Exclusive MMA Interviews News

Cole Shelton - October 31, 2023

Vinc Pichel is excited to finally return to the Octagon after a year-and-a-half away. Pichel last fought back at UFC 273 in April of 2022 when he lost a decision to Mark O. Madsen. It was a disappointing loss, and Pichel was eager to make a quick turnaround following the result. Although he was booked to fight Jesse Ronson six months later, an injury forced him into hip surgery which put him on the sidelines.

Cole Shelton - October 19, 2023

On the main card of UFC 294, a pivotal light heavyweight bout goes down as Magomed Ankalaev takes on Johnny Walker. Heading into the fight, Ankalaev is a sizeable -390 favorite while the Brazilian is a +280 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The pros agree with the odds as they expect Ankalaev to cruise to a decision win here and likely cement himself as the next title contender.

Cole Shelton - October 18, 2023

Trevor Peek is excited to go into enemy territory at UFC 294. Peek is set to face Mohammad Yahya, who will be making his promotional debut on Saturday at UFC 294. Although being part of this card is special for Peek, he knows the travel and the cost of fighting in Abu Dhabi is tough.

Cole Shelton - October 18, 2023

In the co-main event of UFC 294, Kamaru Usman stepped up on less than two weeks’ notice to face Khamzat Chimaev at middleweight. Heading into the fight, Usman is a +220 underdog while the undefeated fighter is a -295 favorite on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight, which was made on less than two weeks’ notice, BJPENN.com reached out to pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The pros are leaning towards Chimaev getting the job done, however, some do think Usman can pull off the upset even though he’s fighting on very short notice and up a weight class.

Cole Shelton - October 17, 2023

In the main event of UFC 294, Islam Makhachev is looking to defend his lightweight title for the second time as he rematches Alexander Volkanovski. Heading into the fight, Makhachev is a -265 favorite while the featherweight champ is a +200 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight, which was made on less than two weeks’ notice, BJPENN.com reached out to pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The pros are actually leaning toward Volkanovski pulling off the upset, despite taking it on short notice.

Cole Shelton - October 12, 2023

Ashley Yoder is finally ready to fight. Yoder hasn’t fought since July of 2021 when she lost to Jinh Yu Frey by decision to drop her to 8-8 as a pro and 3-7 in the UFC. Since then, Yoder had an injury that resulted in surgeries, as well as filming a yet-to-be-released reality TV show.

Cole Shelton - October 12, 2023

In the main event of UFC Vegas 81, top-15 featherweights throw down as Sodiq Yusuff takes on Edson Barboza from the UFC Apex on Saturday night. Heading into the fight, Yusuff is a -178 favorite while the Brazilian is a +138 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. Most fighters are looking forward to this one, but they believe Edson Barboza will continue to prove age is just a number and beat Sodiq Yusuff at UFC Vegas 81.

Cole Shelton - October 11, 2023

Adrian Yanez knows he’s still a top-15 bantamweight despite losing to Rob Font back in April. Yanez suffered a first-round knockout loss and after the defeat, he knew what went wrong. The plan was to stay patient with Font, but after he rocked him, Yanez said he got too reckless, which was a good learning lesson.

Cole Shelton - October 9, 2023

Jason Knight says Conor McGregor rarely showed up to TUF 31 practices and filming. McGregor returned to coach TUF 31 opposite Michael Chandler, and during the show, the Irishman was noticeably not around for weigh-ins. Kurt Holobaugh then told BJPENN.com that Conor McGregor was the cause of multiple practices being canceled because he didn’t show up.

Zain Bando - October 7, 2023

Although Pavol Langer is the betting underdog entering his highly-anticipated OKTAGON light heavyweight title fight against Karlos Vemola Saturday in Bratislava, he is taking it one fight at a time. A veteran of 21 fights, winning three straight, Langer has the momentum on his side against a formidable opponent in Vemola. Langer spoke to BJPenn.com ahead of Saturday night to get a feel for his opponent, a potential game plan, and his future in MMA.

Cole Shelton - October 5, 2023

Ricky Glenn is going back to his roots for his UFC Vegas 80 fight against Drew Dober. Glenn is coming off a first-round knockout loss to Christos Giagos earlier this year, which was a tough pill to swallow. It was his first fight in a year-and-a-half and immediately after the loss, Glenn wanted to get the bad taste out of his mouth.

Cole Shelton - October 5, 2023

Alex Morono is pumped to fight Joaquin Buckley at UFC Vegas 80. After Morono beat Tim Means back in May, he figured it would take a bit for him to get another scrap, especially after he studied the welterweight division.

Cole Shelton - September 28, 2023

Miles Johns didn’t understand why he was the betting underdog against Dan Argueta at UFC Vegas 79. Johns was coming off a 10-month layoff, so he knew people forgot about him. However, on paper, he believed this was a great style matchup for him against Argueta.

Cole Shelton - September 24, 2023

Loopy Godinez had a ton of confidence heading into her Noche UFC fight against Elise Reed. Godinez felt like she was the better fighter everywhere and she proved just that. On the feet, Godinez dropped Reed, while she also was able to outwrestle her and even got a submission win. Showing off her complete game is something the Mexican-Canadian has wanted to do for quite some time, so she was thrilled with her performance.

Cole Shelton - September 21, 2023

Bryan Battle is ready to prove to everyone just how good he is. Battle won TUF 30 at middleweight and is 5-1 in the UFC, but is 3-1 since dropping down to welterweight. Last time out, he returned to the win column with a 14-second knockout win over Gabe Green.

Cole Shelton - September 21, 2023

Michelle Waterson-Gomez is set for the first rematch of her carer. Waterson-Gomez is set to take on Marina Rodriguez at UFC Vegas 79, as the two fought back in May of 2021. The fight was put together on short notice and was a five-round main event at 125lbs.

Cole Shelton - September 19, 2023

Dan Ige always figured he’d end up fighting Bryce Mitchell. Ige and Mitchell have both been in the UFC since 2018, and with both men having success, the Hawaiian figured they would get matched up eventually. Although the bout took five years to come to fruition, Ige is excited to fight Mitchell who is now ranked in the top 10.

Cole Shelton - September 14, 2023

In the main event of Noche UFC, the women’s flyweight title is up for grabs as Alexa Grasso rematches Valentina Shevchenko in her first title defense. Heading into the fight, Grasso is a +140 underdog while the challenger is a -180 favorite on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to make their picks for the fight. The pros are leaning towards Shevchenko reclaiming her belt at Noche UFC, as most seem to think she wins a decision.