Exclusive MMA Interviews News
Don Shainis planning to make Sodiq Yusuff scrap a "dog fight," plans to "f**k up the whole 145 division" with upset win
Cole Shelton - September 30, 2022
Don Shainis believes he has no pressure on him entering his UFC Vegas 61 fight against Sodiq Yusuff. Yusuff was supposed to fight Giga Chikadze on September 17 but after the Georgian was forced out of the bout, the UFC got Shainis as a replacement to fight Yusuff on October 1. Although many expect Yusuff to win with ease, Shainis knows he’s a dog and has confidence in himself, and plans to f**k up the entire division with a massive upset win.
Randy Costa vows to KO "technical street fighter" Guido Cannetti at UFC Vegas 61: "I need to make a statement, I need to do something good"
Cole Shelton - September 29, 2022
Randy Costa has made a ton of changes following his TKO loss to Tony Kelley at UFC 269 last December. After Costa lost the fight, he knew he had to switch camps to get more personalized training which is what he did. He also says he cut a lot of toxic people out of his life and after nearly 10 months off, Costa is finally set to return with a new confidence.
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.
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.
Trey Ogden happy to prove the doubters wrong as the biggest underdog at UFC Vegas 60
Cole Shelton - September 23, 2022
Trey Ogden figured he would be the underdog against Daniel Zellhuber but didn’t expect to be the biggest underdog on the card at UFC Vegas 60. Ogden was coming off a split decision loss to Jordan Leavitt in his debut and was set to fight the undefeated Zellhuber. Going into the fight, Ogden knew people would be doubting him and he was fine with that.
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.
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.
Pro fighters make their picks for Cory Sandhagen vs. Song Yadong
Cole Shelton - September 15, 2022
In the main event of UFC Vegas 60 on Saturday at the UFC Apex, Cory Sandhagen looks to return to the win column against Song Yadong. Heading into the fight, Sandhagen is a -215 favorite while the 10th-ranked bantamweight is a +164 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. Most of the pros believe this is too much of a step-up for Yadong and expect Sandhagen to get back into the win column in a big way.
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.
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.
Abus Magomedov "happy" with 19-second front kick KO over Dustin Stoltzfus at UFC Paris: "I know it's a very dangerous kick"
Cole Shelton - September 9, 2022
Abus Magomedov finally made his UFC debut and made quick work of Dustin Stoltzfus at UFC Paris. Magomedov hadn’t fought since December of 2020 in KSW and after that, he was signed to the UFC. He was booked to face Gerald Meerschaert, Aliaskhab Khizriev, and Makhmud Muradov but for different reasons, it never came to fruition. He finally made his debut at UFC Paris nearly two years after his last fight and for Magomedov, he was ready to finally fight again.
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.
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.
Julian Erosa believes he has to make it a "dirty" and "crazy" fight against Hakeem Dawodu at UFC 279: "I'm a bonus chaser"
Cole Shelton - September 6, 2022
Julian Erosa is expecting a very fun fight at UFC 279 against Hakeem Dawodu. After Erosa beat Steven Peterson back in February, in a ‘Fight of the Night’ performance, he called out Dawodu and Alex Caceres. Erosa wanted a bigger step-up in competition and got his wish as he will face Dawodu this weekend at UFC 279. Although he got the matchup he wanted, Erosa says his return was pushed back a couple of times.