Exclusive MMA Interviews News
Johnny Munoz Jr. plans to submit Liudvik Sholinian on last fight of deal to earn a new UFC contract
Cole Shelton - November 4, 2022
Johnny Munoz Jr. knows there is pressure on him as he’s fighting out his UFC contract on Saturday at UFC Vegas 64. Munoz Jr. is 1-2 in the UFC and coming off a first-round TKO loss to Tony Gravely back in June. Following that, he wasn’t sure what would be next for him but when he got the call to face Sholinian he was excited as he knows a ton about him.
Mario Bautista reveales he was supposed to fight Benito Lopez as an amateur, expects to get a stoppage win: "There are some big holes in his game"
Cole Shelton - November 3, 2022
Mario Bautista was ecstatic when he got the call to fight Benito Lopez. After Bautista submitted Brian Kelleher back in June he wasn’t sure what would be next. Yet, when he got the call to face Lopez it did surprise him as Benito hasn’t fought since 2019. However, Bautista was excited about the matchup given the two were supposed to fight as amateurs in 2013.
Steve Garcia admits he was surprised he put Chase Hooper away so early, hopes to re-sign with UFC after fighitng out his contract
Cole Shelton - November 3, 2022
Steve Garcia knew he had to drop down in weight after his last fight. Garcia went to Singapore to take on Maheshate at UFC 275 in June and after he weighed in, he had a hard time putting on weight. He ended up losing by first-round TKO and after the loss, he knew he needed to drop down to featherweight.
Chase Sherman asked the UFC for Josh Parisian fight, says if he doesn't get a "highlight-reel finish" he'll be "slightly disappointed"
Cole Shelton - November 2, 2022
Chase Sherman wanted Josh Parisian next and approached the UFC with the matchup. After Sherman scored a third-round TKO over Jared Vanderaa he wasn’t sure what would be next. But, after going on social media he saw many mention a fight against Parisian made sense. He then talked to his coaches who also liked the matchup, so he pitched the fight to Mick Maynard who made it happen as the two will meet at UFC Vegas 64.
Josh Fremd believes he's fighting for his job at UFC Vegas 63, sees a "lot of holes" in Tresean Gore
Cole Shelton - October 28, 2022
Josh Fremd was happy when he got rebooked to face Tresean Gore as he believes this is a very favorable matchup for him. Fremd and Gore were booked to fight one another back in July but an injury forced Fremd out of the matchup. His teammate in Cody Brundage then took the scrap and got a KO win and after the fight, Fremd was glad when he got the call to face Gore.
Joseph Holmes believes he'll finish Jun Yong Park in the first round at UFC Vegas 63: "He's not going to want to stand with me"
Cole Shelton - October 28, 2022
Joseph Holmes has a ton of confidence heading into his UFC Vegas 63 matchup against Jun Yong Park. Holmes is coming off his first UFC win as he defeated Alen Amedovski in the first round back in May. After the win, he wasn’t sure what would be next for him but he’s glad to be facing someone like Park.
On last fight of deal, Jared Vanderaa switched camps and vows to finish Waldo Cortes-Acosta to earn a new contract
Cole Shelton - October 28, 2022
Jared Vanderaa will be fighting for his UFC career on Saturday night. Vanderaa is set to face Waldo Cortes-Acosta at UFC Vegas 63 in a do-or-die spot for his career. He’s on a four-fight losing skid but the promotion is giving him the final fight on his deal due to him taking short-notice fights.
Pro fighters make their picks for Jake Paul vs. Anderson Silva boxing match
Cole Shelton - October 27, 2022
In the main event of a Showtime boxing pay-per-view on Saturday in Arizona, Jake Paul has the toughest test of his career as he takes on former UFC champ, Anderson Silva. Heading into the fight, Paul is a -192 favorite while the Brazilian is a +150 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. Many believe Silva will get it done while some are starting to believe Paul is legit.
Dustin Jacoby plans to "expose" and KO Khalil Rountree at UFC Vegas 63: "If he's not the best Khalil it's going to be a quick night"
Cole Shelton - October 25, 2022
Dustin Jacoby was hoping for a ranked opponent next time out but is happy to be facing Khalil Rountree next time out. Jacoby scored a first-round KO win over Da Un Jung back at UFC Long Island in his first fight as a ranked light heavyweight. After the win, he wanted to face another ranked opponent but that won’t be the case as he will take on Rountree at UFC Vegas 63.
Chase Hooper plans to "show off" against Steve Garcia at UFC Vegas 63: "I think from here I can start looking up at the division"
Cole Shelton - October 25, 2022
Chase Hooper is glad to be making a relatively quick turnaround. Back in May, Hooper returned to the win column with a TKO victory over Felipe Colares. The fight was his first in nearly a year which Hooper admits he doesn’t like. He will now be returning five months later which is a much better timeframe for him.
AJ Dobson expects a "three-round war" against Armen Petrosyan at UFC 280: "I'll surprise him with my speed"
Cole Shelton - October 20, 2022
AJ Dobson knew he needed to get healthy before he took another fight. Dobson earned his way into the UFC with a win over Hashem Arkhagha by submission on the Contender Series. In his UFC debut, he suffered a decision loss to Jacob Malkoun but he wishes he never took the fight. Dobson explained that he was fighting injured in his last three outings as he needed knee surgery to fix a torn meniscus, a surgery which he finally got after the loss to Malkoun.
UFC 280 | Pro fighters make their picks for Charles Oliveira vs. Islam Makhachev title fight
Cole Shelton - October 20, 2022
In the main event of UFC 280, the vacant lightweight title is up for grabs as Charles Oliveira takes on Islam Makhachev. Heading into the fight, Oliveira is a +128 underdog while the Dagestani native is a -164 favorite on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The pros believe Oliveira and his experience fighting top competition will be the difference as they expect the Brazilian to get the win.
UFC 280 | Pro fighters make their picks for Aljamain Sterling vs. TJ Dillashaw title fight
Cole Shelton - October 19, 2022
In the co-main event of UFC 280, the bantamweight title is up for grabs as Aljamain Sterling defends his strap against TJ Dillashaw. Heading into the fight, Sterling is a -184 favorite with the challenger being a +142 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The majority of pros believe Sterling will be able to mix in the wrestling to edge out a win to defend his bantamweight title.
Beneil Dariush explains how Mateusz Gamrot inspired him, vows to finish the Pole at UFC 280: "He's that first generation of the new guard"
Cole Shelton - October 18, 2022
Beneil Dariush is ecstatic to be facing Mateusz Gamrot at UFC 280. After Dariush beat Tony Ferguson in May of 2021, he was then booked to face Islam Makhachev that following February. Unfortnately, Dariush suffered a broken ankle which forced him to pull out of the fight. After healing the ankle, he will return to the Octagon against Gamrot at UFC 280 which is a fight he is looking forward to.
UFC 280 | Pro fighters make their picks for Petr Yan vs. Sean O'Malley
Cole Shelton - October 18, 2022
On the main card of UFC 280, an intriguing bantamweight bout goes down as Petr Yan takes on Sean O’Malley. Heading into the fight, Yan is a -260 favorite while ‘Suga’ is a +196 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The pros are nearly split in this one as many think the three rounds favor O’Malley while other pros expect Yan to be too big of a step up in competition too soon for ‘Suga’.
Victor Henry confident he will TKO Raphael Assuncao at UFC Vegas 62: "If I had enough power to rock Raoni and almost finish him, I should have enough power to finish Assuncao”
Cole Shelton - October 14, 2022
Victor Henry is confident he will get a stoppage win when he fights Raphael Assuncao at UFC Vegas 62. Henry is coming off his UFC debut where he scored an upset win over Raoni Barcelos on short notice back in January. After the win, many wanted to see Henry right back in there but he will return 10 months later due to some minor injuries.
Jonathan Martinez "surprised" Cub Swanson is dropping down down to bantamweight but honored to welcome him to the division: "It should be a good fight"
Cole Shelton - October 12, 2022
Jonathan Martinez is pumped to be welcoming Cub Swanson to the bantamweight division at UFC Vegas 62. After Martinez picked up his third win in a row, he wasn’t sure what would be next for him, but did want a legend like Frankie Edgar. Although he didn’t get the Edgar fight he did get another legend as he will face Swanson on Saturday.
Brandon Royval says it's "hard to watch video" on Askar Askarov due to his style, confident he'll finish him to set up UFC 283 rematch with Alexandre Pantoja
Cole Shelton - October 12, 2022
Brandon Royval isn’t a fan of Askar Askarov and his style. Royval has taken shots at Askarov in the past saying the Russian is boring and all he does is hold people up against the fence and win decisions. After the comments, the UFC booked Royval vs. Askarov at UFC Vegas 62 which is a fight he thought would happen.