Exclusive MMA Interviews News
Gabe Green eyes a second-round knockout of Yohan Lainesse, targets future rematch with Daniel Rodriguez
Cole Shelton - April 28, 2022
Gabe Green is excited to finally be healthy again. Green has not fought since UFC 258 in February 2021 when he defeated Phil Rowe by decision. Since then, he had eye surgery which he says has benefited him a ton as he can now see punches and kicks coming.
Claudio Puelles sends a warning to fellow lightweights following submission win over Clay Guida: "People should've paid attention"
Cole Shelton - April 28, 2022
Claudio Puelles didn’t think Clay Guida would go to the ground with him. Puelles was set to face Guida in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 52 which was the biggest fight of his career. Heading into the fight, he figured Guida would want to strike with him and Pulles was confident he would find the KO. Yet, once the veteran took it to the ground, he was confident he would submit Guida.
Pro fighters make their picks for Rob Font vs. Marlon Vera
Cole Shelton - April 28, 2022
In the main event of UFC Vegas 53, a key bantamweight bout headlines the card as Rob Font looks to get back into the win column against Marlon Vera. Heading into the fight, Font is the -140 favorite on FanDuel while ‘Chito’ is a +114 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The pros believe Font’s experience in five-round fights and his jab will be too much for Vera and he will get his hand raised.
Gina Mazany fighting out UFC contract against Shanna Young, plans to get a new deal after finishing her
Cole Shelton - April 27, 2022
Gina Mazany knows the pressure is on when she faces Shanna Young at UFC Vegas 53. Mazany is coming off a TKO loss to Priscila Cachoeira at UFC 262 last May and after the fight, the plan was for her to take some time off. Mazany wanted time to work on new skills and improve as a fighter and she thinks she did just that.
Grant Dawson explains why he changed gyms to go to ATT, expects a "grueling fight" against Jared Gordon
Cole Shelton - April 26, 2022
Grant Dawson made a big change in his fighting career after his draw against Ricky Glenn. Dawson trained at Glory MMA under James Krause for his entire pro career and spent the last couple of years helping coach. Yet, after his last fight, he says he felt burnt out and knew he needed to make a change which is why he changed gyms to go to American Top Team.
Rob Font "surprised" he's fighting Marlon Vera but expects to "overwhelm" him to get the stoppage
Cole Shelton - April 26, 2022
Rob Font figured he would be fighting Cory Sandhagen. After Font lost to Jose Aldo and Sandhagen lost to Petr Yan, he thought the fight made sense and it was one that interested him. However, Font was offered to headline UFC Vegas 53 against Marlon Vera which did surprise him. Yet, he is eager for the challenge and is excited to headline another card.
Ike Villanueva having 18-year-old son in his corner for first time as his birthday present, eyes left hook KO over Tyson Pedro: "I'm chasing 50 thousand"
Cole Shelton - April 22, 2022
Ike Villanueva knows it’s likely do-or-die for his UFC career on Saturday. Villanueva is 1-4 in the UFC and coming off back-to-back knockout losses but in his last fight, he thought most of those shots were to the back of the head. With that, he says he appealed the loss but the commission didn’t overturn it.
Mike Jackson opens up on CM Punk fight being overturned to a No Contest due to a failed drug test for marijuana: "It was comical"
Cole Shelton - April 22, 2022
Mike Jackson has opened up on his fight against CM Punk being overturned to a No Contest. Jackson earned a decision win over Punk at UFC 225 in Chicago, but about two months after the fight, he got a letter from the Chicago commission saying he failed his drug test. The news surprised him as he did everything Jeff Novitsky and the UFC told him to, but the only thing that happened was the fight got overturned.
Claudio Puelles believes Clay Guida will be in "for a rough night" at UFC Vegas 52, wants top-15 opponent next
Cole Shelton - April 21, 2022
Claudio Puelles was surprised when he got the call to fight Clay Guida. Puelles is on a four-fight win streak and is 4-1 in the UFC and after his last win, which came by stoppage, he wasn’t sure what would be next for him. He thought he might get a top-15 opponent, but what he thought was more likely was for him to face another prospect where the winner would then get a top-15 opponent.
On a one-fight deal Yancy Medeiros plans to prove he belongs in Bellator against Emmanuel Sanchez in Hawaii: "I'm looking to put on my best performance"
Cole Shelton - April 20, 2022
Yancy Medeiros got his wish of fighting back home in Hawaii. After Medeiros was released from the UFC following his fourth straight loss, he made it known he wanted to fight for Bellator on one of the two Hawaii cards. After making it public, Scott Coker and Bellator gave him the opportunity to fight on Bellator 279 on Saturday in Hawaii which Medeiros is ecstatic about.
Mike Jackson back in the UFC for "shits and giggles" but expects to KO Dean Barry at UFC Vegas 52: "It will be an easier fight than the Punk fight"
Cole Shelton - April 20, 2022
Mike Jackson is back fighting again in the UFC as he will welcome Dean Barry to the promotion at UFC Vegas 52. The two were booked to fight in January and in May of 2021, but visa issues on both sides caused the fight to be scrapped. According to Jackson, this is a fight the UFC wanted to make so he wasn’t surprised when they made it for the third time.
Montana De La Rosa expects "a really entertaining fight" against Maycee Barber to steal her hype: "I'm better everywhere"
Cole Shelton - April 19, 2022
Montana De La Rosa always wanted to rebook her fight against Maycee Barber. De La Rosa and Barber were set to meet at UFC 269, but Montana was forced out of the bout with an injury. Yet, shortly after, Barber suffered a similar injury and once that happened, the hope for De La Rosa was to get the fight rebooked.
Maycee Barber vows to become the first person to finish Montana De La Rosa in the UFC: "I'm going out there to make a statement"
Cole Shelton - April 19, 2022
Maycee Barber is glad her fight against Montana De La Rosa got rebooked. Barber and De La Rosa were set to fight at UFC 269 back in December but De La Rosa was forced out of the fight due to an injury. Shortly after that, Barber also suffered an injury and now that they are both healthy, they will fight on Saturday night at UFC Vegas 52.
Brandon Jenkins "really surprised" he was booked to fight Drakkar Klose, plans to show what he’s made of
Cole Shelton - April 15, 2022
Brandon Jenkins didn’t expect to get the call to fight Drakkar Klose. Jenkins made his UFC debut on just two days’ notice against Zhu Rong back in September and suffered a third-round TKO loss. After the setback, he wasn’t sure what would be next for him but when he got the call to fight Klose it did surprise him as he considers Drakkar a top-20 opponent.
Vicente Luque details 2012 TKO win over Thiago Santos: "It was really quick"
Cole Shelton - April 15, 2022
Vicente Luque has one win on his record that may surprise some people. As Luque was 3-2-1 as a pro and struggling, he got an offer to fight Thiago Santos on three weeks’ notice in Sao Luis, Brazil. Santos, at the time, was 7-0, and although Luque didn’t know much about his opponent, he knew it was going to be a striking fight.
Drakkar Klose plans to take "weak" Brandon Jenkins into "deep waters" to get submission win at UFC Vegas 51
Cole Shelton - April 14, 2022
Drakkar Klose is excited to finally make the walk to the Octagon again. Klose is set to return to the Octagon at UFC Vegas 51 for the first time since UFC 248 in March 2020. Since then, he’s had several opponents pull out and later suffered a severe injury from a push he received from Jeremy Stephens. However, he has put that all behind him and will face Brandon Jenkins on Saturday, an opponent he believes he’s sparred with in the past.
Aljamain Sterling says it's "criminal" that he never got a 10-8 round against Petr Yan
Cole Shelton - April 14, 2022
Aljamain Sterling still doesn’t understand why he was such a big underdog against Petr Yan. Sterling was looking to defend his belt in the co-main event of UFC 273 against Yan in an intriguing rematch. Heading into the fight, the champ was a +300 underdog but Sterling only used that as motivation as he knew his grappling could win him the fight.
Drakkar Klose says he's still dealing with injuries he sustained from Jeremy Stephens shove, was nearly was forced to retire: "I did think that was going to be the end of me"
Cole Shelton - April 13, 2022
Drakkar Klose doesn’t think he will ever be the same after the shove from Jeremy Stephens at the face-off after weigh-ins. Klose and Stephens were set to fight at UFC Vegas 24 on April 17, but Stephens shoved Klose at weigh-ins, and right away he knew something was wrong. He was still dehydrated and didn’t expect the shove which is why he thinks the injury was so bad.