Exclusive MMA Interviews News
Sayif Saud "proud" of Uriah Hall's career and everything he accomplished following his retirement from MMA: "Uriah had a great run"
Cole Shelton - August 30, 2022
Sayif Saud is proud of everything he accomplished coaching Uriah Hall. Hall joined Fortis MMA back in 2019 ahead of his fight with Antonio Carlos Junior. He won that bout and then went on to defeat both Anderson Silva and Chris Weidman. However, Hall went on to suffer a decision loss to Sean Strickland in a main event contest and then lost to Andre Muniz by deicison.
Ciryl Gane says he's fighting "for my country" at UFC Paris, plans to "put on a show" against Tai Tuivasa to get the "finish"
Cole Shelton - August 30, 2022
Ciryl Gane is excited to headline the first UFC event in Paris, France. Gane, who was born and raised in France is excited to fight in front of his family and friends again. The Frenchman hasn’t fought at home since his muay Thai career and he knows the walkout and the moment will be special.
Stephen Thompson eyes "fun fight" against Michel Pereira at UFC 281: "I think I could put him away"
Cole Shelton - August 26, 2022
Stephen Thompson has made it known he wants to fight a striker next. Thompson was linked to a fight with Shavkat Rakhmonov but told BJPENN.com on Thursday that he was not interested in that fight. ‘Wonderboy’ says he wants to fight a striker, so with that, he hopes he can face Michel Pereira his next time out.
Chris Weidman still training, hoping to return "middle of next year," reveals Stephen Thompson
Cole Shelton - August 26, 2022
Chris Weidman has made it known he will make the walk to the Octagon again. At UFC 261, Weidman broke his leg in a gruesome fashion as just 17 seconds into the fight, he threw a leg kick that Uriah Hall blocked and his leg snapped in half. It was a major injury that resulted in multiple surgeries but Weidman is back in the gym and getting closer to a return.
Stephen Thompson not interested in fighting Shavkat Rakhmonov next: "It doesn't make sense for me to face another heavy grappler"
Cole Shelton - August 25, 2022
Stephen Thompson isn’t interested in fighting Shavkat Rakhmonov next. Thompson hasn’t fought since last December when he lost by decision to Belal Muhammad. It was his second straight defeat, and in both losses, he was out grappled and outwrestled.
John Dodson reveals career highlight from his UFC tenure: "I came out unscathed, he came out looking like Frankenstein"
Cole Shelton - August 24, 2022
John Dodson has accomplished a lot in his career but there are some things that stick out to him more than others. Dodson won TUF 14 as he knocked out TJ Dillashaw and went on to start out his UFC career 3-0 which led to a flyweight title fight against Demetrious Johnson. Although he never touched UFC gold, Dodson fought so many future champions which he says is a career highlight that he always fought the best of the best.
TJ Dillashaw "is going to go ahead and beat Aljamain Sterling," says former opponent: "He has a better skill set"
Cole Shelton - August 23, 2022
John Dodson, who fought and beat TJ Dillashaw, believes the former bantamweight champ is going to reclaim his belt at UFC 280. Dillashaw is set to face Aljamain Sterling in the co-main event of UFC 280 in a very intriguing matchup. Dillashaw returned to the win column last time out as he beat Cory Sandhagen by split decision in his return from USADA suspension to earn the title shot.
Josh Quinlan says he was "pretty devastated" when the NSAC wouldn't clear him due to past drug suspension, happy with KO win over Jason Witt
Cole Shelton - August 19, 2022
Josh Quinlan didn’t know if his UFC debut would happen. Quinlan earned a UFC contract last year on the Contender Series but failed a drug test for the banned substance drostanolone. Once he served his suspension he was supposed to return at UFC Vegas 59 against Jason Witt, yet he was flagged again for picograms of the metabolite of oral turinabol and thus the Nevada State Atheltic Commission would not clear him.
Geoff Neal hopes for main event fight against Gilbert Burns in a title eliminator bout: "I match up really well against him"
Cole Shelton - August 18, 2022
Geoff Neal is hoping to headline a Fight Night card his next time out with Gilbert Burns standing across the Octagon from him. Neal is coming off a third-round TKO over Vicente Luque back at UFC Vegas 59 and after the win, he called out Gilbert Burns. The Fortis MMA fighter believes the scrap makes sense and it’s also a contest he thinks will favor him as well.
UFC 278 | Pro fighters make their picks for Paulo Costa vs. Luke Rockhold
Cole Shelton - August 18, 2022
In the co-main event of UFC 278, an intriguing middleweight bout goes down as Paulo Costa takes on the returning Luke Rockhold. Heading into the fight, Costa is a sizeable -340 favorite while the former UFC middleweight champ is a +250 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The majority of pros believe Costa will eventually land something big and KO Rockhold.
Jay Perrin is expecting a "war" against Aoriqileng, but plans to "make a statement” and make sure everyone knows he’s here to stay
Cole Shelton - August 17, 2022
Jay Perrin is expecting to look like a completely new fighter at UFC 278. Perrin is coming off a loss to Mario Bautista in his Octagon debut, a fight which he took on short notice. Although he lost the fight, Perrin says he learned a lot from it and believes he proved he belongs with his performance.
John Dodson explains why he signed with BKFC, confident he will KO Ryan Benoit at BKFC 28: "He will want to quit in the first 10 seconds"
Cole Shelton - August 17, 2022
John Dodson never expected to sign with BKFC but when they gave him an offer he couldn’t refuse. Dodson went to a BKFC open tryout near his hometown solely for his brother as his brother has wanted to do bare-knuckle for quite some time. Yet, at the tryout, BKFC was talking to him about signing and when he got an offer, it was something he couldn’t turn down.
UFC 278 | Pro fighters make their picks for Kamaru Usman vs. Leon Edwards 2 title fight
Cole Shelton - August 17, 2022
In the main event of UFC 278, the welterweight title is up for grabs as Kamaru Usman rematches Leon Edwards. Heading into the fight, Usman is a sizeable -430 favorite while the challenger is a +300 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The pros believe it will be ‘And Still’ as Usman is too well-rounded for Edwards and will continue to remain undefeated in the UFC.
Geoff Neal believes he "shut people up" by knocking out Vicente Luque, expects "everybody is going to try to wrestle me now"
Cole Shelton - August 16, 2022
Geoff Neal always knew he was going to fight Vicente Luque and he’s quite happy with how it played out. Neal and Luque were the co-main event of UFC Vegas 59 two weekends ago and Neal scored a third-round KO. However, in the first round, Neal appeared to have Luque hurt but he didn’t want to rush anything as he knew the Brazilian was still dangerous.
Sean Woodson wants to be known as "a fan-friendly fighter," expects to KO Luis Saldana at UFC 278: "I feel really strong and confident that I will get the knockout"
Cole Shelton - August 15, 2022
Sean Woodson is ready to make the walk to the Octagon again and will do so in front of fans at UFC 278. Woodson hasn’t fought since November of last year when he scored a first-round TKO over Collin Anglin. Although it was a quick finish, Woodson broke his hand again which kept him out of the Octagon for several months again.
Bryan Battle says his welterweight cut went well, explains why he called out Ian Garry: "I don't see why he wouldn't want it"
Cole Shelton - August 12, 2022
Bryan Battle didn’t expect his welterweight cut to go as smoothly as it did. Battle, who won TUF at middleweight, was set to make his welterweight debut at UFC Vegas 59 against Takashi Sato. Although Battle did a test cut before making the move down, he was still uncertain how he’d feel when he got in the Octagon. Thankfully, Battle says the cut went smoothly and he felt great.
David Onama believes he's "way better" than Nate Landwehr which will lead to the stoppage win at UFC San Diego: "I'm just going out there to have fun"
Cole Shelton - August 11, 2022
David Onama wanted a quick turnaround after his last fight and he got his wish. After Onama picked up a submission win on July 9, he said he was getting right back into the gym to hopefully fight again soon. That ended up being the case as he got the call to face Nate Landwehr at UFC San Diego.
Pro fighters make their picks for Marlon Vera vs. Dominick Cruz
Cole Shelton - August 11, 2022
In the main event of UFC San Diego, Marlon Vera is set to headline his second straight UFC event as he takes on former champ, Dominick Cruz. Heading into the fight, Vera is a -250 favorite while the former champ is a +190 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The pros lean towards Vera getting the job done in a closer fight than the odds suggest.