Exclusive MMA Interviews News
Max Griffin wants to "finish" his career in the UFC after fighting out his deal, hopes for a quick turnaround
Cole Shelton - February 20, 2024
Max Griffin is ready to re-sign with the UFC. Griffin fought out his contract at UFC Vegas 86 against Jeremiah Wells and he earned a hard-fought split decision win. Going into the fight, Grifin knew there was pressure on him to get the victory, but he believed that same pressure would prove to be good motivation and make him perform at his best.
Dan Ige says KO of Andre Fili was "pretty gangster," eyes return at The Sphere against any ranked featherweight
Cole Shelton - February 20, 2024
Dan Ige returned to the win column in a big way at UFC Vegas 86. Ige was fighting in the co-main event as he took on short-notice replacement Andre Fili. The Hawaiian was originally supposed to fight Lerone Murphy, but the Brit was forced out of the bout. Fili ended up being the replacement opponent, which was tough for Ige as he says the two are friends and have trained together in the past.
UFC 298 | Pro fighters make their picks for Merab Dvalishvili vs Henry Cejudo
Cole Shelton - February 15, 2024
On the main card of UFC 298 on Saturday in Anaheim, California, top-three bantamweights collide as Merab Dvalishvili takes on Henry Cejudo. Heading into the fight, Dvalishvili is a -205 favorite while ‘Triple C’ is a +158 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to make their picks for the bantamweight fight at UFC 298. Ultimately, the pros are siding with the favorite as they believe Merab Dvalihvili’s cardio and relentless wrestling will be too much for Cejudo at UFC 298.
UFC 298 | Pro fighters make their picks for Robert Whittaker vs. Paulo Costa
Cole Shelton - February 15, 2024
In the co-main event of UFC 298, a pivotal middleweight bout between Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa goes down on Saturday in Anaheim. Heading into the fight, Whittaker is a -265 favorite while the Brazilian is a +200 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to make their picks for the fight at UFC 298. The pros are expecting Whittaker to return to the win column in a big way as the fighters think he’s too technical for Costa.
UFC 298 | Pro fighters make their picks for Alexander Volkanovski vs Ilia Topuria title fight
Cole Shelton - February 14, 2024
In the main event of UFC 298, the featherweight title is up for grabs as Alexander Volkanovski looks to defend his belt when he takes on Ilia Topuria. Heading into the fight Volkanovski is a slight -128 favorite while the challenger is a +100 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to make their picks for the title fight at UFC 298. Although Volkanovski is coming off the KO loss at lightweight, but despite the loss and the close odds, the pros are actually unanimous in thinking the Aussie remains the featherweight king on Saturday in Anaheim.
Robert Whittaker excited to go out and "hurt" Paulo Costa at UFC 298: "I'm coming for violence"
Cole Shelton - February 13, 2024
Robert Whittaker is glad he and Paulo Costa will finally fight. Whittaker and Costa have been scheduled to fight one another twice previously, including last February, but both times the Brazilian was the reason for the proposed contest falling apart. Despite that, when Whittaker was offered to face Costa at UFC 298 in Anaheim, he jumped at the chance to do so.
David Zawada to face OKTAGON MMA foe: "I know Hojat"
Zain Bando - February 9, 2024
David Zawada (18-9 MMA, 1-0 OKTAGON MMA) returns to the OKTAGON MMA cage for the second time to secure his first victory since June 2022 when he faces No. 5 ranked middleweight Hojat Khajevand (7-3 MMA) on Saturday afternoon (stateside) in Germany. Zawada is a long-time combat sports veteran, having competed in PFL and the UFC.
Devin Clark planning for a "dominant" win over Marcin Prachnio on last fight of his deal at UFC Vegas 86
Cole Shelton - February 8, 2024
Devin Clark knows he could be fighting for his job on Saturday night at UFC Vegas 86. Clark hasn’t fought since May of last year when he suffered a submission loss to Kennedy Nzechukwu. After that, he was hoping to fight one more time in 2023, but he decided to spend time with his family and get his mindset right for his next fight.
Robert Whittaker won't comment on rumored injury before Dricus Du Plessis fight but admits his training camp "wasn't optimal"
Cole Shelton - February 6, 2024
Robert Whittaker won’t comment on the rumors he was dealing with a significant injury going into his UFC 290 fight against Dricus Du Plessis. Ben Askren and Daniel Cormier recently spoke on ‘DC’s’ YouTube channel and both mentioned they heard Whittaker had a serious ankle injury going into that fight. However, Whittaker says he won’t comment on if that was true, but does admit the training camp for his fight against Du Plessis wasn’t one he was happy with.
Jack Hermansson believes he has to "make a statement" against Joe Pyfer at UFC Vegas 86 to prove he's still a title contender
Cole Shelton - February 6, 2024
Jack Hermansson isn’t surprised people are overlooking him and doubting him going into his UFC Vegas 86 main event fight against Joe Pyfer. Hermansson hasn’t fought since December of 2022 when he suffered a TKO loss to Roman Dolidze. He was later booked to fight Brendan Allen in June, but an injury forced him to withdraw as he was out of action for all of 2023, which was frustrating for ‘The Joker’.
OKTAGON's Matěj Peňáz says "direct offer to UFC" is goal
Zain Bando - January 25, 2024
OKTAGON’s Matěj Peňáz returns to the cage for the first time since December on a two-fight winning streak opposite Matthew Bonner (16-9-1 MMA) on Saturday at OKTAGON 52 in Newcastle, England. The event airs live on DAZN and the promotion’s official website (via internet pay-per-view), beginning at noon ET/9 a.m. PT in the U.S. Peňáz (8-1 MMA) spoke to BJPenn.com ahead of his middleweight fight about his training camp, Bonner as an opponent, and future MMA career aspirations.
Bruce Buffer always knew the UFC would be one of "the biggest things in sports worldwide"
Cole Shelton - January 19, 2024
Bruce Buffer has seen it all throughout his time in the UFC. Buffer will have been the voice of the Octagon for 29 years next month, and when he first joined the company, MMA wasn’t very popular, and the UFC was struggling to stay afloat. However, Buffer had full confidence the UFC could become the biggest thing in combat sports, but also one of the biggest things in sports, period.
UFC 297 | Pro fighters make their picks for Raquel Pennington vs. Mayra Bueno Silva title fight
Cole Shelton - January 18, 2024
In the co-main event of UFC 297 in Toronto on Saturday, the vacant women’s bantamweight title is up for grabs as Raquel Pennington takes on Mayra Bueno Silva. Heading into the fight, Pennington is a +136 underdog while the Brazilian is a -174 favorite on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to some pro fighters to make their picks for the title fight at UFC 297. The majority of the pros believe Pennington will leave Toronto as the bantamweight champ, and likely doing so by decision.
Gillian Robertson trained with UFC 297 opponent Polyana Viana in the past, eyes TKO victory in front of hometown crowd
Cole Shelton - January 18, 2024
Gillian Robertson is eager to fight back home in Canada. Robertson hasn’t fought in Canada since July of 2019 at UFC 240, where she scored a first round TKO victory over Sarah Frota. After missing out on the UFC’s return to Vancouver last June, Robertson was ecstatic when she found out she’d be on UFC 297 in Toronto.
UFC 297 | Pro fighters make their picks for Sean Strickland vs. Dricus Du Plessis title fight
Cole Shelton - January 17, 2024
In the main event of UFC 297 in Toronto on Saturday, the middleweight title is up for grabs as Sean Strickland looks to defend his belt for the first time against Dricus Du Plessis. Heading into the fight, Strickland is a small -138 favorite while the South African is a +108 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to make their picks for the title fight at UFC 297. The pros believe Strickland will get it done, as they think the American can edge out a decision win, as his pressure will be too much for Du Plessis to deal with.
Bruce Buffer very excited "to perform for the Canadians" at UFC 297: "The fans are rabid and they love the UFC"
Cole Shelton - January 16, 2024
Bruce Buffer was excited to see the UFC returning to Canada in 2024, and Toronto for that matter. Buffer has been to plenty of countries, where he has introduced several fighters inside of the Octagon. Buffer knows no matter where the UFC goes the crowd is always loud and electric, but the voice of the UFC says Canada, and especially Toronto, is always one of the rowdiest and loudest crowds of the year.
Pro fighters make their picks for Magomed Ankalaev vs. Johnny Walker 2
Cole Shelton - January 11, 2024
In the first event of 2024, top-10 light heavyweights collide as Magomed Ankalaev rematches Johnny Walker in the main event of UFC Vegas 84. Heading into the fight, Ankalaev is a sizeable -590 favorite while the Brazilian is a +390 underdog on FanDuel. The two fought back at UFC 294 in October in Abu Dhabi, but the fight ended in a No Contest in the first round as Ankalaev landed an illegal knee to Walker and the doctor stopped the scrap. Ahead of their rematch, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to make their picks for the fight at UFC Vegas 84. The pros believe Ankalaev’s grappling will be the difference and will lead to the win over Walker.
Mario Bautista confident he can "put out" Ricky Simon at UFC Vegas 84 to send a "statement" to the bantamweight division
Cole Shelton - January 11, 2024
Mario Bautista is excited to finally get his chance to fight a ranked opponent. Bautista is coming off a decision win over Da’Mon Blackshear in August, in a fight where he was originally supposed to take on Cody Garbrandt, but the former bantamweight champion was forced out of the bout due to an injury. After the win over Blackshear, Bautista wanted a ranked opponent next, and he got his wish as he will take on Ricky Simon at UFC Vegas 84.