare knuckle promotion Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) instead. “I’ve been in MMA for such a long time, I’ve been with the UFC for such a long time,” Alves told BJPENN.com hours after his signing with BKFC was announced. “I’m excited for a new stage. Anything new at this stage in my life is super exciting. I’ve been following BKFC for a little bit now, and I think it’s savage.

Cole Shelton - January 23, 2020

Curtis Millender says he’s been offered a fight with Michael Page numerous times, yet “MVP” has never accepted the fight. Millender is set to return to action against Moses Murrietta at Bellator 238 in his first fight since being released from the UFC. Yet he is not fighting a big name like Michael Page, which he says is because MVP has been ducking him.

Cole Shelton - January 22, 2020

In the main event of UFC Raleigh, Curtis Blaydes will look to extend his winning streak to three when he battles the former heavyweight champ Junior dos Santos. Heading into the fight, Blaydes is a -250 favorite while dos Santos is a +195 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The majority believes Blaydes’ wrestling will be the difference-maker and that he will get his hand raised.

Cole Shelton - January 21, 2020

Michael Chiesa wanted a ranked opponent after his win over Diego Sanchez but did not expect to get a top-five opponent in Rafael dos Anjos. Chiesa, who moved up to welterweight in 2018, is now 2-0 in the weight class and revealed it was dos Anjos who asked for the fight at UFC Raleigh.

Cole Shelton - January 20, 2020

Cris Cyborg believes her upcoming fight against Julia Budd will be one of the best ever. In the main event of Bellator 238, Cyborg is making her promotional debut and challenging for the featherweight title. It will no doubt be a tough fight for Cyborg. Yet, she is eager for the challenge and the opportunity to headline the card.

Cole Shelton - January 16, 2020

In the main event of UFC 246, Conor McGregor makes his highly-anticipated return to the Octagon, where he will battle Donald Cerrone. Heading into the fight, the Irishman is a -325 favorite while “Cowboy” is a +250 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. To some surprise, most are going with the underdog Cerrone to upset McGregor.

Alfredo Zullino - January 16, 2020

Whether you are a connoisseur of European MMA or not, you probably know who Nathaniel Wood is by now. The former Cage Warriors title-holder made his UFC debut just less than two years ago and since then he has racked up three victories in three fights, all won by submission. “The Prospect” is now ready to climb up the UFC bantamweight ladder and in order to do that he needs to face, in his own words, his idols, starting with John Dodson.

Cole Shelton - January 15, 2020

Maurice Greene is confident he will return to the win column at UFC 246 when he battles Alexey Oleynik. Last time out, Greene suffered his first loss inside the Octagon when he was knocked out by Sergei Pavlovich. Although he lost, he says it was a learning experience and knows what he has to do differently now.

Tom Taylor - January 14, 2020

There are a lot of dangerous fighters in the UFC featherweight top-10, and the division’s new champion Alexander Volkanovski is more than happy to fight them all. That, he says, is simply the duty of a UFC champion. “That’s how a champ should do it,” Volkanovski told BJPENN.com, adding that defeating his many featherweight rivals is the best way to cement himself as one of the best ever.