Exclusive MMA Interviews News
Ian Machado Garry plans to do "something pretty spectacular" against Vicente Luque at UFC 296: "100 percent”
Cole Shelton - December 12, 2023
Ian Machado Garry is ready to make a statement at UFC 296 on Saturday. Garry is set to take on Vicente Luque in a very intriguing welterweight fight. The two are former teammates at Kill Cliff and have trained and sparred with one another in the past. However, despite their history, he had no hesitation to take the fight as the Irishman had changed his camp to Chute Box.
Vicente Luque eager for "striking match" against Ian Machado Garry at UFC 296: "It will be the Fight Night"
Cole Shelton - December 12, 2023
Vicente Luque is confident he will derail the hype of Ian Machado Garry at UFC 296. Luque returned to the win column back in August with a decision win over Rafael dos Anjos in a Fight Night main event. It was his first fight in a year, and after the win, Luque made it clear that he wanted to fight one more time in 2023.
Jan Blachowicz calls for Jiri Prochazka headliner in Europe after he returns from shoulder surgery
Cole Shelton - December 8, 2023
Jan Blachowicz is hopeful to face Jiri Prochazka in the main event of a Fight Night card in Europe. Blachowicz is set for shoulder surgery, hopefully in the next week or two, he revealed to BJPENN.com on Friday. The plan is for the Pole to return in the summer, once he does the rehab and gets a training camp in.
OKTAGON's Vladimir Lengal compares boxing vs. MMA: "It really is a different sport"
Zain Bando - December 8, 2023
Vladimir Lengal has had an interesting combat sports career thus far. Before transitioning to MMA entirely in February, the undefeated Lengal (12-0, 6-0 MMA) took up boxing and became a Czech world champion, further showcasing his skills as a prospect to look out for moving forward.
Drakkar Klose calls for "the easiest fight in the UFC" Mark Madsen at UFC 299 after slam KO win
Cole Shelton - December 6, 2023
Drakkar Klose was relieved to finally make the walk to the Octagon again. Klose was returning to action for the first time since tearing his ACL and when he squared off with Joe Solecki at UFC Austin. Heading into the fight, he said he wasn’t worried about the ring rust as he had full confidence in his training camp.
Cody Brundage believes he can "break" Zach Reese at UFC Austin: "I'm not a guy they feed people to"
Cole Shelton - December 1, 2023
Cody Brundage wasn’t sure if he was going to get another fight in the UFC. Brundage is coming off a DQ win over Jacob Malkoun after the Australian was disqualified for illegal shots to the back of the end. The win snapped his three-fight losing skid, but it was also the final fight of his deal.
Pro fighters make their picks for Beneil Dariush vs. Arman Tsarukyan
Cole Shelton - November 30, 2023
In the main event of UFC Austin, a battle of top-eight lightweights goes down as Beneil Dariush takes on Arman Tsarukyan. Heading into the fight, Dariush is a sizeable +250 underdog while the Armenian is a -310 favorite. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to make their picks for the fight. The pros slightly lean towards Dariush getting his hand raised at UFC Austin.
Joe Solecki explains the "key" to beating Drakkar Klose at UFC Austin
Cole Shelton - November 30, 2023
Joe Solecki is excited to fight a well-known guy like Drakkar Klose at UFC Austin. After Solecki picked up a submission win back in February, he said he likely needed some time off to deal with some nagging injuries and the pending birth of his second child.
Jimmie Rivera expecting a "brawl" against Jeremy Stephens at BKFC 56: "I'm going in there for a war"
Cole Shelton - November 28, 2023
Jimmie Rivera is excited to throw down with Jeremy Stephens at BKFC 56. Rivera hasn’t fought since May when he beat Bekhzod Usmonov by decision in his second BKFC fight. While Rivera admits he was hopeful to return sooner, he is glad he was patient and now gets to be on a massive BKFC 56 card.
Beneil Dariush vows to "break" Arman Tsarukyan at UFC Austin: "I'm going to go out there and put on a show"
Cole Shelton - November 28, 2023
Beneil Dariush is ready for his first UFC main event. Dariush will make the walk to the Octagon for the 23rd time on Saturday at UFC Austin against Arman Tsarukyan, and it’s his first time being in the main event.
Chase Hooper explains why he was "surprised" to finish Jordan Leavitt in the first round at UFC Vegas 82
Cole Shelton - November 22, 2023
Chase Hooper has his first win streak in the UFC. Hooper moved up to lightweight back in May and scored a decision win over Nick Fiore. He was then booked to face Jordan Leavitt at UFC Vegas 82 in a scrap he was a sizeable betting favorite.
Chad Anheliger thought he and Jose Johnson would fight on the regional scene, expects it to be a fun striking fight at UFC Vegas 82
Cole Shelton - November 17, 2023
Chad Anheliger wasn’t sure when he would be able to fight again. Anheliger suffered a shoulder injury during his loss to Alatengheili back at UFC 279 in September of 2022. After the loss, the Canadian knew he needed to get his shoulder healed which took a bit longer than expected.
Patchy Mix admits he was unsure Bellator 301 title fight would happen, vows to "break" Sergio Pettis
Cole Shelton - November 14, 2023
Patchy Mix wasn’t sure if he was going to get the chance to fight Sergio Pettis. After Mix knocked out Raufeon Stots back in April to become the interim champ and the grand prix winner, it secured him a title shot. He was booked to face the bantamweight champ, Sergio Pettis at Bellator 301. But, with all the rumors that the promotion would be sold, Mix wasn’t sure if this fight was going to happen.
Chase Hooper says UFC Vegas 82 fight against Jordan Leavitt is a battle of the "two of the least intimidating guys in UFC history"
Cole Shelton - November 14, 2023
Chase Hooper believes he’s finally coming into his own as a fighter. Hooper is set for his second lightweight fight in the UFC as he takes on Jordan Leavitt this Saturday night at UFC Vegas 82. It will be just his second fight this year, as he previously beat Nick Fiore by decision in May.
John Castaneda confident he'll submit Kyung Ho Kang at UFC 295: "I'm expecting a pretty decisive win"
Cole Shelton - November 10, 2023
John Castaneda is excited to walk to the Octagon in Madison Square Garden for UFC 295. Castaneda is coming off a decision win over Muin Gafurov back in June and after the win, he knew he wanted to fight one more time this year. He ended up getting the chance to face Kyung Ho Kang on Nov. 18, but after agreeing to the fight, it ended up getting moved to Nov. 11 at UFC 295.
UFC 295 | Pro fighters make their picks for Sergei Pavlovich vs. Tom Aspinall interim title fight
Cole Shelton - November 9, 2023
In the co-main event of UFC 295, the interim heavyweight title is up for grabs as Sergei Pavlovich takes on Tom Aspinall. Heading into the fight, Pavlovich is a slight -104 underdog while the Brit is a -122 favorite on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the interim title fight. The pros slightly lean towards Pavlovich getting the KO, but the pros know this fight ends early regardless of who wins.
UFC 295 | Pro fighters make their picks for Jiri Prochazka vs. Alex Pereira title fight
Cole Shelton - November 8, 2023
In the main event of UFC 295, the vacant light heavyweight title is up for grabs as Jiri Prochazka takes on Alex Pereira. Heading into the fight, Prochazka is a +100 underdog while the Brazilian is a -128 favorite on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the title fight. The pros slightly lean towards Prochazka becoming the light heavyweight champion again at UFC 295, but all expect this to be a very exciting scrap.
Matt Frevola hopes Benoit Saint-Denis tries to grapple him at UFC 295, believes it's a "perfect fight" for him
Cole Shelton - November 7, 2023
Matt Frevola always knew his next fight would be at Madison Square Garden. Frevola started the year off with an upset first-round TKO win over Drew Dober in May. After the victory, Frevola knew he would be fighting at home at Madison Square Garden but wasn’t sure if he’d be able to sneak in another fight before then.