Exclusive MMA Interviews News
Frankie Edgar says he'll have "goosebumps" when he walks out for final time, expects to wrestle Chris Gutierrez often at UFC 281: "It's no secret I always look for takedowns"
Cole Shelton - November 8, 2022
Frankie Edgar knew he wanted his retirement fight to happen at UFC 281 at Madison Square Garden. Edgar last fought back at UFC 268 in November last year at MSG against Marlon Vera. He had success early on but in the third round, he suffered a KO loss. After the defeat, Edgar took some time off and this summer, he realized he wanted to fight one more time and wanted it at MSG.
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.
Grant Dawson reveals six fighters turned him down before taking short notice bout against Mark Madsen, vows to finish him and get ranked
Cole Shelton - November 1, 2022
Grant Dawson has had a hard time getting a fight. Dawson hasn’t fought since April when he submitted Jared Gordon. Since then, he revealed he was offered six opponents with some of the names being Dan Hooker, Rafael dos Anjos, Damir Ismagulov, and Gregor Gillespie, but all six turned him down. Although some got different fights, Dawson says it is frustrating waiting on the sidelines.
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.
Max Griffin says Dana White and Mick Maynard told him he beat Neil Magny, hopes to submit Tim Means at UFC Vegas 63
Cole Shelton - October 26, 2022
Max Griffin didn’t know who he was going to fight next. Griffin took on Neil Magny at UFC Columbus back in March and lost a split decision in a very close fight. It could’ve gone either way but right after the fight, Mick Maynard went up to him and told him that he and Dana White both thought he should have won. With that, they were going to pay him his win bonus but it left Griffin confused.
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.
Volkan Oezdemir plans to KO Nikita Krylov in the first round at UFC 280 to "get one back" for Alexander Gustafsson
Cole Shelton - October 20, 2022
Volkan Oezdemir knew he was going to face Nikita Krylov next time out right after UFC London. Oezdemir and Krylov both picked up wins at UFC London in July and shortly after the event, the two light heavyweight finishers were matched up. It’s also a scrap that Oezdemir thought was inevitable after they were booked to fight one another in 2020.
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’.
Mike Jackson still just fighting for "shits and giggles", but confident he'll KO Pete Rodriguez at UFC Vegas 62: "Everyone knows I'm coming for the knockout"
Cole Shelton - October 13, 2022
Mike Jackson will be returning to the Octagon on Saturday for the second time in 2022. Jackson fought Dean Barry in April, and he won by DQ due to Barry eye-gouging him. After the win, Jackson was unsure when he would fight again but will make a relatively quick turnaround as he’s set to face Pete Rodriguez at UFC Vegas 62.
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.