Exclusive MMA Interviews News

Cole Shelton - August 15, 2019

Ian Heinisch expects a dominating performance at UFC 241 when he takes on Derek Brunson. The 31-year-old called for this fight and for a good reason. He doesn’t believe Brunson is on his level and plans on exploiting him come Saturday.

Cole Shelton - August 14, 2019

UFC 241 will be headlined by a heavyweight title fight between champion Daniel Cormier and former champ Stipe Miocic. Yet the fight many fans are most looking forward to is the co-main event, which will see Anthony Pettis take on Nate Diaz, who is returning to the Octagon after more than three years away. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions. Currently, Pettis is a -140 favorite, while Diaz is a +110 underdog. For the pros, the majority believe the underdog gets it done, but all agree with it will be a close and entertaining fight.

Cole Shelton - August 14, 2019

Paulo Costa has high expectations for himself heading into his UFC 241 fight against Yoel Romero. The Brazilian has been asking for this fight for a long time and now, after three previous attempts failed, the two will finally meet.

Natasha Hooper - August 14, 2019

Last week, it was confirmed by Combate that flyweight contenders Tim Elliott and Deiveson Figueiredo will be going head-to-head at UFC San Francisco on October 21. Figueiredo is riding high since picking up a unanimous decision win over Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 240. It was a solid performance, but you can’t please everyone. His future opponent, Tim Elliott, was not overly impressed.

Cole Shelton - August 12, 2019

Jim Miller and Clay Guida met in the co-main event of UFC Newark in a battle of two lightweight veterans. Miller picked up the win in Newark, setting up a submission by rocking his foe on the feet. That being said, he too found himself on wobbly legs after Guida landed on him right before the fight ended.

Natasha Hooper - August 9, 2019

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Cole Shelton - August 9, 2019

Valentina Shevchenko is preparing for a different Liz Carmouche. In the main event of UFC Uruguay, the flyweight title will be on the line. It will also be a rematch nine years in the making. In Shevchenko and Carmouche’s first fight, it was Carmouche who won by doctor stoppage, yet with no video, that outcome has become a subject of debate.

Tom Taylor - August 9, 2019

In the long history of the UFC, only a few fighters have managed to earn 20 wins inside the Octagon. They are: Georges St-Pierre, Michael Bisping, Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, Demian Maia, and as of last Saturday, lightweight veteran Jim Miller. Miller earned his 20th career win when he submitted fellow veteran Clay Guida in the co-main event of UFC Newark.

Cole Shelton - August 8, 2019

Valentina Shevchenko is set for her second title defense when she takes on Liz Carmouche in the main event of UFC Uruguay. The lead up to the fight has been interesting given the two fought back in 2010, when Carmouche beat Shevchenko by TKO after the doctor stopped the fight. Carmouche says it was a legit stoppage, while the current champion Shevchenko says it was a lucky strike and the fight shouldn’t have been stopped.

Cole Shelton - August 8, 2019

In the main event of UFC Uruguay, flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko will look to defend her title against Liz Carmouche. The champion is coming off of a knockout win over Jessica Eye at UFC 238, while the challenger is on a two-fight winning streak. The Kyrgyzstani champion is a -1200 favorite, while her American challenger is a +700 underdog.

Tom Taylor - August 8, 2019

Colby Covington is expected to get his long-awaited shot at UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman later this year, and he’s already stinging his rival with some venomous trash talk. Speaking on BJPenn.com Radio this week, Covington explained that he has even more distaste for Usman than he did for the former champion Tyron Woodley, who he also campaigned to fight.

Cole Shelton - August 7, 2019

Volkan Oezdemir and Ilir Latifi will finally fight at UFC Uruguay after two previous attempts failed. Back in June, the two were set to fight at UFC Stockholm, but Latifi got hurt and was forced to pull out just days before the fight. The scrap was then re-booked for UFC Newark, but Visa issues from “No Time” postponed that a week to UFC Uruguay, which goes down this Saturday on ESPN+ (learn how to watch here).

Tom Taylor - August 7, 2019

Valentina Shevchenko, the reigning UFC flyweight champion, has battled UFC bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes twice before. Both times the pair fought, Shevchenko came up short via close, competitive decision. Given Nunes and Shevchenko’s dominance in their respective divisions, and their previous history, many fans are interested in seeing them rematch in a champion versus champion super fight.

Tom Taylor - August 6, 2019

Isaac Vallie-Flagg knows Melvin Guillard very well. The two UFC veterans previously trained together at JacksonWink MMA in Albuquerque, and even lived together for a brief period. But now, they’re poised to pummel each other, sans gloves, as part of the BKFC 7 card in Biloxi, Mississippi on Saturday, August 10. Vallie-Flagg admits there was some reluctance to agree to a fist fight with a man he considers a friend, yet he knows he and his opponent both understand that it’s purely business.

Cole Shelton - August 6, 2019

Liz Carmouche is the only person to ever finish Valentina Shevchenko, and she expects to do that again. In the main event of UFC Uruguay, Carmouche will rematch Shevchenko for the UFC flyweight belt. The two fought back in 2010, and the American defeated the future UFC champ from Kyrgyzstan by stoppage. Although that was nine years ago, the outcome is still somewhat controversial.

Cole Shelton - August 5, 2019

Joanna Jedrzejczyk has a lot riding on her next fight at strawweight. In the main event of UFC San Francisco, she will take on Michelle Waterson. It will also mark her first fight at 115-pounds since she beat Tecia Torres by decision back in July of 2018.

Cole Shelton - August 2, 2019

When Colby Covington beat Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 225 to win the interim welterweight title, the consensus was he would be fighting for the undisputed title next. Yet, that never happened, and after more than a year off, he will return to take on Robbie Lawler in the main event of UFC Newark. This is far from a title shot as Lawler is ranked 11th, but Covington’s manager and American Top Team owner Dan Lambert knows this fight is super important for “Chaos” to win.

Cole Shelton - August 1, 2019

In the main event of UFC Newark, former interim welterweight champion,Colby Covington returns after over a year off to take on former undisputed champ Robbie Lawler. Heading into the fight, “Chaos” is a -235 favorite, while the former champ Lawler is a +185 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The pros are split on this one, despite Covington being a big favorite.