Exclusive MMA Interviews News

Tom Taylor - October 9, 2018

UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw has no shortage of options in terms of opponents for his next fight, as Dominick Cruz, Marlon Moraes, Raphael Assuncao and a host of other top bantamweights are all eager for the chance to challenge him. From the sounds of it, however, TJ Dillashaw is now determined to drop down to flyweight and challenge new divisional champion Henry Cejudo for his title.

Tom Taylor - October 9, 2018

Over the last few years, trash talk and bravado have become a huge part of the sport of mixed martial arts. The bushido spirit has been mostly pushed aside and replaced by constant posturing and saber-rattling. Singapore’s ONE Championship is working on changing that. Where other promotions encourage trash talk and showmanship, ONE Championship preaches traditional martial arts values like respect, integrity and honor.

Cole Shelton - October 8, 2018

When TJ Dillashaw lost his belt to Dominick Cruz in 2016 by split-decision, many fans were clamoring for a rematch. However, a rematch never happened as Cruz then defended the belt against Urijah Faber before losing the belt to Cody Garbrandt.

Cole Shelton - October 8, 2018

One of the options for the main event of the upcoming UFC 230 card was a welterweight title fight between champion Tyron Woodley and interim champion Colby Covington. With Covington healthy, and Woodley riding a huge win over Darren Till, the fight seemed to make a lot of sense. Furthermore, Woodley said he was open to fighting Covington at UFC 230, so long as he was given a clean bill of health. Unfortunately, he was then forced to go under the knife to repair an injured hand, ruling out this possibility. Well, Colby Covington isn’t buying it.

Mike Pendleton - October 6, 2018

UFC 229 is right around the corner and on the latest episode of Inside The Cage with Mike Pendleton, top coaches from around the sport joined the show to discuss the main event. Listen in as Mark Henry, who has coached against both Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov gives his breakdown of the fight as well as his thoughts on McGregor’s antics.

Cole Shelton - October 6, 2018

It’s being called the biggest fight in UFC history. At UFC 229, which goes down tonight in Las Vegas, Nevada, the former two-weight champion Conor McGregor will make his return to the Octagon to take on undefeated lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. Given that this is a fight between the two best lightweights alive, it should come as no surprise that it has the combat sports community divided in their predictions. Will McGregor be able to catch Nurmagomedov with a left? Or will Nurmagomedov simply maul the Irishman on the ground?

Tom Taylor - October 5, 2018

Having already established himself as one of MMA’s premier fighters, Colby Covington is now hoping that he’ll have the chance to prove himself as a top pro wrestler in the future too. Covington has made no secret of his pro wrestling goals in the past, but on episode 100 of BJPENN.CMOM Radio, he divulged that the wheels are already in motion for a future WWE move.

Tom Taylor - October 5, 2018

From the sounds of it, UFC 230 will be headlined by a women’s flyweight title fight between Valentina Shevchenko and Sijara Eubanks. That being said, it also sounds like the card was nearly headlined by a welterweight title fight between interim champion Colby Covington and undisputed champion Tyron Woodley. This per Colby Covington himself, who discussed his negotiations for a UFC 230 fight on episode 100 of BJPENN.COM Radio.

Tom Taylor - October 5, 2018

This Saturday night, in the co-main event of UFC 229, Tony Ferguson will return from a nasty LCL injury to take on former lightweight champion Anthony Pettis in a key lightweight contender bout. According to Ferguson’s Brazilian jiu-jitsu coach Eddie Bravo, this brutal LCL injury is now soundly in the rear-view mirror. We won’t be seeing any lingering side-effects of it come fight time.

Mike Straus - October 4, 2018

Perhaps no fighter is a better example of what fighting at a more natural weight class can do for your fighting career than Anthony ‘Lionheart’ Smith. Smith has had a career rebirth so to speak this year. The 30-year-old fighter from Omaha, Nebraska has typically been a middleweight fighter in his career. Lately, however, Smith has decided that cutting down to 185 pounds and then ballooning back up to 230 pounds just isn’t worth it anymore. Let alone the damage that does to your body.

Mike Straus - October 2, 2018

One of the Midwest’s most promising middleweight prospects, Alton “The Bo-Man” Cunningham is ready to take the next step in his young career when he takes on Victor Jones at Pure FC 10 on October 20. If his name rings a bell, it’s likely you recognize The Bo-Man from his Dana White Tuesday Night Contender Series (DWTNCS) match up with the highly regarded Bevon Lewis. Although Cunningham lost the fight on the DWTNCS, the lessons he learned were invaluable.

Tom Taylor - October 2, 2018

This Saturday’s UFC 229 title fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor is all anybody can talk about these days. This massive lightweight title fight between undefeated reigning champion and history-making former champion is dominating the headlines and airwaves, and is likely to continue doing so until well after the fight itself has drawn to a close. Eventually, of course, the Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor buzz will quiet. The loser of the fight will return to the drawing board, tail tucked between their legs, while the winner will march proudly toward their next massive challenge.

BJPENN.COM Staff - October 1, 2018

It is instinctive for people to look for someone to idolize, look up to and imitate. Someone from whom they draw strength and inspiration from, to go on with their lives towards where they want to go and what they want to be. This is the reason why people look up to the rich and famous, celebrities who grace the celluloid movie screens, athletes who have made names and millions, wealthy business tycoons, and the list goes on and on.

Mike Straus - October 1, 2018

Recently signed heavyweight fighter Tim Johnson plans on opening some eyes at Bellator 208 when he takes on Cheick Kongo in a feature main card bout. Johnson, 33, signed with the Viacom owned promotion after going a very respectable 4-3 inside the Octagon. He holds notable victories over Shamil Abdurakhimov, Marcin Tybura, and Daniel Omielańczuk while under the UFC’s banner. As impressive as those wins are, Johnson wanted more.

Tom Taylor - October 1, 2018

Khabib Nurmagomedov has long been considered one of the best lightweights in the world, but for a time between 2014 and 2016, his standing in the division was seriously hurt by his inability to stay healthy. During that period, Khabib Nurmagomedov was scheduled for three fights — two with Donald Cerrone, and one with Tony Ferguson. Unfortunately, not one of these bouts came to fruition as the Russian star kept sustaining injuries that rendered him unable to compete.

Cole Shelton - September 29, 2018

Jimmie Rivera suffered a devastating 33-second knockout loss to Marlon Moraes at June’s UFC Fight Night event in Utica. The loss snapped a twenty-fight win streak for “El Terror” and came at a great cost. Had he defeated Moraes, Rivera most likely would have been granted the next title shot at T.J. Dillashaw, but after the loss, it was back to the drawing board for the New Jersey native. Rivera decided it was time to return to the octagon just three months after the loss. Jimmie took on fan favourite John Dodson at September’s UFC 228 in Dallas. The quick turnaround had many fans and analysts feeling that Rivera was coming back too soon, especially given the way he lost to Moraes.

Drake Riggs - September 27, 2018

At Bellator 206 this Saturday night, the highly skilled counterpart to Gilbert Melendez, Keri Melendez welcomes newcomer Dakota Zimmerman to the ranks of the pros. Although Melendez is only 2-0 in her professional MMA career, she has built up a solid reputation as a kickboxer thus earning her a deserved spotlight.

Tom Taylor - September 27, 2018

The UFC bantamweight division is ruled by three men, all of whom have worn the divisional belt in the last few years. One is TJ Dillashaw, the reigning champion. The second is former champion Dominick Cruz, who is the last man to defeat Dillashaw. The other is former champion Cody Garbrandt, who ended Cruz’s title reign, but had his own reign ended by Dillashaw. Given their ability and the way they match up with each other, it’s conceivable that Dillashaw, Cruz and Garbrandt could battle at the top of the bantamweight division for years, swapping the title every few fights. Jimmie Rivera is hoping he can stop that from happening.