Exclusive MMA Interviews News
John Dodson vows to KO JR Ridge in the first round to win inaugural flyweight title at BFKC 48, takes aim at Reggie Barnett Jr.
Cole Shelton - August 9, 2023
John Dodson is honored to be fighting for the inaugural BKFC flyweight title. Dodson is set to headline BKFC 48 on Friday in Albuquerque, New Mexico for the inaugural flyweight title. It’s a massive fight for Dodson in just his third bare-knuckle fight.
Bryce Hall explains why he decided to fight in BKFC, confident he'll KO Gee Perez at BKFC 48: "I bet I can put him down"
Cole Shelton - August 8, 2023
Bryce Hall surprised many when it was revealed he was set to fight at BKFC 48. Hall is a massive influencer with over 6.5 million followers on Instagram. He also is no stranger to fighting as he boxed YouTuber Austin McBroom in June of 2021 when he suffered a TKO loss.
Vicente Luque believes Rafael dos Anjos is the "perfect fight" for his return at UFC Vegas 78: "I do believe I can finish him"
Cole Shelton - August 8, 2023
Vicente Luque needed to make some changes after losing back-to-back fights. Luque is coming off a knockout loss to Geoff Neal and before that dropped a decision to Belal Muhammad. After his last loss, he suffered a brain hemorrhage which is why he hasn’t fought for over a year.
Chatri Sityodtong reveals other States have reached out to host ONE Championship after "record-breaking" event in Denver
Cole Shelton - August 7, 2023
ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong admits he was surprised with the reception the promotion got for their United States debut. Back in May, ONE made its promotional debut in the States as ONE Championship held an event in Denver, Colorado. It was something the promotion has talked about for years, but Chatri Sityodtong was still uncertain how the US fans would like ONE Championship.
Damon Jackson expects Billy Quarantillo scrap to be a "dog fight" at UFC Nashville: "Right from the bell it will be crazy firework"
Cole Shelton - August 3, 2023
Damon Jackson knows his scrap at UFC Nashville against Billy Quarantillo will be a dog fight. Jackson is coming off a KO loss to Dan Ige back in January and after that, he went on vacation to celebrate his 10-year anniversary with his wife. Once he was ready to return, Jackson was booked to fight at UFC Nashville which he is thrilled by as he hasn’t fought in front of fans during his entire second stint in the UFC.
Dustin Jacoby expecting to make a "statement" with KO win over Kennedy Nzechukwu at UFC Nashville
Cole Shelton - August 2, 2023
Dustin Jacoby is looking to get the bad taste out of his mouth. Jacoby had his nine-fight unbeaten streak snapped back in October in a controversial split decision to Khalil Rountree. He then dropped a decision to Azamat Murzakanov back in April and after that fight, Jacoby wanted a quick turnaround.
Pro fighters make their picks for Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz boxing match
Cole Shelton - August 2, 2023
In the main event of an ESPN+ pay-per-view boxing match, Jake Paul is set to return from his first career loss as he takes on UFC veteran Nate Diaz. Heading into the bout, Paul is a sizeable -460 favorite while the Stockton native is a +320 underdog in what serves as his pro boxing debut on Saturday night in Dallas, Texas.
Billy Quarantillo plans to "smoke" Damon Jackson at UFC Nashville and prove he belongs: "A finish is what I am after"
Cole Shelton - August 2, 2023
Billy Quarantillo is looking to remind everyone just how good he is. Quarantillo is well-aware that MMA fans only remember people’s last fights. Unfortunately for Quarantillo, his last fight was a KO loss to Edson Barboza in the first round.
Trevin Giles expects Gabriel Bonfim to gas out at UFC 291 but says the Brazilian "isn't skilled enough to beat me" anyways
Cole Shelton - July 27, 2023
Trevin Giles is confident he will hand Gabriel Bonfim his first career loss. Giles is on a two-fight win streak and is coming off a decision win over Preston Parsons back in March. After the fight, Giles said his elbow was a bit banged up so he needed to take a bit of time off.
UFC 291 | Pro fighters make their picks for Jan Blachowicz vs. Alex Pereira
Cole Shelton - July 27, 2023
In the co-main event of UFC 291, Jan Blachowicz is set to welcome former middleweight champion Alex Pereira to the light heavyweight division. It’s a fight the Pole asked for and heading into the scrap, Blachowicz is a -122 favorite while the Brazilian is a -102 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The pros lean towards Blachowicz getting the job done at UFC 291. The pros expect Blachowicz to use his size to wrestle Pereira and get the win.
Stephen Thompson expecting a 'Fight of the Year' contender against Michel Pereira at UFC 291: "Preparing for the hardest fight ever"
Cole Shelton - July 26, 2023
Stephen Thompson is excited to finally get the chance to face Michel Pereira. After Thompson lost back-to-back fights to Belal Muhammad and Gilbert Burns he told BJPENN.com he wanted to be matched up with Pereira next. However, he ended up facing Kevin Holland and scored a TKO win but will now face Pereira at UFC 291.
UFC 291 | Pro fighters make their picks for Dustin Poirier vs. Justin Gaethje 2 BMF title fight
Cole Shelton - July 26, 2023
In the main event of UFC 291, the vacant BMF title is up for grabs as Dustin Poirier takes on Justin Gaethje in a highly-anticipated rematch. Heading into the scrap, Poirier is a -162 favorite while ‘The Highlight’ is a +126 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 nearly unanimous in thinking Poirier will get the win in a rematch but most, to no surprise, are expecting it to be a potential Fight of the Year contender.
Jai Herbert expecting an "entertaining fight" and to "put on a show" against Fares Ziam at UFC London
Cole Shelton - July 18, 2023
Jai Herbert will be fighting in London for the fourth straight time. Herbert will be taking on Fares Ziam at UFC London on Saturday and is coming off a draw against L’udovit Klein back in March. Prior to that, he beat Kyle Nelson in July and lost to Ilia Topuria by KO the previous March. Although this is Herbert’s fourth straight fight in London, he says he still is excited to fight at home and put on a show for his people.
Brandon Royval uncertain if he's getting next title shot but knows Alexandre Pantoja rematch plays out much differently
Cole Shelton - July 14, 2023
Brandon Royval is hoping he is next in line for the flyweight title. At UFC 290, Alexandre Pantoja became the promotion’s next flyweight champion with a split-decision win over Brandon Moreno. Before the fight happened, Royval weighed-in as the backup fighter which he hoped secured him the next title shot.
Austin Lingo expects to outwork and tire out Melquizael Costa at UFC Vegas 77: "He gassed in his debut"
Cole Shelton - July 13, 2023
Austin Lingo believes his pace is the key to beating Melquizael Costa at UFC Vegas 77.. Lingo is coming off a submission loss to Nate Landwehr in a fight he took on less than two weeks’ notice after his fight against Ricardo Ramos was off. Although he lost the fight, he says he already knew what he did wrong and went back to the gym to correct it.
Evan Elder knows he's fighting for his job at UFC Vegas 77 but is confident he'll finish Genaro Valdez
Cole Shelton - July 13, 2023
Evan Elder knows his UFC Vegas 77 against Genaro Valdez is do-or-die for his career. Elder is 0-2 in the UFC, but last time out, he suffered a stoppage loss to Nazim Sadykhov due to a cut in a fight where he was up 20-18 on all three judges’ scorecards. Despite the disappointing result, Elder gained a lot of confidence from that fight.
Kamuela Kirk reveals the three goals he has for his UFC 290 fight against Esteban Ribovics
Cole Shelton - July 7, 2023
Kamuela Kirk is finally back in action. Kirk has not fought since March of 2022 when he suffered a submission loss to Damon Jackson in his second UFC fight. In his debut, he beat Makwan Amirkhani after stepping up on short notice. After the loss, Kirk realized it was time to move to lightweight. Once he made the move, he was booked to face Esteban Ribovics at UFC 285 in March.
Shannon Ross plans to show fans he belongs with stoppage win over Jesus Aguilar at UFC 290
Cole Shelton - July 7, 2023
Shannon Ross is looking to prove to the doubters that he belongs in the UFC. Ross suffered a TKO loss to Vinicius Salvador on the Contender Series, but it was revealed he fought with appendicitis, so Dana White signed him. In his debut, he suffered a 59-second knockout loss to Kleydson Rodrigues and wasn’t sure what would be next after the setback.