Exclusive MMA Interviews News
Josh Barnett says 'It would really suck' to never fight Fedor Emelianenko
Drake Riggs - July 29, 2021
Josh Barnett vs. Fedor Emelianenko is one of MMA’s biggest fights that got away — but what if it didn’t have to? The pair of heavyweight legends were originally set to clash in 2009 under the short-lived Affliction banner. Fast-forward 12 years and they’re both in the same promotion once again as Emelianenko has his next bout set for October at Bellator’s first show in Russia.
Pro fighters make their picks for Uriah Hall vs. Sean Strickland
Cole Shelton - July 29, 2021
In the main event of UFC Vegas 33, top-15 middleweights collide as Uriah Hall takes on Sean Strickland. Ahead of the fight, Hall is a +180 underdog while the 11th ranked middleweight is a -220 favorite. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The majority of pros believe Hall will go the job done by knockout.
Adrian Yanez says he's "not happy" with his TKO win performance against Randy Costa, hopes a top-15 opponent is next
Cole Shelton - July 28, 2021
Adrian Yanez wasn’t happy with his TKO win over Randy Costa at UFC Vegas 32. Yanez and Costa opened up the main card in a highly-anticipated bout between two of the brightest prospects at bantamweight. In the first round, it appeared Costa would be the one getting his hand raised as he was jabbing Yanez and landing heavy shots. For the Texan, he says the way Costa fought the first round threw him off.
Maycee Barber explains why she called out "legend" Jessica Eye after beating Miranda Maverick
Cole Shelton - July 28, 2021
Maycee Barber has never been shy to call out her next opponent and that is exactly what happened after her win at UFC Vegas 32 on Saturday. After Barber earned a controversial split decision over Miranda Maverick, “The Future” got onto the mic to call out Jessica Eye. It’s an opponent she has talked about before so Barber wasn’t surprised Eye responded to the callout, so she hopes that means the UFC will make the fight.
Chris Daukaus expects to finish Shamil Abdurakhimov and get a "big-name" opponent next
Cole Shelton - July 26, 2021
Chris Daukaus didn’t expect that he would be fighting Shamil Abdurakhimov. Daukaus, who joined the UFC in August of 2020, is already 3-0 in the promotion with three first-round knockouts. After his last win over Aleksei Oleinik in February, he expected he would get another ranked opponent next, and was unsure if it would be in the top-10.
Maycee Barber doesn't think she has lost her "hype" despite setbacks: "I’m not going to get cut from the UFC if I lose"
Cole Shelton - July 23, 2021
Maycee Barber has heard all the talk that the UFC will release her if she loses to Miranda Maverick at UFC Vegas 32 on Saturday. Barber was once considered a top prospect and many thought could challenge for a UFC title. However, at UFC 246 she suffered her first career loss by decision to Roxanne Modafferi in a fight she tore her knee. She returned back in February of this year at UFC 258 and suffered another setback as she dropped a decision to Alexa Grasso.
Pro fighters make their picks for Cory Sandhagen vs TJ Dillashaw
Cole Shelton - July 22, 2021
In the main event of UFC Vegas 32, Cory Sandhagen welcomes back former bantamweight champ, TJ Dillashaw from his two-year USADA suspension in a highly-anticipated bout. Entering the fight, Sandhagen is a -195 favorite while the former champ is a +165 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The pros are nearly unanimous in the thinking Sandhagen gets the win with many thinking he stops Dillashaw in the process.
Adrian Yanez believes Randy Costa fight has similar career trajectory to the first Poirier-McGregor scrap, eyes stoppage win
Cole Shelton - July 22, 2021
Adrian Yanez sees a lot of similarities between his UFC Vegas 32 fight against Randy Costa and the first time Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor fought. Yanez and Costa are both coming off back-to-back highlight-reel KO wins. They also both have a lot of hype behind them. Yet, many have said this fight is happening too soon. Yanez, however, disagrees with it as he thinks they will eventually meet again years down the line in a much bigger fight similar to Poirier and McGregor.
Randy Costa ecstatic for "fun" fight against Adrian Yanez, expects to "open a lot of people's eyes"
Cole Shelton - July 21, 2021
Randy Costa and Adrian Yanez have one of the weirder fight bookings in recent memory. After Yanez picked up his second UFC win, many on MMA Twitter called for him to face Costa. After the Massachusetts native didn’t respond to fans asking if he’d take the fight, some said he was scared. However, “Zohan” quickly responded saying he’s not scared and he likes Adrian but took a shot at Dr. Pepper which is Yanez’s drink of choice. The Texan dumped on Reese’s which Costa likes and the fight was born.
Ian Heinisch plans to finish Nassourdine Imavov after training at Sanford MMA to show he's "a force to be reckoned with"
Cole Shelton - July 20, 2021
Ian Heinisch wanted a quick turnaround after he lost to Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 258, but that didn’t come to fruition. Following the loss to Gastelum, Heinisch moved down to Florida to start training at Sanford MMA full-time. After a short time there, he was offered to fight Jacare Souza at UFC 262 in Houston. However, he turned it down as Henri Hooft wanted him to just focus on training.
Kyler Phillips plans to finish Raulian Paiva and get a ranked opponent next: "I'm going to grab that belt"
Cole Shelton - July 20, 2021
Kyler Phillips wasn’t too mad when Raphael Assuncao was forced out of their fight and was replaced by Raulian Paiva. After Phillips beat Song Yadong at UFC 259, many expected him to get a ranked opponent next. That ended up being the case as he was set to meet Raphael Assuncao at UFC Vegas 32. Unfortnately, Assuncao got injured which was disappointing news. However, for Phillips, he said his mindset didn’t change at all.
Maycee Barber expects to finish Miranda Maverick: "I’m not going out there to play around, I’m planning to put her away"
Cole Shelton - July 19, 2021
Maycee Barber wasn’t surprised when she was offered Miranda Maverick as her next fight. After Maverick beat Gillian Robertson at UFC 260, Barber saw all the posts about how fans wanted to see the fight happen. However, given they are two of the up and comers at flyweight, some thought it didn’t make sense. Yet, for Barber, she says she likes the fight and is eager for it.
Billy Quarantillo expects to finish Gabriel Benitez at UFC Vegas 31 after getting much-needed eye surgery
Cole Shelton - July 14, 2021
Billy Quarantillo expects to be a much better fighter on Saturday night at UFC Vegas 31 when he faces Gabriel Benitez. Quarantillo is coming off his first career UFC loss back at UFC 256 against Gavin Tucker. Following the loss, the rising featherweight contender got married and got eye surgery which he says was much-needed.
Thiago Moises expects to earn stoppage win over Islam Makhachev to steal his hype
Cole Shelton - July 13, 2021
Thiago Moises didn’t expect to fight Islam Makhachev next time out but immediately accepted the scrap when it was offered to him at UFC Vegas 31. Moises, who is on a three-fight winning streak and coming off a win over Alexander Hernandez, figured he’d fight someone ranked right near him. Yet, when he got the call to fight Makhachev, it was an immediate yes for the Brazilian.
Max Griffin happy with UFC 264 win over Carlos Condit, planned to call out Robbie Lawler but wants anyone in the top-15 next
Cole Shelton - July 13, 2021
Max Griffin was ecstatic when he got the chance to fight Carlos Condit. Griffin admitted Condit is one of his favorite fighters of all time and getting to fight him was surreal. However, he knew he had to put his emotions behind him and when they started to fight he had a ton of success.
Stephen Thompson doubts Kamaru Usman would strike with him: "He's going to be shooting for my legs"
Cole Shelton - July 9, 2021
Stephen Thompson knows he’s a bad matchup for the current welterweight champ, Kamaru Usman. Thompson is set to face Gilbert Burns in the co-main event of UFC 264. If he wins, he could very well get a title shot due to the fact he’s the only fighter in the top-five that Usman hasn’t fought. If he does end up getting the title shot, “Wonderboy” knows there’s no chance the champ will strike with him. Instead, he’ll go back to the wrestler, grinding style that got him the title.
Jerome Rivera plans to "shut down" Zhalgas Zhumagulov at UFC 264: "I'm looking to expose him"
Cole Shelton - July 8, 2021
Jerome Rivera knows his UFC 264 fight against Zhalgas Zhumagulov is do-or-die for his UFC career. Rivera enters the fight being 0-3 in the UFC and not many fighters get the fourth fight if they are winless through three. Yet, Rivera did the UFC a favor in taking a fight against Ode Osbourne up two weight classes at featherweight on just three day’s notice. With that, the UFC promised him another fight regardless of the result and they stuck to their word.
UFC 264 | Pro fighters make their picks for Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor 3
Cole Shelton - July 8, 2021
In the main event of UFC 264, Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor have their highly-anticipated trilogy match. Heading into the fight, Poirier is the -130 favorite while the Irishman is the +110 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The pros are split on this one but the slight majority favor Poirier to get the win although all think the fight ends inside the distance.