Exclusive MMA Interviews News
Daniel Pineda says he will retire from MMA "unless the money is right" after fighting out deal at UFC San Antonio
Cole Shelton - March 31, 2023
Daniel Pineda expected his fight at UFC San Antonio against Tucker Lutz to be his last. Pineda was fighting out his UFC contract last weekend and at 37 years old, he thought retirement was the likely move after the bout. Yet, in the fight, Pineda says it was the best he has felt in quite some time and put on a great performance as he submitted Lutz as a sizeable underdog.
Maycee Barber says the people who thought she lost at UFC San Antonio are "uneducated," remains focused on getting rematch with Alexa Grasso
Cole Shelton - March 31, 2023
Maycee Barber thinks it was clear that she beat Andrea Lee at UFC San Antonio. In the fight, Lee got timely takedowns and controlled Barber, but she didn’t land many strikes from the top. Instead, it was Barber landing elbows and creating damage from the bottom, which ‘The Future’ knows is one of the main credentials for how judges score fights.
Brendan Loughnane expecting "a high-level technical kickboxing match" against Marlon Moraes at PFL 1: "My pressure will be too much for him"
Cole Shelton - March 30, 2023
Brendan Loughnane was excited when he found out he would be fighting Marlon Moraes in the 2023 PFL season opener. Loughnane is the reigning PFL featherweight champion and is back for season 2023 as he looks to repeat as champion. When Loughnane won the title last year, he said it was surreal as years of hard work had finally paid off.
Marlon Moraes expects to finish Brendan Loughnane at PFL 1 and prove he's still "one of the best in the world"
Cole Shelton - March 29, 2023
Marlon Moraes still believes he can be a world champion. After Moraes lost his fourth fight in a row to Song Yadong, he announced his retirement from MMA. Yet, not even a year later, he unretired and signed with PFL to face Sheymon Moraes last November where he ultimately suffered a third-round knockout loss.
Jack Shore "really happy" with his UFC 286 submission win over Makwan Amirkhani, eyes return at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi
Cole Shelton - March 24, 2023
Jack Shore knew he had a ton of pressure on him heading into his fight at UFC 286. Shore was moving up to featherweight after suffering his first career loss to Ricky Simon at bantamweight. After that loss and a knee injury, Shore decided the time was right to make the move to featherweight.
Austin Lingo expecting a "firefight" against Nate Landwehr at UFC San Antonio: "It will be a great striking fight"
Cole Shelton - March 23, 2023
Austin Lingo wasn’t sure when he was going to fight again. After Lingo got injured in 2022 and had to pull out of two fights, he was booked to face Ricardo Ramos at UFC Las Vegas on March 11. Yet, on weigh-in day, Ramos missed weight by eight pounds and the fight was scrapped which was frustrating for Lingo.
Daniel Pineda frustrated he was suspended for taking Adderall, vows to finish Tucker Lutz on final fight of his deal at UFC San Antonio
Cole Shelton - March 23, 2023
Daniel Pineda doesn’t understand why he was suspended for taking Adderall which was prescribed by his doctor. After Pineda fought Andre Fili at UFC Vegas 30 in June of 2021, he was notified he was flagged for a positive drug test and would be suspended. Yet, Pineda wasn’t sure why he was getting suspended as he told the commission that he took Adderall which is prescribed to him, and the commission didn’t say anything about it.
Pro fighters make their picks for Marlon Vera vs. Cory Sandhagen
Cole Shelton - March 22, 2023
In the main event of UFC San Antonio, a banger of a bantamweight bout goes down as Marlon Vera takes on Cory Sandhagen. Heading into the fight, Vera is a +145 underdog while the American is a -175 favorite. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The pros slightly lean towards Sandhagen winning as he will be more active on the feet to get a decision.
Mario Bautista wants "firefight" with Cody Garbrandt after submission win over Guido Cannetti: "I think I could bring his wild style out"
Cole Shelton - March 17, 2023
Mario Bautista knew he would be able to finish Guido Cannetti early at UFC Las Vegas. After Bautista submitted Benito Lopez in the first round, he wasn’t sure what would be next for him but was surprised when he was offered Cannetti. Although it wasn’t the fight he was hoping for, Bautista knew he had to make a statement and finish Cannetti early.
Chris Duncan plans to "throw down" with Omar Morales at UFC 286 to earn 50k bonus and prove he's "one of the most exciting fighters"
Cole Shelton - March 16, 2023
Chris Duncan wants to be known as an exciting fighter. Duncan is set to make his UFC debut at UFC 286 against Omar Morales. He is coming off a wild Contender Series fight that saw him get an incredible comeback KO. After that, he was booked to face Michal Figlak, but his scheduled foe pulled out and it took some time for him to get a replacement opponent for Saturday’s event in London.
UFC 286 | Pro fighters make their picks for Justin Gaethje vs. Rafael Fiziev
Cole Shelton - March 16, 2023
In the co-main event of UFC 286, a banger of a lightweight bout takes place as Justin Gaethje takes on Rafael Fiziev. Heading into the fight, Gaethje is a +190 underdog while Fiziev is a -225 favorite. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The pros slightly lean towards the underdog in Gaethje getting his hand raised. But, all the fighters are expecting it to be a very entertaining scrap for however long it lasts.
Davey Grant believes ref standing him and Raphael Assuncao up was fair but understands why his team was mad: "I was just squeezing for dear life"
Cole Shelton - March 15, 2023
Davey Grant knew Raphael Assuncao would be a tough out at UFC Las Vegas but admits it was a harder fight than he thought. Grant knew Assuncao was a good wrestler but the Brit was confident he would have his way on the feet and eventually get the KO. But, after ten minutes that wasn’t the case as Assuncao had won both rounds.
Vitor Belfort reveals he was orignally supposed to box Roy Jones Jr. at Gamebred Boxing 4, vows to KO Jacare Souza: "When I come to the ring, I come to knock people out"
Cole Shelton - March 14, 2023
Vitor Belfort was hoping to box Roy Jones Jr. at Gamebred Boxing 4. When Belfort was first offered to box on the card, the Brazilian says he was going to headline the card against Jones Jr. in a massive fight for both men. Yet, the former UFC light heavyweight champion revealed Jones Jr. turned him down as he wanted an easier matchup.
Pro fighters make their picks for Petr Yan vs. Merab Dvalishvili
Cole Shelton - March 9, 2023
In the main event of UFC Las Vegas, Petr Yan is looking to snap his two-fight losing skid as he takes on Merab Dvalishvili. Heading into the fight, Yan is a -290 favorite while the Georgian is a +215 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The pros slightly lean towards Yan getting it done, and possibly by stoppage.
Tyson Nam expecting "a car accident right from the get-go" against Bruno Silva at UFC Las Vegas: "We will see whose right-hand lands first"
Cole Shelton - March 8, 2023
Tyson Nam is excited about his UFC Las Vegas matchup against Bruno Silva as he knows it is will be a fun one. After Nam knocked out Ode Osbourne in August, the hope was to return in January against David Dvorak but that didn’t come to fruition. Instead, he was booked to face Silva at UFC Las Vegas on March 11 which he’s excited about.
Jonathan Martinez hopeful the judges are not needed for his UFC Las Vegas fight against Said Nurmagomedov: "I'm excited to prove that I should be ranked"
Cole Shelton - March 8, 2023
Jonathan Martinez wasn’t sure who he would be fighting next. Martinez picked up the biggest win of his career last time out as he scored a stoppage victory over Cub Swanson. It was a big win for Martinez who is now set to return at UFC Las Vegas against the 14th-ranked bantamweight in Said Nurmagomedov.
Davey Grant eyes KO win over Raphael Assuncao at UFC Las Vegas to earn a spot in the rankings: "I'm here for exciting fights"
Cole Shelton - March 7, 2023
Davey Grant thought he would’ve been fighting a lot sooner. After Grant scored a third-round KO win over Louis Smolka last May, he thought he would get at least another two fights in 2022. Yet, for whatever reason, Grant did not get another fight offer until he was called to step in on short notice against Raphael Assuncao at UFC Las Vegas.
Bruce Buffer admits Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler coaching TUF will make him a viewer again: "It's going to be exciting"
Cole Shelton - March 3, 2023
Bruce Buffer was ecstatic when he heard that Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler would be the coaches of TUF 31. McGregor and Chandler are set to coach TUF 31 and fight later this year in a massive fight for the sport. It will also bring new eyeballs to TUF, including Buffer who admits he hasn’t watched TUF in a bit but will be tuned into every episode to see what happens.