Exclusive MMA Interviews News

Cole Shelton - January 11, 2021

Alessio Di Chirico knows his UFC Fight Island 7 fight against Joaquin Buckley is do-or-die for his UFC career. Di Chirico is on a three-fight losing streak and many were surprised he was fighting Buckley who is on a winning streak. However, the Italian was excited when he got the call to fight Buckley.

Drake Riggs - January 5, 2021

An unbelievable amount of ridiculousness ensued throughout 2020 the further along we all got in the year. To perfectly summarize 2020 with a capper, the MMA world provided us with an intergender openweight exhibition bout in November pitting Russia’s Darina Mazdyuk vs. the 500-plus pound YouTuber, Grigory Chistyakov (also known as Grisha Polnoe). Mazdyuk, 28, is a solid prospect who has competed in the 135-pound bantamweight and 145-pound featherweight divisions. However, up until her viral first-round TKO victory, the 4-1 pro was a virtual unknown outside of Russia’s regional scene.

Cole Shelton - December 30, 2020

Rob Font is now a top-five bantamweight and he plans on staying ready for the upcoming title fight. At UFC Vegas 17, Font picked up the biggest win of his career as he knocked out Marlon Moraes in the first round. For his head coach, Tyson Chartier, he says the win over Moraes is a big one for Font’s confidence and silencing the doubters.

Tom Taylor - December 30, 2020

Minowaman, a legend among hardcore fight fans, is headed to the RIZIN Fighting Federation ring. The 44-year-old, who has competed in well over 100 mixed martial arts bouts and many pro wrestling matches, will take on jūryō-ranked sumo Tsuyoshi Sudario at RIZIN 26 inside the Saitama Super Arena on New Years Eve.

Cole Shelton - December 28, 2020

Rob Font is now a top-five bantamweight. Entering UFC Vegas 17, Font had heard all the talk that he couldn’t win the big one. When the New England Cartel member got steps up in competition he faltered as evidence to the Raphael Assuncao and Pedro Munhoz losses. However, as he was getting ready to fight Marlon Moraes, his confidence and mental state were much different which was the key to getting his hand raised.

Cole Shelton - December 23, 2020

Christos Giagos thought he wouldn’t get a fight in 2020. Giagos lost a close decision to Drakkar Klose at UFC 241 and since then, he was looking to fight. He was expected to fight in April but due to the pandemic, the event was canceled. Since then, he was bugging his manager for a fight, and out of blue, last Wednesday, he got a fight offer to fight on three days’ notice against Carlton Minus and took it.

Cole Shelton - December 18, 2020

Marlon Vera still doesn’t like Sean O’Malley. In the lead-up to UFC 252, O’Malley made it clear Vera was not on his level and he was going to KO him in the first round. However, that is far from what happened as it was “Chito” who won by TKO in the opening round.

Cole Shelton - December 18, 2020

Maycee Barber has responded to Michael Bisping. After Barber suffered her first career loss to Roxanne Modafferi at UFC 246, the 22-year-old grabbed the mic before Modafferi could speak. Barber also blamed her ACL tearing as the reason she lost. However, Bisping was not a fan of the way Barber handled her first career loss.

Cole Shelton - December 17, 2020

Maycee Barber’s 2020 did not go the way she envisioned. In January at UFC 246, Barber was looking to improve to 9-0 when she took on Roxanne Modafferi. The goal for the 22-year-old was to beat Modafferi, get another win in the summer and fight for the belt at year’s end. Unfortunately for her, she lost the fight by decision and tore her ACL which has kept her out of action for the remainder of the year.

Cole Shelton - December 17, 2020

In the main event of the UFC Vegas 17 which is the final UFC event of 2020, Stephen Thompson returns to the Octagon against rising contender, Geoff Neal. Heading into the fight, Neal is a -120 favorite while “Wonderboy” is a -110 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 it will be Thompson getting the job done and remaining a top-five welterweight.

Tom Taylor - December 17, 2020

As “The King of Lethwei,” Dave Leduc is well accustomed to receiving callouts from prospective opponents keen to usurp his throne. This month, however, has been particularly busy for the French Canadian Lethwei legend.

Cole Shelton - December 16, 2020

Rob Font didn’t expect to be fighting Marlon Moraes in his return fight. Font is on a two-fight winning streak but has not fought since last December when he defeated Ricky Simon by decision. Rob has been sidelined with injuries but at UFC Vegas 17 he will return to the Octagon against Moraes.

Cole Shelton - December 15, 2020

Stephen Thompson thinks the UFC views him as a gatekeeper now. For the second-straight fight, Thompson will fight a rising welterweight contender, but this time he will be the main event as he battles Geoff Neal. It is a very intriguing matchup but for “Wonderboy” he knows why the UFC made this fight and that is them wanting to push Neal up the rankings.

Cole Shelton - December 15, 2020

Geoff Neal didn’t expect Stephen Thompson to accept the fight. After Neal was forced to pull out of his fight against Neil Magny in August, he wasn’t sure if he would get a ranked opponent in his return. However, he was then offered Thompson and was surprised “Wonderboy” accepted it.

Cole Shelton - December 14, 2020

Alex Morono didn’t expect to be fighting Anthony Pettis. Morono started the year with a disappointing KO loss to Khaos Williams at UFC 247. The Fortis MMA product then returned at UFC Vegas 14 with a decision win over Rhys McKee. After the win, Morono was hoping he could make a quick turnaround but never expected it to be against Pettis.

Cole Shelton - December 11, 2020

Peter Barrett believes the UFC and Chase Hooper made a mistake by taking this fight. At UFC 256, Hooper is set to return to the Octagon after his first career loss to battle Barrett, who lost his promotional debut earlier this year. However, for the 34-year-old in Barrett, he believes the UFC is rooting for Hooper to win as they have high expectations for him.

Cole Shelton - December 10, 2020

Daniel Pineda doesn’t think the judges will be needed for his UFC 256 fight against Cub Swanson. After Pineda finished Herbert Burns at UFC 252, the hope for the 35-year-old was to get a ranked opponent or someone near the rankings. And, he ended up getting his wish as he was offered perennial contender, Cub Swanson.

Cole Shelton - December 10, 2020

Artem Lobov is open to boxing either of the Paul brothers. After Jake Paul knocked out Nate Robinson on the Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. undercard, the 23-year-old called out the likes of Dillon Danis and Conor McGregor. Given those are his teammates, Artem Lobov says if those fights don’t come to fruition, he would take the fight and beat up Paul if he is paid accordingly.