Exclusive MMA Interviews News
Coach reveals UFC "compensated" Ricky Turcios, claims Raul Rosas Jr. was cleared to fight at UFC Mexico City
Cole Shelton - April 9, 2024
Alex Morono, the head coach of Ricky Turcios says the UFC took care of the bantamweight after his canceled fight against Raul Rosas Jr. at UFC Mexico City. Just minutes before Turcios was set to make the walk, it was revealed Rosas Jr. was sick and the fight was off. It was disappointing news for Morono and Turcios, who liked the style matchup against the 19-year-old.
Kyle Nelson eyes Cub Swanson or Nate Landwehr after first-round TKO over Bill Algeo at UFC Atlantic City
Cole Shelton - April 6, 2024
Kyle Nelson has won his third straight fight as the betting underdog. Nelson scored a first-round TKO win over Bill Algeo on the main card of UFC Atlantic City. The Canadian started strong as he landed a massive shot that wobbled Algeo and he kept landing punches that forced the ref to jump in and stop the fight.
Christos Giagos expects to "catch" Ignacio Bahamondes at UFC Vegas 90: "It's going to be fun"
Cole Shelton - April 4, 2024
Christos Giagos is excited to face Ignacio Bahamondes at UFC Vegas 90 on Saturday. Giagos is coming off a submission loss to Daniel Zellhuber in September and after the defeat, he was hoping to return to fight in Anaheim at UFC 298. Although fighting at February’s pay-per-view never came to fruition, Giagos did get offered a fight against Bahamondes on Saturday at UFC Vegas 90 and jumped at the chance.
Damon Jackson expects Alexander Hernandez fight to be a "banger" for however long it lasts: "First round is going to be a fury"
Cole Shelton - April 3, 2024
Damon Jackson is expecting his UFC Vegas 90 co-main event fight against Alexander Hernandez to be wild and chaotic for however long it lasts. Jackson is coming off a decision loss to Billy Quarantillo back in August, which was his second straight defeat. After the loss, Jackson focused on getting healthy and says he is now back to one hundred percent.
Andre Petroski plans to continue to prove he's the best grappler at middleweight by beating Jacob Malkoun at UFC Atlantic City
Cole Shelton - March 28, 2024
Andre Petroski has made it clear that he believes he’s the best grappler in the middleweight division and he wants to continue to prove that. Petroski has been calling out the top grapplers since signing with the UFC and had a ton of success early on. However, in his last fight, he stepped up on short notice to face Michel Pereira and he suffered a first-round knockout loss.
Raquel Pennington explains why she wants Julianna Pena and not Kayla Harrison as her first title defense
Cole Shelton - March 27, 2024
Raquel Pennington is hoping for her first title defense to be against Julianna Pena. Pennington won the vacant 135lbs title back in January with a decision win over Mayra Bueno Silva. Since then, she has been waiting for her first title defense, which she expects to happen in the fall. One possible opponent for Pennington’s first title defense is Kayla Harrison, who recently signed with the promotion and will make her debut opposite Holly Holm at UFC 300.
Raquel Pennington reveals she dealt with the flu during UFC 297 fight week: "I don't know if I can fight"
Cole Shelton - March 26, 2024
Raquel Pennington had to overcome adversity to even fight at UFC 297 for the vacant bantamweight title. Pennington was set to face Mayra Bueno Silva in January in Toronto, and she says the training camp was one of the best she’s ever had. However, on fight week, Pennington fell ill and she says it was at the worst point on fight day when she woke up and wasn’t sure if she was even going to be able to fight.
Kurt Holobaugh says he's no longer just satisfied to be fighting in the UFC after winning TUF
Cole Shelton - March 21, 2024
Kurt Holobaugh is in his third stint with the UFC and he now has the tools to be a ranked lightweight. Holobaugh made his UFC debut in 2013 but after losing his first Octagon appearance, he was released. He worked his way back to the promotion, but after going 0-3 he was released from the promotion once again.
Pro fighters make their picks for Rose Namajunas vs. Amanda Ribas
Cole Shelton - March 20, 2024
In the main event of UFC Vegas 89, former strawweight champion Rose Namajunas takes on Amanda Ribas at flyweight. Heading into the fight, Namajunas is a -235 favorite while the Brazilian is a +180 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to make their picks for the main event. The pros believe Namajunas will be too much for Ribas on the feet and get the victory to return to the win column.
Jeremy Kennedy expects to "break" Patricio Pitbull to win Bellator featherweight title: "It's not going to go five rounds"
Cole Shelton - March 19, 2024
Jeremy Kennedy jumped at the chance to face Patricio Pitbull at Bellator Belfast on Friday. Kennedy was originally supposed to fight James Gallagher on Friday night, but after Pitbull’s fight at the PFL vs. Bellator event was canceled, he wanted to fight ASAP so the promotion elevated Kennedy to a title fight.
Chad Anheliger believes he's fighting for his job at UFC Vegas 88: "I'm expecting an exciting fight and a big finish"
Cole Shelton - March 13, 2024
Chad Anheliger says he’s fighting for his job on Saturday at UFC Vegas 88 against Charalampos Grigoriou. Anheliger is entering his fourth UFC fight and is 1-2 in the promotion and on a two-fight losing skid. He’s coming off a third-round submission loss to Jose Johnson which was frustrating for him as he says he didn’t feel like himself in the Octagon.
Bryan Battle plans an "emphatic" stoppage of Ange Loosa to become the first person to finish him: "Make a statement"
Cole Shelton - March 12, 2024
Bryan Battle is looking to make a statement against Ange Loosa on Saturday in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 88. Battle is on a two-fight winning streak and thought he would get a ranked opponent next. However, when he was offered to fight Loosa, he was excited about the bout as he believes the style matchup makes it an exciting fight.
UFC 299 | Pro fighters make their picks for Dustin Poirier vs. Benoit Saint-Denis
Cole Shelton - March 7, 2024
In the co-main event of UFC 299, a five-round lightweight bout goes down as Dustin Poirier takes on Benoit Saint-Denis. Heading into the fight, Poirier is a +164 underdog while the Frenchman is a sizeable -215 favorite on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to make their picks for the lightweight fight. The pros are nearly unanimous in thinking Dustin Poirier can pull off the upset and return to the win column in a big way.
Anthony Taylor explains why Gabe Silva fight fell through, wants boxing match against Tyron Woodley
Cole Shelton - March 6, 2024
Anthony Taylor was supposed to box Gabe Silva, the son of Anderson Silva, later this month but that won’t be the case anymore. Taylor, the former Bellator fighter, has become one of the top draws in influencer boxing as he’s currently the Misfits boxing light heavyweight champion. Taylor is 3-1 in Misfits and was booked to defend his title against Silva on March 23 which was exciting for the MMA veteran.
UFC 299 | Pro fighters make their picks for Sean O'Malley vs. Marlon Vera 2 title fight
Cole Shelton - March 6, 2024
In the main event of UFC 299, the bantamweight title is on the line as Sean O’Malley defends his strap in a rematch against Marlon Vera. Heading into the fight, O’Malley is a -280 favorite while the the challenger is a +210 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to make their picks for the bantamweight title fight. The pros are actually going with the underdog in Vera to get his hand raised and become the bantamweight champion.
AJ McKee says he was "always keen on" re-signing with Bellator, open to returning to featherweight for Patricio Pitbull trilogy
Cole Shelton - March 5, 2024
AJ McKee always knew he was going to re-sign with Bellator. McKee is the former Bellator featherweight champion and was recently a free agent but opted to re-sign with the promotion. McKee says he is a loyal person and wanted to continue to be the face of Bellator going forward.
OKTAGON's Akonne Wanliss ready to 'cook up a storm' in Tipsport Gamechanger
Zain Bando - February 29, 2024
OKTAGON’s Akonne Wanliss’ (7-2 MMA, 1-0-1 OKTAGON MMA) confidence is at an all-time high entering Saturday’s lightweight tilt against Sahil Siraj (9-2 MMA) at OKTAGON 54 in the opening round of the Tipsport Gamechanger. Wanliss sat with BJPenn.com ahead of his fight with Siraj to get a greater glimpse into his dedication to MMA. When he got the call, the Jamaican-born Wanliss did not pass up the opportunity to participate in the tournament.
Jairzinho Rozenstruik believes UFC Vegas 87 fight against Shamil Gaziev comes down to "who lands first"
Cole Shelton - February 28, 2024
Jairzinho Rozenstruik knows his UFC Vegas 87 main event fight against Shamil Gaziev won’t be needing the judges. Rozenstruik is coming off a stoppage loss to Jailton Almeida back in May which he admits was a tough defeat to deal with. After that, Rozenstruik said he wanted time off to fix some things but was hoping to return at the end of 2023.