Exclusive MMA Interviews News
Chase Hooper believes TKO win over Felipe Colares was the best performance of his career, hints at possible move to lightweight
Cole Shelton - May 25, 2022
Chase Hooper wanted to prove he belongs in the UFC and believes he did just that. Hooper was facing Felipe Colares at UFC Vegas 55 as he was looking to return to the win column after dropping a decision to Steven Peterson his last time out. Heading into the fight, Hooper had a ton of confidence in himself and it showed as he got a third-round TKO which he says was the best performance of his career.
Mike Winkeljohn "disappointed" with "goofball" judges that scored Holly Holm-Ketlen Vieira fight: "It's not fair to the fighters"
Cole Shelton - May 24, 2022
Mike Winkeljohn was shocked when he heard Ketlen Vieira being announced as the winner in her UFC Vegas 55 main event fight against Holly Holm. Winkeljohn, a coach of Holm, was confident his pupil had won the fight when the final bell rang. It was a close competitive fight, but Holm had nearly double the significant strikes of Vieira and had almost nine more minutes of control so, for Winkeljohn, he doesn’t know how Vieira got her hand raised.
Andre Petroski saw a lot of "holes" in Nick Maximov's game, told his friends he'd submit him in the first round
Cole Shelton - May 20, 2022
Andre Petroski wasn’t surprised when he submitted Nick Maximov despite being the biggest underdog at UFC Vegas 54. Petroski asked for the fight as he knew Maximov came with a lot of hype due to the fact he was undefeated and a main training partner of the Diaz brothers. Why he wanted the fight was due to the fact he saw a lot of holes in his game and knew he could expose them.
Vince Morales eager "to get one back" on Factory X after Chris Gutierrez loss, believes he will submit Jonathan Martinez
Cole Shelton - May 19, 2022
Vince Morales was thrilled when he found out he would be fighting Jonathan Martinez. Martinez trains at Factory X and is the main training partner of Chris Gutierrez who beat Morales by TKO (leg kicks) in May of 2020. Since then, he has rallied off two straight wins, including his last being a KO victory over Louis Smolka, so he’s eager for the chance to try and get one back on Martinez’s camp.
Parker Porter believes Jailton Almeida fight is a "lose-lose" for him, hopes to earn first UFC finish
Cole Shelton - May 18, 2022
Parker Porter was surprised when he found out he would be fighting Jailton Almeida. Porter has strung together three straight wins and on a month’s notice, he got the call to fight Almeida which surprised him. The Brazilain is 1-0 in the UFC and is a light heavyweight so Porter never expected to face Almeida.
Eryk Anders going back to his "grappling roots" ahead of Jun Yong Park fight: "I can find a finish there as well"
Cole Shelton - May 18, 2022
Eryk Anders is looking to showcase that he is a well-rounded fighter at UFC Vegas 55. Anders is set to return at UFC Vegas 55 against Jun Yong Park in what should be a very fan-friendly fight. Anders is coming off a submission loss to Andre Muniz back in December and for ‘Ya Boi’ he’s excited for this matchup as he knows Park is a game opponent.
Chase Hooper plans to "bring in a weird style" for fight with Felipe Colares at UFC Vegas 55
Cole Shelton - May 17, 2022
Chase Hooper didn’t want to be off for nearly a year but believes in the long run it will benefit him. Hooper last fought back at UFC 263 in June of 2021, where he lost a decision to Steven Peterson to drop him to 2-2 in the UFC. After the setback, he wanted to return before the end of the year but nothing came to fruition. Now, at UFC Vegas 55 on May 21, he will return to the Octagon to take on Felipe Colares.
Loopy Godinez "super happy" with "dominant" win over Ariane Carnelossi, believes she will get a ranked opponent next
Cole Shelton - May 14, 2022
Loopy Godinez couldn’t have drawn up her UFC 274 win any better. Godinez was taking on Ariane Carnelossi and throughout her training camp, she got super confident as she would be able to win the fight with ease. That ended up being the case as she dominated the fight from start to finish.
Pro fighters make their picks for Jan Blachowicz vs. Aleksandar Rakic
Cole Shelton - May 12, 2022
In the main event of UFC Vegas 54, a pivotal light heavyweight bout headlines the card as former champ Jan Blachowicz takes on Aleksandar Rakic. Heading into the fight, Blachowicz is a +164 underdog on FanDuel while the Austrian is a -205 favorite. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. Although Rakic is above a -200 favorite, the majority of pros believe the former champ in Blachowicz gets the job done as he will look much improved after losing his title.
Andre Petroski explains why he asked for Nick Maximov fight, wants to submit Diaz protégé to steal his hype
Cole Shelton - May 11, 2022
Andre Petroski asked for the Nick Maximov fight as he believes it’s a good style matchup for him. Petroski competed on TUF 29 and beat Micheal Gillmore in his UFC debut. He followed that up with a submission win over Yaozong Hu. After that fight he watched Maximov beat Punahele Soriano and proceeded to ask the UFC for the matchup.
Davey Grant believes he's "a real hard fight for anyone" at bantamweight, vows to KO Louis Smolka and earn spot on UFC London
Cole Shelton - May 11, 2022
Davey Grant knows the pressure is on him to get back into the win column at UFC Vegas 54. Grant is coming off a split decision loss to Adrian Yanez and a decision loss to Marlon Vera in two entertaining fights. He’s finally set to return against Louis Smolka at UFC Vegas 54 on Saturday and it’s a matchup he thinks is a favorable one for him.
Brandon Royval wants to be the backup for the interim flyweight title fight after UFC 274 submission win over Matt Schnell
Cole Shelton - May 10, 2022
Brandon Royval wants to return at UFC 277 and serve as the backup fighter for the interim flyweight title fight between Brandon Moreno and Kai Kara-France. Royval is coming off a first-round submission at UFC 274 over Matt Schnell, which was his second in a row. Prior to the fight, Brandon said he wanted the bout to be wild and chaotic, but he admits it was crazier than he expected.
Gabe Green wants Daniel Rodriguez rematch, confident the fight would go differently: "I do think I beat him nine out of 10 times"
Cole Shelton - May 6, 2022
Gabe Green is hoping to rematch Daniel Rodriguez. Green fought Rodriguez on short notice in his UFC debut which was his first fight in two years. It was a competitive fight but one Green lost and since then, he has rallied off two straight wins beating Phil Rowe by decision and TKO’ing Yohan Lainesse last weekend. For Green, he says his in over Lainesse went exactly how he thought.
Grant Dawson says Jared Gordon fight was a "picture-perfect performance," wants Diego Ferreira next
Cole Shelton - May 6, 2022
Grant Dawson is pleased with his win over Jared Gordon last Saturday. Dawson changed camps to American Top Team ahead of the fight and says that showed in his performance at UFC Vegas 53. Although he got the finish, he says there are still things he can improve on.
Fernie Garcia says he "couldn't ask for a better opponent" for his debut in Journey Newson, wants to get on the Texas card in June
Cole Shelton - May 5, 2022
Fernie Garcia thought he would get to the UFC much sooner than this. Garcia, a Fortis MMA fighter, started out his career 5-0 and got a big win on the Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz 3 card. He dropped a split decision in his next fight but then went on a five-fight wining streak including getting a TKO victory on the Contender Series to earn his contract.
Loopy Godinez wants to be as active as possible, eyes stoppage win over Ariane Carnelossi to earn a ranked opponent
Cole Shelton - May 5, 2022
Loopy Godinez didn’t think she would be on the sidelines for this long. Godinez made her UFC debut on short notice and came up short dropping a split decision to Jessica Penne. She then returned in October and had three fights in just over a month. However, since November she has been on the sidelines which was not her plan.
Julian Lane says he has "nothing to lose" against David Mundell at BKFC 25, casts doubt on a rematch with Mike Perry
Cole Shelton - May 4, 2022
Julian Lane is making a quick turnaround and jumping up in weight to do it. Lane is set to face David Mundell at BKFC 25 and is moving up a weight class to do so. Julian says he wanted a quick turnaround after his loss to Mike Perry and he got his wish.
UFC 274 | Pro fighters make their picks for Charles Oliveira vs. Justin Gaethje title fight
Cole Shelton - May 4, 2022
In the main event of UFC 274, the lightweight title is up for grabs as Charles Oliveira looks to defend his strap for the second time against Justin Gaethje. Heading into the fight, Oliveira is a -188 favorite on FanDuel while the challenger is a +152 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The pros are split on this one but the slight majority believes Gaethje becomes the new champ as he will catch Oliveira early to get the KO.