Exclusive MMA Interviews News
Pro fighters make their picks for Ciryl Gane vs. Serghei Spivac
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.
Thiago Moises believes he's more technical than Benoit Saint-Denis as he expects to "pick him apart" at UFC Paris
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.
Kurt Holobaugh explains why Paddy Pimblett "needs to fight me" after winning TUF 31
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.
Ian Machado Garry believes he beat Geoff Neal with the mugshot t-shirt, says he won't fight him ever
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.
BJ Penn believes if he didn't run for Governor he still would've continued to fight: "The Governor run pulled me out"
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.
Ian Machado Garry names the two opponents he'd like to headline UFC Dublin against
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.
Ian Machado Garry says "it's not an issue" for future fights having so many teammates in the welterweight rankings
Cole Shelton - August 25, 2023
Ian Machado Garry doesn’t think having so many teammates in the welterweight rankings will make it challenging for him to get fights. Garry trains at Kill Cliff FC alongside the likes of Glbert Burns, Shavkat Rakhmonov, and Vicente Luque, as well as Kamaru Usman who trains there part-time. With that, some teammates never want to fight one another, but Garry doesn’t think that will be an issue.
Ian Machado Garry promises Stephen Thompson fight happens next, says it will be a "show for the ages"
Cole Shelton - August 25, 2023
Ian Machado Garry is confident he will face Stephen Thompson his next time out. Garry is coming off a one-sided dominant decision win over Neil Magny at UFC 292, and after the win, he called out Stephen Thompson. He said he wanted to prove he was the best striker in the world, but after UFC 292, Dana White claimed ‘Wonderboy’ turned down the scrap.
Ian Machado Garry says he had "so much fun" beating up "f*****g piece of shit" Neil Magny at UFC 292
Cole Shelton - August 24, 2023
Ian Machado Garry says his UFC 292 fight against Neil Magny got personal. Garry was originally supposed to fight Geoff Neal at the event, but just a week out,Neal was forced to withdraw from the bout due to injury and was replaced by Neil Magny. It was a scrap that Ian Machado Garry called for, but in the lead-up to the fight, he had no problem with Magny.
Fernie Garcia knows he's fighting for his job at UFC Singapore, confident he will upset Rinya Nakamura: "I'm ready to go on my run"
Cole Shelton - August 23, 2023
Fernie Garcia wasn’t sure if he was going to get another fight. After getting signed off the Contender Series, Garcia has lost both his UFC fights by decision to Journey Newson in his debut and Brady Hiestand. It’s been a disappointing time for Garcia as he knows he hasn’t fought to his ability but is excited to get another chance.
Pro fighters make their picks for Max Holloway vs. Korean Zombie
Cole Shelton - August 23, 2023
In the main event of UFC Singapore, a battle of top-10 featherweights goes down as Max Holloway takes on Korean Zombie. Heading into the fight, Holloway is a gigantic -1000 favorite while Chan Sung Jung is a +560 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the fight. To no surprise, the pros expect Holloway to run through Korean Zombie in the main event of UFC Singapore.
Parker Porter looking for redemption against Junior Tafa at UFC Singapore: "I see some holes in his wrestling ability"
Cole Shelton - August 22, 2023
Parker Porter is looking to get some redemption for his KO loss to Justin Tafa back in February. Porter entered that fight with a ton of confidence but got caught early in the first round and knocked out. Although it was his second straight loss, he rebounded nicely back in May with a first-round TKO win over Braxton Smith, and the hope was to return at UFC 292 in Boston.
Josh Fremd admits he's "ashamed" he missed weight at UFC Vegas 78, hopeful to re-sign after fighting out his contract
Cole Shelton - August 17, 2023
Josh Fremd says he was embarrassed he missed weight at UFC Vegas 78. Fremd was taking on Jamie Pickett on the final fight of his UFC contract, which was a massive scrap for him. Fremd knew if he lost he would be cut, but on weigh-in day, Fremd says he was struggling to lose the final pounds and even ended up dry heaving to try during his weight cut.
Isaac Dulgarian happy to prove the Full Send guys wrong with stoppage over Francis Marshall
Cole Shelton - August 17, 2023
Isaac Dulgarian is pleased to prove all the doubters wrong. Dulgarian earned his UFC contract back in February of 2022 but he didn’t make his debut until last Saturday at UFC Vegas 78. He was booked to make his debut in January but had to withdraw due to an injury.
UFC 292 | Pro fighters make their picks for Zhang Weili vs. Amanda Lemos title fight
Cole Shelton - August 17, 2023
In the co-main event of UFC 292, the strawweight title is up for grabs as Zhang Weili looks to defend her title against Amanda Lemos. Heading into the scrap, Weili is a sizeable -340 favorite while the Brazilian is a +250 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The pros are unanimous in thinking Zhang Weili will defend her belt at UFC 292 and likely will do so by stoppage in the later rounds.
Andre Petroski explains why he wanted to fight Gerald Meerchaert at UFC 292, hopes to secure Bo Nickal scrap with a win
Cole Shelton - August 16, 2023
Andre Petroski admits it was difficult to withdraw from his fight in Newark back in May. The fight in Newark was pretty much a hometown fight for Petroski, so having to withdraw was tough. However, he says it was required as he had a nagging injury that he needed to let rest and rehab.
John Dodson plans to clear out flyweight division after winning inaugural title at BKFC 48: "I want to be one of the most decorated combat sports strikers"
Cole Shelton - August 15, 2023
John Dodson has been taking over BKFC and he finally got a chance to fight for a world title at BKFC 48. Dodson was fighting for the inaugural flyweight title against JR Ridge and entering the fight, he had a ton of confidence that he would score a finish. He knew Ridge would try to be technical, so he wasn’t surprised when he caught Ridge by surprise with his speed and power.
Francis Marshall expects to gas out Isaac Dulgarian at UFC Vegas 78 and hopefully earn a spot on MSG card
Cole Shelton - August 11, 2023
Francis Marshall knows he has to follow the game plan at UFC Vegas 78. In his last fight, Marshall strayed away from his game plan against William Gomis and lost a close split decision. Marshall says he decided to fight differently than what he and his coaches studied for, and that ended up costing him.