Exclusive MMA Interviews News
"Pissed off" Geoff Neal expecting an early finish or "a three-round war" against Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 285: "I just feel disrespected"
Cole Shelton - February 28, 2023
Geoff Neal doesn’t think he is getting the respect he deserves heading into his UFC 285 fight against Shavkat Rakhmonov. Neal is set to take on Rakhmonov in a big fight for the welterweight division. The two were originally booked to fight back in January, but an injury to Neal forced the fight to be moved to UFC 285. After news of Neal’s withdrawal was made public, he got flooded with comments suggesting that he was scared of Rakhmonov, which he wasn’t happy about.
Bruce Buffer believes he has another 10 years of being the voice of the Octagon, but explains when he knows it will be time to retire
Cole Shelton - February 28, 2023
Bruce Buffer doesn’t plan to retire anytime soon. Buffer first worked for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, at UFC 8 in 1996, and 27 years later, he is still the voice of the Octagon. Although in 1996, the UFC was not as big as it is now, he says he pushed to get the job as he had a feeling the UFC could become the biggest thing in sports.
Tyron Woodley shares what he thinks is the best performance of his career
Cole Shelton - February 27, 2023
Tyron Woodley thinks two fights stand out as the best performances of his career, but one more than the other. Woodley is the former UFC welterweight champion and defended his title three times and had great wins over Darren Till and Robbie Lawler to win the belt. Woodley says those two performances were the best of his career, but he says the win over Till was his best because it was clear the UFC wanted the Brit to win.
Alexander Hernandez plans to return to featherweight after win over Jim Miller, says he needed to figure out "why" he was fighting
Cole Shelton - February 24, 2023
Alexander Hernandez had to figure out why he was fighting. Hernandez broke into the UFC with an upset KO win over Beneil Dariush on short-notice. After the win, Hernandez was thrown into the deep end and has since had many ups and downs. Yet, after losing two in a row in 2022, he said he needed self-redemption, so he decided to step up on short notice to face Jim Miller at UFC Vegas 69.
Tyron Woodley shares his thoughts on Edwards-Usman 3, questions why he never got an immediate rematch
Cole Shelton - February 24, 2023
Tyron Woodley has noticed a ton of champions get a rematch after they lose their belt and now questions why he didn’t get one. Woodley lost his welterweight title at UFC 235 to Kamaru Usman and after the loss, Usman went on to face Colby Covington. Yet, after Usman lost his title to Leon Edwards, he will now get an immediate rematch on March 18 at UFC 286, in a fight Woodley believes Usman will have success in.
Jasmine Jasudavicius hopes to rebook Cortney Casey fight after UFC Vegas 70, focused on just beating Gabriella Fernandes not a 50k bonus
Cole Shelton - February 23, 2023
Jasmine Jasudavicius was disappointed when Cortney Casey withdrew from their UFC Vegas 70 fight. Jasudavicius was set to face Casey this Saturday, but the veteran was forced to withdraw from the contest and was replaced by UFC newcomer Gabriella Fernandes. The news though was disappointing as the Canadian was eager to fight a well-known veteran.
Tyron Woodley claims Tommy Fury is comparable to Nate Robinson in terms of difficulty for Jake Paul: "Every other fighter, in my opinion, is tougher than Tommy"
Cole Shelton - February 23, 2023
Tyron Woodley doesn’t think Jake Paul vs. Tommy Fury will be competitive. Paul and Fury are set to headline an ESPN Top Rank pay-per-view on Sunday in Saudi Arabia. It’s a fight both men have wanted and after it was booked twice previously but both times Fury pulled out but it will finally happen on Sunday.
Austin Trout responds to Diego Sanchez claims he cheated, eyes BKFC title shot: "I went and looked into BKFC's rules on vaseline and there is nothing"
Cole Shelton - February 23, 2023
Austin Trout wasn’t too surprised by how easily he was able to defeat Diego Sanchez at KnuckleMania 3. Trout is the former WBA super middleweight boxing champion and is currently a fight or two away from fighting for the belt again. Yet, he surprised many when he signed with BKFC and made his debut against Diego Sanchez at KnuckleMania 3.
Tyron Woodley blasts KSI for ducking him after signing a contract to box the YouTuber: "You are not a real fighter"
Cole Shelton - February 22, 2023
Tyron Woodley believes YouTuber-turned-boxer KSI never truly wanted to box him but was using his name for clout. After Woodley lost back-to-back fights to Jake Paul, Paul mentioned Woodley as a possible opponent for his rival, KSI. The two sides then began negotiating a deal and Woodley says he signed a deal to box KSI but the YouTuber declined and decided to fight Dillon Danis instead.
Alan Belcher expects to KO Arnold Adams "early" to win BKFC heavyweight title, believes Ben Rothwell could be his first title defense
Cole Shelton - February 22, 2023
Alan Belcher is confident he will become the BKFC heavyweight champion on Friday in Louisiana at BKFC 36. Belcher is set to take on Arnold Adams for the heavyweight title in an intriguing matchup. Since signing with BKFC, Belcher is 3-0 and coming off a first-round knockout win over Frank Tate. After the win, he thought a title shot would be next, but was okay if he had to fight again.
Tyron Woodley interested in facing Jake Paul in PFL, blasts people for saying he took a dive: "If you stand still and let someone punch you as hard as they can, you can die!"
Cole Shelton - February 21, 2023
Tyron Woodley believes he and Jake Paul could fight again, but this time in MMA. Woodley made his boxing debut against Paul in August of 2021, with Jake winning a split decision in a fight the former UFC champion thought he won. The two then rematched a few months later in December but this time around, it was Paul winning by KO.
Tyron Woodley not ruling out a return to UFC as free agency continues: "I don't get my feelings hurt in business"
Cole Shelton - February 21, 2023
Tyron Woodley isn’t ruling out fighting in the UFC again. Woodley is the former UFC welterweight champion and fought in the promotion from 2013 to 2021. He went 9-6-1 in the Octagon and defended his title three times. However, after having some disputes with Dana White and losing four straight fights, he was ultimately released from the UFC.
Blake Bilder pleased with upset win over Shane Young at UFC 284, hopes to be active in 2023: "This is a race to the belt"
Cole Shelton - February 17, 2023
Blake Bilder knew going to Australia to fight Shane Young at UFC 284 would pose some problems. Bilder was making his debut against Young who hails from New Zealand and is used to the time zone and didn’t have a long flight. Along with that, with what time the card was on in Australia, it meant fighters not having the usual time to rehydrate as well as an early wake-up call to fight.
After overcoming "the fear of losing" Evan Elder expects UFC Vegas 69 fight against Nazim Sadykhov to be a "three-round drag-out war"
Cole Shelton - February 16, 2023
Evan Elder had a sense of relief when he lost to Preston Parsons in his UFC debut last April. Elder stepped up on short notice and moved up to welterweight to face Parsons and dropped a decision. It was his first career loss, and although he would’ve liked to remain undefeated, Elder says the loss has actually helped him quite a bit.
Modestas Bukauskas responds to Tyson Pedro claiming he was sick the night before UFC 284, hopes to get on UFC 286
Cole Shelton - February 16, 2023
Modestas Bukauskas knew he always belonged in the UFC. Bukauskas earned a first-round TKO victory in his Octagon debut but went on to lose his next three fights and was subsequently released from the promotion. He then picked up two wins in Cage Warriors including winning the light heavyweight title. After that, he re-signed with the UFC to step up on short notice to face Tyson Pedro at UFC 284.
Zac Pauga plans to "test" Jordan Wright's cardio at UFC Vegas 69, expects to "redeem" himself after KO loss: "He's a super dangerous fighter"
Cole Shelton - February 15, 2023
Zac Pauga wasn’t sure if he would get to make his UFC debut. Pauga competed on TUF 30 and lost in the finale by KO to Mohammed Usman. Although before the fight, Pauga signed a contract should he win or lose the contest, he still wasn’t guaranteed to get a UFC bout.
Austin Trout plans to be a champion in boxing and BKFC, vows to KO Diego Sanchez at KnuckleMania 3: "Shoutout to him for signing up to take this ass-whooping"
Cole Shelton - February 14, 2023
Austin Trout surprised many when he signed with BKFC. Trout is the former WBA light middleweight champion and still a top-five contender and many expected him to try and get a title shot this year. The former champ has fought the likes of Canelo Alvarez and the Charlo twins, but he wanted to be more active so inked a deal with BKFC.
Diego Sanchez sends warning to Austin Trout ahead of KnuckleMania 3: "You are not who you think you are and you are in for a rude awakening"
Cole Shelton - February 14, 2023
Diego Sanchez believes Austin Trout is overlooking him. Sanchez is set to make his BKFC debut at KnuckleMania 3 against Trout who is the former WBA light middleweight champion. The pro boxer has fought the likes of Canelo Alvarez and the Charlo twins. Given Trout is a big name in boxing, Sanchez was excited when he got the call to fight him as he wanted the biggest name possible for his debut.