Exclusive MMA Interviews News
Pro fighters make their picks for Robert Whittaker vs. Kelvin Gastelum
Cole Shelton - April 15, 2021
Ben Askren says he'll call for "another stupid celebrity boxing match" after he beats Jake Paul: "I might do two or three more"
Cole Shelton - April 14, 2021
Ben Askren won’t be retiring from boxing after Saturday night if he beats Jake Paul. On April 17, Askren is set for his first professional boxing fight as he is set to face brash YouTuber, Jake Paul. It’s a highly-anticipated fight that has the combat sports world talking about it as “Funky” is far from a boxer.
Drakkar Klose excited to "throw down" with Jeremy Stephens, says he'll drop down to featherweight after he finishes him
Cole Shelton - April 14, 2021
Drakkar Klose is eager to welcome Jeremy Stephens back up to lightweight. With Stephens on a five-fight winless streak, the 10th-ranked featherweight decided to move up to lightweight and will face Klose at UFC Vegas 24. For Klose, he is much more excited about this fight than his past couple.
Pro fighters make their picks for Ben Askren vs. Jake Paul boxing match
Cole Shelton - April 14, 2021
On April 17, Ben Askren is ending his retirement to box YouTuber, Jake Paul in a highly-anticipated bout. Heading into the fight, Askren is a +145 underdog while the YouTuber is a -175 favorite. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their prediction for the bout. The pros have a slight lean towards Ben Askren getting his hand raised, while some believe Paul will be able to walk through the UFC veteran.
Frank Mir excited to "challenge" himself in boxing debut, believes a win solidifies his legacy
Cole Shelton - April 13, 2021
Frank Mir was preparing to make his Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship debut in early 2021 when he got a call to make his boxing debut. Originally, Mir was set to fight Antonio Tarver in the co-main event to Ben Askren vs. Jake Paul. However, the Georgia Commission wouldn’t clear Tarver, so Mir is now set to face Steve Cunningham. Although it is a change of opponent, Mir is still excited at the opportunity of making his pro boxing debut.
Julian Marquez reveals he nearly threw up before fighting Sam Alvey due to nerves: "I grew up watching him"
Cole Shelton - April 12, 2021
Julian Marquez was in no rush to return after his UFC 258 win over Maki Pitolo, but a short notice fight against Sam Alvey came up that Marquez jumped on. Originally, Alvey was set to drop down to middleweight to face Zak Cummings, who is Marquez’s teammate. Unfortunately, Cummings was forced out of the bout and when he told the team, “The Cuban Missile Crisis” knew it was a good fight for him.
Julia Budd expects to earn rematch with Cris Cyborg after Bellator 257, knows fight "would be a different outcome"
Cole Shelton - April 12, 2021
Julia Budd believes she can earn a rematch with Cris Cyborg if she beats Dayana Silva at Bellator 257. On Friday night, Budd will welcome the Contender Series veteran to Bellator in an interesting fight. The Canadian is set for her second fight since losing her belt to Cyborg and thought about holding out for a title shot but is eager to fight again.
Vicente Luque explains why he will never fight Gilbert Burns
Cole Shelton - April 9, 2021
Vicente Luque and Gilbert Burns are both top-six welterweights, yet the two will never fight one another. Burns and Luque have been teammates and friends for years. Burns is coming off a TKO loss to his former teammate in Kamaru Usman for the welterweight title and will face Stephen Thomson at UFC 264. It’s a very intriguing matchup and Luque says he’s eager to see Burns face “Wonderboy” and he plans to help Burns out as much as possible.
Joe Solecki eager to share the Octagon with a "very dangerous" Jim Miller: "I've been watching him since I was 12"
Cole Shelton - April 8, 2021
Joe Solecki didn’t think he would be fighting Jim Miller in just his third UFC fight. After Solecki submitted Austin Hubbard last August, he wanted time off with a newborn on the way. However, the hope was to return in December or January, but the first contract offer he got was to face Miller.
Jim Miller expects to make Joe Solecki "make a mistake early and capitalize on it"
Cole Shelton - April 7, 2021
Jim Miller is looking forward to getting back in the Octagon. After Miller’s UFC 258 fight against Bobby Green was canceled the day before, Miller wanted to make a quick turnaround. He ended up getting that as on April 10 he will return against the highly-touted prospect, Joe Solecki who is someone Miller knows quite well given they are both from New Jersey.
Vicente Luque wants Colby Covington next after Nate Diaz gets booked: "It's the fight I need"
Cole Shelton - April 6, 2021
Vicente Luque has shifted his focus to Colby Covington. At UFC 260, Luque picked up the biggest win of his career as he scored a first-round submission win over Tyron Woodley. It was a solid performance for Luque and he wants to keep the momentum going by fighting some ranked above him.
Sodiq Yusuff expects to finish Arnold Allen and put the featherweight division on notice: "The winner is getting a top-five opponent"
Cole Shelton - April 6, 2021
Sodiq Yusuff is eager to get back into the Octagon in the co-main event of UFC on ABC 2. After Yusuff beat Andre Fili at UFC 246 in January of 2020, the Nigerian expected a big fight next time out. However, due to the pandemic, Yusuff couldn’t get a fight booked.
Vicente Luque believes he "sent a message to the division" with his "decisive" win over Tyron Woodley
Cole Shelton - April 5, 2021
Vicente Luque was pleased with his win over Tyron Woodley at UFC 260. In the co-main event of the pay-per-view card, Luque knew he had to beat Woodley in order to prove he’s a future title challenger. Although the former champ was on a three-fight losing streak and wasn’t throwing many punches, Luque expected a very aggressive Woodley and that is exactly what he got.
Mike Hamel expects to derail the hype of Usman Nurmagomedov: "I'm going to clip him"
Cole Shelton - April 1, 2021
Mike Hamel had a feeling he’d be the one to welcome Usman Nurmagomedov to Bellator. When Nurmagomedov, Khabib’s cousin, signed with Bellator, Hamel started researching the 11-0 fighter. After spending some time looking into him, he started telling his coaches and teammates he will end up fighting. Then, weeks later, Hamel got offered to fight Nurmagomedov at Bellator 255, which is exciting for him.
Patricio Pitbull says he "would embarrass" Alex Volkanovski if they fought: "It would be a massacre"
Cole Shelton - April 1, 2021
Patricio Pitbull has made it known, he wants a cross-promotional fight against Alex Volkanovski. Pitbull is the current featherweight and lightweight champion in Bellator while Volkanovski holds UFC gold at featherweight. Both men have taken shots at one another on social media, and Pitbull has called for the fight to happen. Yet, he doesn’t believe it will happen.
Emmanuel Sanchez expects to put on a "dominating performance" and finish Patricio Pitbull to become the new champ
Cole Shelton - March 31, 2021
Emmanuel Sanchez is eager to show how much he improved since November 15, 2018. On that date, Sanchez lost a decision to Patricio Pitbull for the featherweight title. It was a back-and-forth fight with both men hurting the other. Since the fight, both men have gone undefeated with Pitbull winning the lightweight title as well. But, in the main event of Bellator 255, which serves as the semifinals of the featherweight grand prix, Sanchez is eager to exact his revenge.
Patricio Pitbull excited to "shut up" Emmanuel Sanchez and prove he's "the best fighter on the planet"
Cole Shelton - March 30, 2021
Patricio Pitbull knows he can’t just beat Emmanuel Sanchez in the main event of Bellator 255, but he has to finish him. Pitbull and Sanchez first met in 2018 with the Brazilian winning a decision. Since the fight, Sanchez has been campaigning for a rematch given he went the distance with the champ.
Grant Dawson happy to show complete skillset against Leonardo Santos, defends Clay Guida callout: "He has a bigger name than I do"
Cole Shelton - March 25, 2021
Grant Dawson had no clue how the judges were scoring his fight against Leonardo Santos entering the third round. The fight was competitive through two rounds and after the second round, James Krause had a motivating speech to tell Dawson he needs to finish the fight in the third round. Although Dawson was controlling the fight, it appeared the fight was destined to go the distance. However, with 10 seconds left, Dawson started landing heavy ground and pound that knocked Santos out cold, which was a big relief for Dawson.
Modestas Bukauskas plans to finish Michal Oleksiejczuk in "spectacular fashion" at UFC 260
Cole Shelton - March 25, 2021
Modestas Bukauskas was eagerly anticipating his next fight after coming up short last time out. Back on Fight Island in October, Bukauskas suffered a first-round TKO loss to Jimmy Crute. In just his second UFC fight, he fought a very tough and dangerous Crute who is now in the rankings and could be in the top-10 after his next fight. Although the loss was disappointing for Bukauskas, he says it helped him grow as he hired a sports psychologist and started to focus more on the strategy for his fights.