Exclusive MMA Interviews News
Frankie Edgar knows Marlon Vera is 'dangerous' but is prepared to do 'whatever it takes' to win at UFC 268
Cole Shelton - November 4, 2021
Frankie Edgar still has title aspirations and that continues on Saturday night in Madison Square Garden at UFC 268. Edgar is set to return to the Octagon against Marlon Vera, and for Edgar, when he heard the UFC was going to be back at MSG he jumped at the chance to be on the card.
Ian Garry plans to prove 'the hype is real' with a first-round KO over Jordan Williams at UFC 268: 'I want him stiff'
Cole Shelton - November 4, 2021
Ian Garry knows he’s the next big thing in the UFC and he plans to prove that at UFC 268. Garry is the former Cage Warriors welterweight champion and he’s an undefeated Irish phenom. He’ll make his debut at Madison Square Garden against Jordan Williams and Garry knows the UFC sees something special in him.
UFC 268 | Pro fighters make their picks for Justin Gaethje vs. Michael Chandler
Cole Shelton - November 4, 2021
Opening up UFC 268 from Madison Square Garden, Justin Gaethje takes on Michael Chandler which promises to be fireworks for however long it lasts. Heading into the fight, Gaethje is a -210 favorite while the former Bellator champ is a +175 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The pros lean towards Gaethje getting it done by KO as they trust his durability more than Chandler.
Jordan Williams eager to steal Ian Garry's hype with his back against the wall at UFC 268: 'I'm hunting for goose eggs'
Cole Shelton - November 3, 2021
Jordan Williams is ecstatic to fight in Madison Square Garden and do so against Ian Garry who has a ton of hype. Garry is a undefeated Irish prospect who many have called him the next Conor McGregor. The Irishman is a big favorite at UFC 268 but for Williams, he knows he has already fought top guys so the level of competiton will be the difference here.
Billy Quarantillo expects to 'put on a show' against Shane Burgos at UFC 268 and get the stoppage win
Cole Shelton - November 2, 2021
Billy Quarantillo is excited to fight a ranked opponent and do so at Madison Square Garden. On the main card of UFC 268, Quarantillo is getting his chance to fight 14th-ranked Shane Burgos. It’s an intriguing matchup and when Quarantillo got the call for this fight, he says it was an immediate yes.
Chris Curtis says Sean Strickland pleaded with Mick Maynard to sign him, expects to drown Phil Hawes and 'make him quit' at UFC 268
Cole Shelton - November 2, 2021
Chris Curtis thought his dream of fighting in the UFC was over. Curtis competed on DWCS in 2018 and scored a highlight-reel head kick KO win but didn’t get the contract. It was his seventh win in a row but Dana White passed on him and since then, he has been competing in PFL and on the regional scene and a few weeks ago, he got the call on Thursday night to weigh-in and fight Phil Hawes in two days.
UFC 268 | Pro fighters make their picks for Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington 2 title fight
Cole Shelton - November 2, 2021
In the main event of UFC 268, Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington are set to have their highly-anticipated rematch. Heading into the fight, Usman is a -320 favorite while the challenger is a +250 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The pros are unanimous in thinking we hear ‘And Still’ as Usman will not only beat but will finish Covington once again.
Diego Sanchez still in talks with BKFC, could be matched up with Mike Perry says David Feldman: 'A lot of people would talk about that fight' "
Cole Shelton - October 29, 2021
Diego Sanchez may still be fighting sans gloves next time out. Sanchez was linked to possibly signing with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship earlier this year. However, nothing came of it but BKFC president, David Feldman confirmed to BJPENN.com they are still in talks with Sanchez. Not only that, but they are discussing him possibly fighting Mike Perry in “Platinum’s” BKFC debut.
Jeff Molina expected to KO Daniel Da Silva, open to fighting anyone but interested in facing Francisco Figueiredo next
Cole Shelton - October 28, 2021
Jeff Molina was confident he would be able to finish Daniel Da Silva at UFC Vegas 41. Molina was coming off his successful UFC debut and early on against Da Silva it was a back-and-forth fight. Da Silva was searching for submissions but didn’t get one and when the fight went into the second round, Molina knew his opponent was gassed.
Ricky Glenn confident Grant Dawson went out with the choke, wants to 'run it back'
Cole Shelton - October 28, 2021
Ricky Glenn knew going into the third round he needed a dominant round or a finish if he was going to get his hand raised over Grant Dawson at UFC Vegas 41. Glenn stepped up on short notice and after the first two rounds, he was well aware he lost both of them. Entering the third round, his team told him he needed to get the finish, and right from the get-go, Glenn was able to dominate the round. He then got ahold of a choke but the bell rang and the fight went the distance. However, Glenn says he knew Dawson’s body went limp and the fight should’ve been stopped.
Marcin Tybura trained with Jan Blachowicz for Alexander Volkov fight, eyes second round stoppage
Cole Shelton - October 28, 2021
When Marcin Tybura found out he would be fighting Alexander Volkov on the same card as Jan Blachowicz was defending his belt, he made a call to his old friend so the two could train with one another. Tybura and Blachowicz trained together years ago but the two went their separate ways but have always stayed in contact. Now, as both men have massive fights at UFC 267, the two sparred a couple of times which Tybura says was a good look for him.
UFC 267 | Pro fighters make their picks for Petr Yan vs. Cory Sandhagen interim title fight
Cole Shelton - October 28, 2021
In the co-main event of UFC 267, Petr Yan and Cory Sandhagen are set to fight for the interim bantamweight title. Ahead of the fight, Yan is a -235 favorite while the American is a +190 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The majority of pros are torn on this one but the slight majority believes Sandhagen leaves Abu Dhabi with the belt.
UFC 267 | Pro fighters make their picks for Jan Blachowicz vs. Glover Teixiera title fight
Cole Shelton - October 27, 2021
In the main event of UFC 267, Jan Blachowicz is set to defend his light heavyweight title for the second time as he battles Glover Teixeira. Ahead of the fight, Blachowicz is a -310 favorite while the challenger is a +245 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 we will hear ‘And Still’ as Blachowicz will be too much for Teixeira.
Volkan Oezdemir plans to KO Magomed Ankalaev and shut up Aleksandar Rakic again next time out
Cole Shelton - October 27, 2021
Volkan Oezdemir didn’t think he would be off for this long after his last fight. Back at UFC 251 last July, Oezdemir suffered a KO loss to Jiri Prochazka and since then, he has not been able to fight due to a variety of different reasons. However, he will finally make his return on the main card of UFC 267 against Magomed Ankalaev.
Paige VanZant will return early next year in final fight of BKFC contract, says president David Feldman
Cole Shelton - October 26, 2021
Paige VanZant will indeed fight out the final fight of her Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship contract. VanZant surprised many and signed with BKFC last year and came up short in her debut to Britain Hart. She then dropped a decision to Rachael Ostovich in her second fight and after the fight, BKFC president, David Feldman said he wasn’t sure if VanZant would fight the final fight of her deal.
Mike Perry is 'the perfect fit for BKFC,' says David Feldman, could be fast-tracked to a title shot
Cole Shelton - October 26, 2021
Mike Perry is the newest fighter of the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship roster. On Tuesday it was revealed Perry signed a multi-fight deal with the sans gloves promotion. The news caught many by surprise but BKFC president, David Feldman, says this is something that has been in the works for quite some time.
Jan Blachowicz expects Glover Teixeira to wrestle him but confident he'll KO him to defend his belt
Cole Shelton - October 26, 2021
Jan Blachowicz is confident he will score another KO win to defend his light heavyweight for the second time. After Blachowicz defeated Israel Adesanya back in March to defend his belt for the first time, he knew his next fight would be against Glover Teixeira. The two will meet in the main event of UFC 267, and the Pole knows this will be the best Teixeira ever, due to the fact this is his final title shot.
Rich Franklin prefers more permissive ONE Championship ruleset
Andrew Whitelaw - October 25, 2021
When it comes to the various rulesets in MMA, Rich Franklin is a man whose opinion should carry plenty of weight. The former UFC middleweight champion and Hall-of-Famer has fought under the unified rules, competed in Japan, and since 2014 – he’s been the vice president at ONE Championship. Rulesets have been a hot topic in MMA recently, particularly after Petr Yan lost the UFC bantamweight title via DQ for kneeing Aljamain Sterling when he was grounded. In contrast, Adriano Moraes retained his ONE flyweight title in April by knocking out Demetrious Johnson with a knee when DJ was grounded.