Exclusive MMA Interviews News
Conor McGregor "didn't give Dustin the respect he deserved" at UFC 257, but will KO him in round one at UFC 264, says Artem Lobov
Cole Shelton - June 29, 2021
Artem Lobov believes Conor McGregor overlooked Dustin Poirier back in January at UFC 257. Although Lobov says McGregor was focused on the fight, he says he was also preparing to box Manny Pacquiao which was a done deal. With that, Lobov says McGregor didn’t give Poirier the respect he deserved as he expected to be able to walk through him.
Charles Rosa believes Justin Jaynes only added more pressure on himself with his bet, eyes fall return
Cole Shelton - June 29, 2021
Charles Rosa was shocked when he saw that Justin Jaynes was betting his entire fight purse on himself. Rosa and Jaynes were set to fight on the prelims of UFC Vegas 30 and on paper, it was a competitive fight. Yet, the fight garnered major attention on fight week when Jaynes revealed he was betting his entire fight purse on himself. For Rosa, he says he doesn’t know why he did that as he believes it added more pressure on him than necessary.
Kevin Lee wants Sean Brady fight rebooked for UFC 265 after pulling out of UFC 264 due to a "minor" rib injury
Cole Shelton - June 24, 2021
Kevin Lee is disappointed he won’t be making the walk to the Octagon on July 10 at UFC 264. Lee was set to move back up to welterweight to face Sean Brady in a highly-anticipated bout. Yet, on Thursday, Brady revealed Lee was out of the fight due to an injury which Lee confirmed to BJPENN.com.
Pro fighters make their picks for Ciryl Gane vs. Alexander Volkov
Cole Shelton - June 24, 2021
In the main event of UFC Vegas 30, Ciryl Gane and Alexander Volkov meet in a battle of top-five heavyweights. Gane is the -157 favorite while the Russian is a +130 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The majority of pros believe Volkov will pull off the upset as his striking and range will be too much for Gane.
Tim Johnson passed up waiting for Ryan Bader for interim title fight, expects a decision win over Valentin Moldavsky
Cole Shelton - June 23, 2021
Tim Johnson could’ve waited for a title shot against Ryan Bader. After Johnson earned a split decision win over Cheick Kongo last October he cemented himself as the number one contender at heavyweight. The plan was for the UFC veteran to face Ryan Bader in the first quarter of 2021 for the heavyweight title. Yet, Bader went into the light heavyweight grand prix and instead of waiting, Johnson will face Valentin Moldavsky in the main event of Bellator 261 for the interim heavyweight title.
Renato Moicano plans to prove he belongs among lightweight best with win over Jai Herbert
Cole Shelton - June 23, 2021
Renato Moicano was hoping to get some ranked opponents when he moved up to lightweight, but that hasn’t happened. The Brazilian was a top-10 featherweight but when he moved up he fought Damir Hadzovic and won by submission. In his next fight, he suffered a TKO loss to Rafael Fiziev. He will now face Jai Herbert at UFC Vegas 30.
Khaos Williams eyes fall return but won't give "anyone extra clout" by calling them out: "I'll let my hands do the talking"
Cole Shelton - June 23, 2021
Khaos Williams was happy he got back into the win column on Saturday night at UFC Vegas 29. Williams broke onto the UFC scene with two sub-30 second KOs over Alex Morono and Abdul Razak Alhassan. In his third fight, he suffered a close decision loss to Michel Pereira, but on Saturday he earned a hard-fought decision win over Matt Semelsberger which Williams was happy about.
Artem Lobov expecting a "Fight of the Year candidate" in bare-knuckle fight against Olympic silver medalist Denys Berinchyk
Cole Shelton - June 22, 2021
Artem Lobov is eager to face Denys Berinchyk on July 24. In the main event of Mahatch FC, Lobov will face the current undefeated WBO international lightweight champ boxer in Berinchyk. He’s also an Olympic silver medalist, winning the medal in 2012. His résumé speaks for itself which is why Lobov is excited about the fight.
Anderson Silva reveals his favorite memory from his MMA career
Cole Shelton - June 18, 2021
Anderson Silva has accomplished a ton in his MMA career, but there is one moment that sticks out the most for him. Throughout Silva’s legendary MMA career, he won titles in Shooto, Cage Rage, and the UFC, including defending his middleweight title 10 times and holding the belt for 2457 days. He’s considered one of the best ever but his favorite memory from his career is when he earned a decision win over Hayato Sakurai at Shooto 7 on August 26, 2001, to win the Shooto middleweight title, which was the first title the Brazilian won in MMA.
Aleksei Oleinik believes experience is key against Serghei Spivac, eyes submission win
Cole Shelton - June 17, 2021
Aleksei Oleinik is set for his 76th professional MMA fight as he takes on Serghei Spivac in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 29. Oleinik is coming off of back-to-back knockout losses to Chris Daukaus and Derrick Lewis. He last fought back in February and after that fight, he went back to the gym and was looking to fight again in the summer. He ended up getting his wish and is eager for the opportunity to show his skills once again.
Anderson Silva says he spoke to Chris Weidman after he broke his leg at UFC 261, confident he'll return
Cole Shelton - June 17, 2021
Anderson Silva immediately knew what Chris Weidman was going through. On the main card of the stacked UFC 261 card, Weidman and Uriah Hall were having a rematch years in the making. It was an important fight for the middleweight division but on the first kick Weidman threw, his leg snapped just like Silva’s did against Weidman. Once the dust settled of the injury, the Brazilian reached out to Weidman and gave him some advice and support.
Ramona Pascual ushering in fresh start after return victory and environmental changes
Drake Riggs - June 16, 2021
Ramona Pascual continues to put Hong Kong on the map with her goal of reaching the UFC firmly in mind. This past Friday saw the 32-year-old return from a two-year layoff at iKON 7. In doing so, Pascual put her opponent away in two minutes and 50 seconds with an Americana – her first submission win.
Matt Brown expecting to have a "great performance" against Dhiego Lima, eyes rematches with Lawler and Cerrone
Cole Shelton - June 16, 2021
Matt Brown is eager to step back into the Octagon. At UFC Vegas 29, Brown will face Dhiego Lima in what should be a very exciting fight. Although they are fighting in the middle of June, the fight was announced in early March which gives the veteran a ton of notice when he says he asked for.
Anderson Silva eager for the "challenge" of boxing Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.: "I'm lucky I have this opportunity"
Cole Shelton - June 15, 2021
Anderson Silva was ecstatic when he got the offer to box Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in Mexico. On Saturday night, Silva will fight professionally against Chavez Jr. in a highly-anticipated fight. After the Brazilian’s release from the UFC, he wasn’t certain what would be next but says he’s lucky this opportunity came together.
Dan Ige eyes stoppage win over Korean Zombie in a "statement" win: "He can't take damage from me"
Cole Shelton - June 15, 2021
Dan Ige called his shot and got his wish as he’ll headline UFC Vegas 29 against Korean Zombie on Saturday. After Ige scored a 22-second KO win in March he called out Korean Zombie. Immediately after the callout, Ige was told the UFC liked the fight and they were quick to book it for the main event.
Eryk Anders says he's "not really" happy with his UFC 263 performance, wants Ed Herman next
Cole Shelton - June 14, 2021
Eryk Anders wasn’t thrilled with his UFC 263 win over Darren Stewart. On Saturday night, Anders and Stewart were running back their fight in March that ended in a No Contest. In the first bout, Anders nearly finished the Brit before throwing an illegal knee and entering the rematch, “Ya Boi” said the gameplan was very similar.
Brian Maxwell believes he would've beat Chad Johnson if it was judged, says he plans on training with 'Ochocino' ahead of BKFC return
Cole Shelton - June 11, 2021
Brian Maxwell didn’t really believe he was fighting Chad Johnson until fight week came along. Maxwell, a combat sports veteran, was messaged out of the blue to box the NFL Pro Bowler of the Mayweather-Paul undercard. It was surreal for Maxwell, but he says even though it was a massive fight, he wasn’t nervous.
Steven Peterson expects to KO Chase Hooper in the first round: "Just totally beat him down with violence"
Cole Shelton - June 10, 2021
Steven Peterson asked for Chase Hooper and he got his wish. Back in January, Peterson revealed to BJPENN.com he was out of his February 6 fight against Seung Woo Choi due to an injury. However, during the interview, he called out Hooper, yet, he didn’t expect the UFC to give him that fight. But, he got his wish as he’ll face the grappling ace at UFC 263.