Exclusive MMA Interviews News
Ben Rothwell reveals the two favorite moments from his UFC career
Cole Shelton - September 29, 2022
Ben Rothwell says two moments stick out from his UFC career. Rothwell has been fighting professionally since 2001 and was in the UFC from 2009 to 2022. ‘Big Ben’ fought the who’s who of the heavyweight division but says his wins over Alistair Overeem and Josh Barnett are two of his career highlights.
Ben Rothwell plans to make Bobo O'Bannon "regret" wanting to fight him at BKFC 30: "I know I'm one of the best fighters in the world"
Cole Shelton - September 28, 2022
Ben Rothwell is finally set to make his BKFC debut on Saturday in the co-main event of BKFC 30 in Monroe, Louisana. Earlier this year, Rothwell asked for his UFC release and later signed with BKFC. Once he signed with BKFC, he expected to get a fight relatively soon but that didn’t happen and he will now fight Bobo O’Bannon on Saturday.
Mackenzie Dern confident she'll submit Yan Xiaonan, eyes Rose Namajunas or the loser of Esparza-Weili next: "It definitely won't be an easy fight"
Cole Shelton - September 27, 2022
Mackenzie Dern is excited to headline another card. Dern is set to headline UFC Vegas 61 against Yan Xiaonan in a crucial fight for the strawweight division. Although Xiaonan is coming off two straight losses, Dern knows she is a tough test and after she defeated Tecia Torres last time out, the American expected this fight to be next.
Damon Jackson knew he couldn't pull out of his fight after his brother passed, eyes Julian Erosa after TKO win over Pat Sabatini
Cole Shelton - September 24, 2022
Damon Jackson knew he wasn’t going to pull out of his UFC Vegas 60 fight against Pat Sabatini. As Jackson was in Las Vegas getting ready for his fight against Sabatini, he found out his older brother passed away. Immediately, he told his coach he was going to fight and informed the UFC of the news but remained adamant he was going to compete.
After being "bedridden" for months and in a dark place due to a back injury, Zak Cummings is finally ready to return
Cole Shelton - September 23, 2022
Zak Cummings has had a difficult two years to say the least. After Cummings beat Alessio Di Chirico in August of 2020 he was offered another fight shortly after at light heavyweight. However, that bout didn’t come to fruition and he was then booked to fight Sam Alvey in April of 2021. Unfortunately for Cummings, he suffered a serious back injury in training and has been on the sidelines ever since.
Nikolas Motta explains why he had so much pressure on him to beat Cameron VanCamp at UFC Vegas 60: "It has been a long journey"
Cole Shelton - September 22, 2022
Nikolas Motta had a ton of pressure on him heading into his UFC Vegas 60 fight against Cameron VanCamp. Motta was coming off a KO loss to Jim Miller in his UFC debut and heading into this fight against VanCamp, the Brazilian thought he was fighting for his job.
Julian Erosa happy with "easy fight" against Hakeem Dawodu at UFC 279, eyes Alex Caceres next: "I just want someone that will be a willing dance partner to make it a fun fight"
Cole Shelton - September 16, 2022
Julian Erosa is happy with his win over Hakeem Dawodu at UFC 279. Erosa was coming off a win over Steven Peterson who missed weight which led to a massive payday for him. At UFC 279, he was in a familiar spot as his opponent in Dawodu missed weight. Although some fighters get mad at opponents for missing weight, Erosa is not in the same boat.
After nearly two years away, Louis Cosce confident he will finish Trevin Giles at UFC Vegas 60: "The way his chin is looking I would like to say I'm going to knock him out"
Cole Shelton - September 15, 2022
Louis Cosce will finally be returning to the Octagon. Cosce made his UFC debut at UFC 255 in November of 2020, where he suffered a third-round TKO loss to Sasha Palatnikov. Since then, Cosce finally decided to address a shoulder issue and later got COVID which has kept him out of the Octagon for nearly two years.
Gillian Robertson confident she'll finish Mariya Agapova at UFC Vegas 60 after training with her for months: "We got a lot of rounds in so we are very familiar with one another"
Cole Shelton - September 14, 2022
Gillian Robertson and Mariya Agapova are very familiar with one another. Robertson was supposed to face Melissa Gatto at UFC Vegas 60, but she received a text that Gatto was out. However, in the same message, she received the news she would now be fighting Agapova.
Damon Jackson wouldn't be surprised if him and Pat Sabatini "slug it out" at UFC Vegas 60: "This fight is going to be a test for both of us"
Cole Shelton - September 13, 2022
Damon Jackson thought he could’ve gotten a top-15 opponent next but is excited to face Pat Sabatini at UFC Vegas 60. Jackson is on a three-fight winning streak and after his last fight, he called for a ranked opponent or Cub Swanson, who ultimately dropped down to bantamweight. With that, he got a call to face Sabatini, who Jackson admits is very similar to him.
Daniel Rodriguez details hectic UFC 279 fight week, uncertain if Kevin Holland fight happens next: "I just said f**k it, I'm going to fight on Saturday"
Cole Shelton - September 13, 2022
Daniel Rodriguez says UFC 279 will go down as the most hectic and strange fight week in his career. Rodriguez was supposed to face Kevin Holland at a 180lbs catchweight bout, which is a fight that was years in the making. However, after Khamzat Chimaev missed weight badly, the UFC scrambled to change opponents, and right away the promotion wanted to make Chimaev-Holland. Although it was a big fight, Rodriguez says Holland messaged him to say he won’t take the fight unless the UFC takes care of him.
UFC 279 | Pro fighters make their picks for Nate Diaz vs. Tony Ferguson
Cole Shelton - September 9, 2022
In the new main event of UFC 279, Nate Diaz will take on Tony Ferguson at welterweight. Heading into the fight, Diaz is a +110 underdog while ‘El Cucuy’ is a -130 favorite. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The majority of pros believe Diaz gets it done and many think this will be a much better bout than Diaz-Chiamev was going to be. Many also believe Diaz preparing for five rounds while Ferguson was preparing for three should favor the Stockton, native.
Chad Anheliger hoping for a "drawn-out war" against Heili Alateng at UFC 279: "I want this fight to be wild"
Cole Shelton - September 8, 2022
Chad Anheliger is excited to face Heili Alateng at UFC 279 and he’s confident it will be a fun fight for the fans. Anheliger will be making the walk to the Octagon for the second time and will fight on the same card as his teammate Hakeem Dawodu. He will also be fighting in front of fans for the first time in the UFC which he’s excited about.
UFC 279 | Pro fighters make their picks for Khamzat Chimaev vs. Nate Diaz
Cole Shelton - September 8, 2022
In the main event of UFC 279, a welterweight bout headlines the card as Khamzat Chimaev takes on Nate Diaz, who’s fighting out his UFC contract. Heading into the fight, Chimaev is a massive -1200 favorite while the American is a +700 underdog on FanDuel. Heading into the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The majority of pros expect Chimaev to get a stoppage win, but they are rooting for Diaz to pull off the upset.
Darian Weeks plans to proves he belongs with stoppage win over Yohan Lainesse at UFC 279: "I'm better in a lot of positions than he is"
Cole Shelton - September 7, 2022
Darian Weeks believes he will finally get his first UFC win when he faces Yohan Lainesse at UFC 279. Weeks is coming off a decision loss to Ian Garry back in April and before that, he suffered a decision loss to Bryan Barberena in a fight he took on a couple of days’ notice. He was then booked to face Cedric Doumbe at UFC Paris, but due to French commission rules the fight was scrapped and he was then quickly re-booked to face Lainesse at UFC 279 a week later.
Chris Barnett expecting a "war" in "the king of the dad bods battle" against Jake Collier at UFC 279: "We are going to strike, we are going to spin"
Cole Shelton - September 7, 2022
Chris Barnett is excited to face Jake Collier at UFC 279 and to fight in front of fans again. Barnett is coming off a decision loss to Martin Buday, however, the entire camp was a hard one as his wife was in the hospital, and 30 hours before the fight he got a call that he had to make a decision about her. Following the loss, she, unfortunately, passed away. With that, Barnett spent the next few months with his kids but now finally feels ready to fight again.
Johnny Walker believes the "only chance" Ion Cutelaba beats him is if he "does something really different" at UFC 279, says he will retire at 35 if he's not the champ
Cole Shelton - September 6, 2022
Johnny Walker is confident he will not just beat Ion Cutelaba at UFC 279 but will put on a very good performance. Walker is coming off a KO loss to Jamahal Hill back in February and since then he says he has been working a lot on his striking defense. He spent time in Thailand working on his striking and he’s confident it will all pay off at UFC 279.
Chris Barnett reveals 30 hours before Martin Buday fight he had to make a decision on his sick wife, thanks Dana White for calling and taking care of him
Cole Shelton - September 5, 2022
Chris Barnett wishes he never fought Martin Buday back in April. Throughout the entire training camp for the Buday fight, his wife was battling encephalitis and unfortunately, she later passed away in May. With his wife in the hospital, Barnett says some days he wouldn’t get any training in, and on fight week, he got a phone call from the hospital that he needed to make a decision which caught him by surprise.