Exclusive MMA Interviews News
Brady Hiestand "not surprised" the ref stopped his fight against Batgerel Danaa, eyes Christian Rodriguez at UFC 289: "He didn't even protest the stoppage"
Cole Shelton - April 28, 2023
Brady Hiestand knew he had the cardio advantage over Batgerel Danaa and thought the longer the fight went, the better it was for him. Entering the fight at UFC Vegas 71, Hiestand was the underdog but was confident he had all the tools to win. In the first round, Hiestand thought he had a lot of success and went to his corner thinking he won the opening round. In the second round, Danaa dropped him and dominated the round, so Hiestand thought it was 1-1 but still wasn’t going to leave it to the judges so knew he needed to get a stoppage.
Luke Rockhold open to UFC return to face "true champion" Israel Adesanya: "I think I present a lot of problems for Izzy"
Cole Shelton - April 28, 2023
Luke Rockhold isn’t ruling out fighting for the UFC again. Rockhold came back last August at UFC 278 after three years away and suffered a decision loss to Paulo Costa. It was his third defeat in a row and after the loss, he said he was retiring from fighting. Yet, after some time thinking, he asked for and received his UFC release, and will now be fighting at BKFC 41 against Mike Perry.
Christos Giagos believes he saved his UFC career with "flawless victory" over Ricky Glenn at UFC Vegas 71
Cole Shelton - April 27, 2023
Christos Giagos saved his job in a big way on Saturday night. Giagos entered his UFC Vegas 71 fight against Ricky Glenn on a two-fight losing skid and figured he was fighting for his job. He has been cut from the UFC before and even though he was the betting underdog, he had a ton of confidence as he thought he could catch Glenn with a big shot, but admits he was surprised it happened so soon.
Luke Rockhold reacts to footage of Mike Perry picking his nose and wiping it on his sweater: "If I noticed it I would have slapped the s**t out of him"
Cole Shelton - April 27, 2023
Luke Rockhold didn’t notice Mike Perry pick his nose and wipe it on him at their faceoff, but had he there would have been problems. Rockhold and Perry had a press conference to promote their BKFC 41 main event and the two went back and forth throughout the press conference. Then, as the two did a faceoff, Perry picked his nose and wiped it on Rockhold’s sweater as he wasn’t paying attention.
Julian Erosa hopeful for an "all-out 15-minute brawl" at UFC Vegas 72 against Fernando Padilla: "He likes to stand and trade and I'm in the same boat"
Cole Shelton - April 25, 2023
Julian Erosa is expecting a Fight of the Night scrap against Fernando Padilla. Erosa is coming off a first-round KO loss to Alex Caceres back in December, which snapped his three-fight winning streak. It was also disappointing due to the fact Erosa felt like he didn’t do anything wrong, but simply got caught by a surprise kick that he didn’t see coming.
Luke Rockhold believes Mike Perry "bit off more than he can chew" at BKFC 41, plans to only sign one-fight deals for the rest of his career
Cole Shelton - April 25, 2023
Luke Rockhold expects to surprise many people on Saturday night when he headlines BKFC 41. Rockhold announced his retirement from fighting following his decision loss to Paulo Costa at UFC 278. However, after some time off, he requested his release from the Ultimate Fighting Championship so that he could sign a lucrative one-fight deal with BKFC.
Zak Cummings says retiring at home in Kansas City was the "perfect” end to his career: "I don't think I could think of a better way to go out"
Cole Shelton - April 23, 2023
Zak Cummings figured UFC Kansas City would be his retirement fight and that ended up being the case. Cummings finally made his return to the Octagon last weekend, this after dealing with a bad back injury that left him unable to even pick up his daughter. It was a hard few months for Cummings but he finally was able to return at UFC Kansas City and got a third-round TKO win over Ed Herman. Although Cummings believed he would win, he was surprised by how dominant it was.
Brandon Royval "surprised" he was the underdog against Matheus Nicolau, hopes Alexandre Pantoja beats Brandon Moreno for the belt
Cole Shelton - April 20, 2023
Brandon Royval didn’t understand why he was the betting underdog against Matheus Nicolau. Royval entered the fight as a sizeable underdog – which has him perplexed. He knew Nicolau was good, but he thought his style and him being able to push the pace could create openings. What bothered Royval the most was seeing people say online that he was going to get knocked out.
Ricky Glenn vows to finish Christos Giagos early at UFC Vegas 71 and prove he deserves "a top-15 guy" next
Cole Shelton - April 19, 2023
Ricky Glenn is finally healthy again and ready to be active. Glenn returned in June of 2021 after not fighting since 2018 and knocked out Joaquim Silva in 37 seconds. He then squared off with Grant Dawson that October and fought him to a draw after nearly finishing Dawson in the final round. He was then booked to face Drew Dober in March but just two weeks before the fight he tore a tendon in his groin that has kept him out for over a year.
Pro fighters make their picks for Sergei Pavlovich vs. Curtis Blaydes
Cole Shelton - April 19, 2023
In the main event of UFC Vegas 71, a battle of top-five heavyweights goes down as Sergei Pavlovich takes on Curtis Blaydes. Heading into the scrap, Pavlovich is a +134 underdog while the American is a -172 favorite on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The pros believe Blaydes will use his wrestling – similar to what Alistair Overeem did – to beat up Pavlovich and get a ground-and-pound TKO.
Rani Yahya says wrestling is key to success against Montel Jackson, expects to secure Cody Garbrandt fight with stoppage win at UFC Vegas 71
Cole Shelton - April 18, 2023
Rani Yahya is finally set to return to the Octagon. Yahya has not fought since November of 2021 when he beat Kyung-ho Hang by decision. He was then booked to fight Cody Garbrandt twice in 2022, but a neck injury forced him out of both fights. Now, after over a year away, he is finally set to return on Saturday at UFC Vegas 71.
Steve Garcia eyes TJ Brown or Damon Jackson after TKO win over Shayilan Nuerdanbieke at UFC 287
Cole Shelton - April 14, 2023
Steve Garcia doesn’t understand why he’s always the underdog and overlooked in his fights. At UFC 287, Garcia was once again the underdog as he took on Shayilan Nuerdanbieke. Early on, Nuerdanbieke had success as he got takedowns and even dropped Garcia in the first round.
Gillian Robertson explains decision to drop down to strawweight, expects to submit Piera Rodriguez early at UFC Kansas City: "I expect it to be over fast"
Cole Shelton - April 13, 2023
Gillian Robertson will be returning to the strawweight division. Before Robertson went on TUF and made her way into the UFC, she was competing at 115lbs but admittedly had a tough time making the weight. Once she signed with the UFC, she made 125lbs her home and went 8-5 inside the division. But, after really figuring out her diet, she believes the time is right to return to 115lbs.
Chris Gutierrez knows he has to fight "smart" against "dangerous" Pedro Munhoz at UFC Kansas City
Cole Shelton - April 12, 2023
Chris Gutierrez was hoping he’d get a top-10 opponent next and that is exactly what happened. Back in November, Gutierrez picked up the biggest win of his career as he knocked out Frankie Edgar in the former UFC champ’s retirement fight. After the win, Gutierrez wasn’t sure who would be next but was happy when he was offered Pedro Munhoz at UFC Kansas City.
Zak Cummings reveals Ed Herman scrap at UFC Kansas City will likely be his retirement fight: "I can't think of a better way to go out"
Cole Shelton - April 12, 2023
Zak Cummings says Saturday night at UFC Kansas City will be the final time he makes the walk to the Octagon. Cummings is finally set to return at UFC Kansas City after a back injury that left him bedridden for months. During that time, Cummings knew he had to get one more fight and when he found out the UFC was returning to his hometown of Kansas City, Missouri he knew he had to be on the card.
Pro fighters make their picks for Max Holloway vs. Arnold Allen
Cole Shelton - April 12, 2023
In the main event of UFC Kansas City, a featherweight fight headlines the card as former champ Max Holloway takes on Arnold Allen. Heading into the scrap, Holloway is the -196 favorite while the Brit is a +152 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The pros believe Holloway is the better striker and he will get his hand raised, likely by decision.
Brandon Royval expects to "drown" Matheus Nicolau at UFC Kansas City, hopes to serve as backup for flyweight title fight
Cole Shelton - April 11, 2023
Brandon Royval was confident he would be fighting Matheus Nicolau next. After Royval was cleared from his hand injury, he called out both Nicolau and Kai Kara-France as he wanted a top-five opponent. But, once Kara-France told him he was still injured, he turned all of his focus to Nicolau.
Loopy Godinez says UFC 287 fight against Cynthia Calvillo is "just going to be dominating"
Cole Shelton - April 6, 2023
Loopy Godinez is confident she will return to the win column at UFC 287. Godinez is coming off a disappointing decision loss to Angela Hill back in August at UFC San Diego. Since then, Godinez has been waiting to get a fight but admits the time off has been beneficial for her as she was able to really work on holes in her game and improve.