Exclusive MMA Interviews News

Cole Shelton - March 11, 2019

Jordan Rinaldi was in a must-win situation in his last fight. At UFC 230, he moved down to featherweight to take on Jason Knight, and was fresh off of a tough loss to Gregor Gillespie. Rinaldi knew another loss could mean the end of his UFC career. Luckily, he ended up beating Knight by unanimous decision, protecting his job in the process.

Tom Taylor - March 11, 2019

Bobby Moffett called for a showdown with fellow featherweight prospect Bryce Mitchell, and that’s just what he got. The pair will collide at UFC Nashville on March 23. Speaking on episode 111 of BJPENN Radio, Moffett broke down this compelling showdown with Bryce Mitchell.

Cole Shelton - March 8, 2019

Josh Emmett is set to return to the Octagon on March 30, when he takes on Michael Johnson. When he does finally return, it will have been over a year since his last fight because of all the injuries he sustained in his last outing. That left Emmett with only one fight in 2018 and only one chance to get paid. During this time off, Emmett got thinking about the pay structure in the UFC, and he thinks it could use some work.

Tom Taylor - March 7, 2019

At UFC London, which goes down on March 16, surging light heavyweight contender Dominick Reyes will face arguably the toughest test of his career in former title challenger Volkan Oezdemir. In Oezdemir, Reyes will face a clever striker with shocking power in both hands. Given his foe’s strengths, Reyes is prepared to ground the fight if need be.

Cole Shelton - March 7, 2019

The Octagon touches down in Wichita, Kansas for the first time in history this Saturday. In the main event, former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos will be taking on former title challenger Derrick Lewis. Ahead of this heavyweight fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions. Some believe dos Santos will be too much for Lewis, while others believe Lewis will land a fight-ending blow on dos Santos. Two others can’t decide at all.

Drake Riggs - March 6, 2019

Without proper guidance, navigating the waters of life can be all the more difficult than it may be even with that directional aid. Like an ocean, there will be many waves that one will be hit with throughout. Some big, some small, but no matter the size of the challenge, ups and downs, positivity and negativity, contrasts are necessary requirements to evolve as individuals.

Cole Shelton - March 5, 2019

Beneil Dariush went 735 days without a win. It was a rough two years for the 29-year-old. There’s no other way to put it. In that stretch, he suffered losses to Edson Barboza and Alexander Hernandez as well as a draw with Evan Dunham. But finally, this past November, Dariush got his hand raised again inside the Octagon. Dariush had a dominating performance and scored a unanimous decision win over Thiago Moises to snap his winless streak. This was a massive relief for him.

Cole Shelton - March 5, 2019

Blagoy Ivanov is ready to fight again. The Bulgarian heavyweight was considered a big signing for the UFC after he dominated in the now defunct World Series of Fighting organization, capturing heavyweight gold. The UFC had so much confidence in Ivanov that his UFC debut was a main event spot against former champion Junior dos Santos. He ended up losing the fight by unanimous decision, but for Ivanov it was a great learning experience.

Cole Shelton - March 4, 2019

Montana De La Rosa is one of the more promising flyweight prospects in the UFC. The 24-year-old is undefeated in the Octagon, not counting exhibition bouts on The Ultimate Fighter. De La Rosa is coming off of an impressive submission win over the formerly undefeated Nadia Kassem at UFC 234. For De La Rosa, that fight went as good as it could have.

Cole Shelton - March 3, 2019

Daniel Cormier was supposed to partake in the final fight of his career before his 40th birthday this March. Well, that is no longer going to happen. Both Cormier and his head coach Javier Mendez have said his retirement will be delayed. Now, the question is, how many fights does Cormier have left, and who will his next opponent be? He definitely has options, whether it’s a fight with Brock Lesnar, a rematch against Stipe Miocic, or a trilogy fight with Jon Jones. But if Mendez has any say in the matter, it probably won’t be a Miocic rematch.

Cole Shelton - March 2, 2019

When Khabib Nurmagomedov took on Conor McGregor at UFC 229, it resulted in the biggest pay-per-view in promotional history. The event did well over two million PPV buys, and in the end, Nurmagomedov beat McGregor in the fourth round by submission.

Mike Pendleton - March 1, 2019

Some fans have been surprised by the rise of Anthony Smith, which has carried him to a light heavyweight title showdown with Jon Jones. Yet is coach Mark Montoya isn’t surprised one bit. In fact, this has been the gameplan for Smith since before he made his debut in the light heavyweight division in 2018, after spending 10 years of his career at middleweight.

Drake Riggs - February 28, 2019

UFC 235 takes place on Saturday night live from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. And to call the card stacked would be an understatement. The event features several big-time match-ups and fighters ranging from current champions to former ones, whether it be inside or outside of the UFC. There will be big debuts as well as prospects looking to take a leap up the rankings ladder. One of which happens to be Russia’s Zabit Magomedsharipov.

Cole Shelton - February 28, 2019

Jon Jones is returning to the Octagon not even three months after his last fight. In the main event of UFC 235 this Saturday, the light heavyweight champ will be taking on Anthony Smith, who has gone 3-0 in the division since moving up from middleweight. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions. The majority, as expected, are leaning towards the massive betting favorite in Jones. Yet some also believe Smith will do as he’s promised and shock the world.

Cole Shelton - February 27, 2019

Reports came out today that Paige VanZant’s initial opponent at UFC 236 in Poliana Botelho was injured and off the card. Replacing her would be Montana De La Rosa who is fresh off of yet another submission win at UFC 234. However, De La Rosa has now confirmed that the fight is not happening and those reports are false. “I guess [UFC matchmaker] Mick [Maynard] wanted to make that fight between me and Paige,” De La Rosa told to BJPENN.com. “But now Paige is claiming her arm is hurt so she can’t fight that Poliana girl or me so we aren’t sure what is happening. As of now, she is hurt so that is not true. I’m just waiting to hear. They do want to make that fight with Paige and I but she is claiming she is hurt. I’m not really sure what is going on now.”

Mike Pendleton - February 27, 2019

UFC 235 will be headlined by a pair of title fights, as Jon Jones defends his title against Anthony Smith, and Tyron Woodley looks to fend off Kamaru Usman. But the fireworks kick off far earlier than that. In the first bout of the UFC 235 main card, former bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt returns to the Octagon, where he’ll look to correct a two-fight skid after losing the title to bitter rival TJ Dillashaw. In a rivalry that not only cost him his title, but consumed over a year of his fighting career, Garbrandt finds himself on the road to redemption and glory, as he looks to get back to what made him so special when he became champion.

Cole Shelton - February 27, 2019

In the co-main event of UFC 235 this Saturday, Tyron Woodley will look to defend his welterweight title against Kamaru Usman. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the title fight. In this case, the majority are leaning toward one fighter.

Cole Shelton - February 26, 2019

UFC 235 is set to go down on Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The card is already in the lead for Card of the Year as it is absolutely stacked. On the card, and making his UFC debut, is former ONE and Bellator champ Ben Askren, who is taking on former UFC champion Robbie Lawler. Ahead of this fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several fighters to get their predictions for the fight.