Exclusive MMA Interviews News

Cole Shelton - October 3, 2023

Grant Dawson didn’t expect to get his first UFC main event already but he is excited for it. Dawson is set to headline UFC Vegas 80 on Saturday against Bobby Green. It is a fight that came together on relatively short notice, as Dawson only got about five weeks’ to prepare. However, he says he was told he would be fighting around this time for a while but thought it would be against Jalin Turner.

Cole Shelton - September 28, 2023

Miles Johns didn’t understand why he was the betting underdog against Dan Argueta at UFC Vegas 79. Johns was coming off a 10-month layoff, so he knew people forgot about him. However, on paper, he believed this was a great style matchup for him against Argueta.

Cole Shelton - September 24, 2023

Loopy Godinez had a ton of confidence heading into her Noche UFC fight against Elise Reed. Godinez felt like she was the better fighter everywhere and she proved just that. On the feet, Godinez dropped Reed, while she also was able to outwrestle her and even got a submission win. Showing off her complete game is something the Mexican-Canadian has wanted to do for quite some time, so she was thrilled with her performance.

Cole Shelton - September 21, 2023

Bryan Battle is ready to prove to everyone just how good he is. Battle won TUF 30 at middleweight and is 5-1 in the UFC, but is 3-1 since dropping down to welterweight. Last time out, he returned to the win column with a 14-second knockout win over Gabe Green.

Cole Shelton - September 21, 2023

In the main event of UFC Vegas 79 at the UFC Apex on Saturday, a battle of top-10 lightweights goes down as Rafael Fiziev takes on Mateusz Gamrot. Heading into the fight, Fiziev is a -166 favorite while the Pole is a +130 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to make their picks for the fight. The pros lean towards Fiziev getting his hand raised, but they do believe it will be a close fight. The pros expect Fiziev will be able to piece up Gamrot on the feet and either get a late stoppage or a clear-cut decision.

Cole Shelton - September 19, 2023

Dan Ige always figured he’d end up fighting Bryce Mitchell. Ige and Mitchell have both been in the UFC since 2018, and with both men having success, the Hawaiian figured they would get matched up eventually. Although the bout took five years to come to fruition, Ige is excited to fight Mitchell who is now ranked in the top 10.

Cole Shelton - September 14, 2023

In the main event of Noche UFC, the women’s flyweight title is up for grabs as Alexa Grasso rematches Valentina Shevchenko in her first title defense. Heading into the fight, Grasso is a +140 underdog while the challenger is a -180 favorite on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to make their picks for the fight. The pros are leaning towards Shevchenko reclaiming her belt at Noche UFC, as most seem to think she wins a decision.

Cole Shelton - September 13, 2023

Christos Giagos is eager to finally fight in front of fans again. All three of His last fights have come at the UFC Apex with no crowd, which has been hard for him as Giagos says he is a crowd fighter who feeds off the energy of fans. However, he will not be the crowd favorite on Saturday as he’s booked to return at Noche UFC against Mexican Daniel Zellhuber.

Cole Shelton - September 12, 2023

Jasmine Jasudavicius is no stranger to being the betting underdog and being counted out. Jasudavicius has been the underdog in three of her four UFC fights and has won all three of them. Last time out, she was a big underdog against Miranda Maverick at UFC 289 and pulled off the upset at home in Canada.

Cole Shelton - September 7, 2023

In the main event of UFC 293, the middleweight title is up for grabs as Israel Adesanya looks to defend his belt against Sean Strickland. Heading into the scrap, Adesanya is a massive -720 favorite while the American is a +450 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. To no surprise, the majority of the pros are picking Adesanya to defend his belt with ease, although some are rooting for Strickland to pull off the upset.

Cole Shelton - September 6, 2023

Chepe Mariscal is excited to go down to Australia at UFC 293 and fight in enemy territory. Mariscal is coming off his UFC debut back in June when he beat Trevor Peek by decision in a very fan-friendly fight. After the performance, he wasn’t sure what would be next, but he wanted a quick turnaround, which is what he got.

Cole Shelton - September 5, 2023

John Makdessi will be ending his year-long layoff at UFC 293. Makdessi hasn’t fought since the UFC’s first stop in Paris in September of last year when he dropped a decision to Nasrat Haqparast. It was disappointing result for Makdessi and since then, he dealt with a hand injury that kept him out of the Octagon for over a year.

Cole Shelton - August 31, 2023

In the main event of UFC Paris, a battle of top-seven heavyweights goes down as Ciryl Gane takes on Serghei Spivac. Heading into the fight, Gane is a -174 favorite while the Moldovan is a +136 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to make their picks for the fight. The pros are leaning towards Ciryl Gane returning to the win column at home by keeping it standing and likely getting a TKO.

Cole Shelton - August 30, 2023

Thiago Moises is excited to fight in Paris, France. Moises is coming off a submission win over Melquizael Costa back in January and after the win, he stayed home in Brazil for a few months. With that, he was looking to return in the fall and was excited when he got the call to fight at UFC Paris.

Cole Shelton - August 30, 2023

Kurt Holobaugh has called out Paddy Pimblett following his TUF 31 win. Holobaugh has already had two stints in the UFC as he lost his debut to Steven Siler at UFC 159 in 2013 and was released. He then earned a contract on the Contender Series, but he lost three straight fights to Raoni Barcelos, Shane Burgos, and Thiago Moises and was cut again.

Cole Shelton - August 29, 2023

Ian Machado Garry says Geoff Neal missed his chance to fight him. Garry and Neal were booked to fight at UFC 292 in Boston but just over a week before the fight, ‘Handz of Steel’ was forced out of the bout due to an injury. The Irishman believes Neal was never actually hurt and was simply traumatized by his head games, especially after selling the mugshot t-shirt.

Cole Shelton - August 28, 2023

BJ Penn knows firsthand how hard it is for fighters to walk away from the sport. Penn last fought back in May of 2019, where he suffered a decision loss to former Strikeforce title holder Clay Guida.

Cole Shelton - August 28, 2023

Ian Machado Garry has an idea for who will be standing across the Octagon from him in the main event of UFC Dublin. After Garry beat Neil Magny at UFC 292, he called out Stephen Thompson for a fight in November or December, which he believes will happen. Following that, the plan according to UFC president Dana White, is to bring the Octagon back to Ireland for UFC Dublin and have Garry as the main event.