Exclusive MMA Interviews News
Yancy Medeiros happy to re-sign with Bellator now that he's "having fun" fighting again: "I'm happy I could please the crowd"
Cole Shelton - April 29, 2022
Yancy Medeiros says his Bellator debut served as the first time he had fun fighting in quite some time. After losing four in a row in the UFC, he was not re-signed but quickly inked a one-fight deal with Bellator. He was set to fight back home in Hawaii against Emmanuel Sanchez and heading into the fight, Medeiros says the focus was just giving back to Hawaii and he wasn’t putting any pressure on himself to get the win.
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.
Tristan Connelly is pumped to fight Darren Elkins, expects it to be a very "fun fight" for the fans: "I've grown up watching him"
Cole Shelton - April 27, 2022
Tristan Connelly was pumped when he got the contract to fight Darren Elkins at UFC Vegas 53. Connelly says he was offered to fight Elkins last year but ‘The Damage’ wasn’t ready so the Canadian fought Pat Sabatini at UFC 261 and lost by decision. After the fight, Connelly suffered an injury that kept him out for a year but he will now return against Elkins which he is pleased about.
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.
Danny Sabatello was surprised he was originally left out of grand prix but expects to "break" Jornel Lugo: "I think he just sucks"
Cole Shelton - April 21, 2022
Danny Sabatello was shocked when he was left out of the Bellator bantamweight grand prix. Sabatello is 1-0 in Bellator with a dominant decision win over Brett Johns, but he still thinks he hasn’t gotten the respect he deserves. Due to recent injuries, Sabatello has to face Jornel Lugo on Friday at Bellator 278 to earn his way into the grand prix.
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.
Chase Sherman details getting released from UFC to re-signing four days later to face Alexandr Romanov: "They doubled my pay"
Cole Shelton - April 19, 2022
Chase Sherman has had a whirlwind of a week, to say the least. Sherman was officially released from the UFC just four days ago, partly due to him and his manager asking for it. He says Mick Maynard wanted to keep him on the roster, but they had no fights for him so the plan was to go back to BKFC and get some fights there and then re-sign with the UFC in the future.
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.
Pro fighters make their picks for Vicente Luque vs. Belal Muhammad 2
Cole Shelton - April 14, 2022
In the main event of UFC Vegas 51, a welterweight rematch between Vicente Luque and Belal Muhammad headlines the card. Heading into the fight, Luque is a -170 favorite while ‘Remember The Name’ is a +150 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. Although these two fought back at UFC 205 with Luque winning by KO in 79 seconds, all the pros are expecting a much different fight this time around. The pros are actually lean towards the underdog in Muhammad in getting his hand raised.
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.