Exclusive MMA Interviews News

Cole Shelton - July 28, 2020

Alex Perez believes he should be getting the next flyweight title shot. At UFC Fight Island 2, a new flyweight champion was crowned as Deiveson Figueiredo submitted Joseph Benavidez in the first round. Perez expected the Brazilian to win, but not in the fashion he did.

Cole Shelton - July 28, 2020

Calvin Kattar believes he could very well be fighting for UFC gold next time out. Kattar, who is currently ranked sixth in the division, is already 2-0 in 2020. He had a knockout win over Jeremy Stephens and most recently a decision win over Dan Ige. Not only did he beat the streaking Ige, but he also did it over five rounds.

Cole Shelton - July 24, 2020

Joanna Jedrzejczyk is only interested in title fights and big fights according to American Top Team owner, Dan Lambert. Jedrzejczyk last fought back at UFC 248 in March where she and Weili Zhang put on an all-time great fight. The two traded shots for 25 minutes. Jedrzejczyk was looking to reclaim her title while the Chinese champion was looking for her first title defense.

Tom Taylor - July 24, 2020

ONE Championship returns to Bangkok, Thailand, with ONE: NO Surrender on Friday, July 31. Headlining the promotion’s return card will be a trilogy bout for the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Championship between Rodtang Jitmuangnon and Petchdam Petchyindee Academy. Prior to joining the organization, the Thai strikers met at the world-famous Rajadamnern Stadium in Bangkok twice – Petchdam took the first meeting by decision in 2017, and Rodtang evened the score a year later.

Cole Shelton - July 23, 2020

In the main event of UFC Fight Island 3, a pivotal middleweight clash headlines the card as Robert Whittaker battles Darren Till. Heading into the fight, the former champion in Whittaker is a -120 favorite while the Englishman is a +100 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The pros believe it is a super close fight as the odds suggest but the majority lean towards Whittaker getting the job done.

Tom Taylor - July 23, 2020

Petchdam Petchyindee Academy knows his shot at Rodtang Jitmuangnon and the ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Championship at ONE: No Surrender is a golden opportunity. The always exciting Thai, who will look to settle the score with his former foe on July 31 in Bangkok, Thailand, is grateful that he can get back to work following of inactivity due to COVID-19. 

Cole Shelton - July 22, 2020

American Top Team owner, Dan Lambert doesn’t expect Amanda Nunes to retire from MMA. Following Nunes’ UFC 250 win over Felicia Spencer where she defended her featherweight title, the Brazilian has hinted at retirement. Nunes has accomplished everything in the sport from being a champ-champ to now defending both titles. Nunes is also widely considered the GOAT of women’s MMA.

Cole Shelton - July 22, 2020

Jesse Ronson didn’t believe he would make it back to the UFC. Ronson was in the UFC from September 2013 to July 2014, but the Canadian went 0-3 with three split decision losses to Michel Prazeres, Francisco Trinaldo, and Kevin Lee. He was then fighting on the regional scenes when he got the call to fight Diego Ferreira on short notice at UFC 231. However, Ronson was pulled from the event due to him having to cut too much weight and Sean Shelby told him he’d never be signed by the UFC again.

Cole Shelton - July 21, 2020

Peter Sobotta is back. The 33-year-old German welterweight has not fought since March of 2018 where he suffered a third-round TKO loss to Leon Edwards. Since then, he was supposed to fight Alessio Di Chirico last September, but he was forced to pull out.

Cole Shelton - July 21, 2020

If American Top Team owner, Dan Lambert had his way, Jorge Masvidal wouldn’t have stepped in on short notice to fight Kamaru Usman. At UFC 251 on Fight Island, Usman was expected to defend his welterweight title against Gilbert Burns. Yet, Burns tested positive for COVID-19 and Masvidal ended up coming to terms to fight the champ on six days’ notice.

Alfredo Zullino - July 17, 2020

A featherweight scrap between Georgia’s Giga Chikadze (10-2 MMA; 3-0 UFC) and Alex Caceres (16-12 MMA; 11-10-1 NC UFC) is in the works for August 8; sources with knowledge of the situation told BJPENN.com. The former Glory kickboxer Chikadze made his UFC debut less than a year ago, in September 2019, and since then he racked up a perfect record of 3 victories and no losses, triumphing over Brandon Davis, Jamall Emmers and Irwin Rivera. All of these wins came by decision.

Cole Shelton - July 17, 2020

In the main event of UFC Fight Island 2, Deiveson Figueiredo and Joseph Benavidez are having an immediate rematch for the vacant flyweight title. Heading into the fight, the Brazilian, Figueiredo, is a -225 favorite while the American is a +175 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The majority of the fighters believe Benavidez will finally become a UFC champion and beat Figueiredo in the rematch.

Cole Shelton - July 16, 2020

When Jack Hermansson lost his fight against Chris Weidman due to COVID-19, he was distraught. Yet, that ended quickly when the UFC offered him a scrap against Kelvin Gastelum. Even before the Weidman fight was booked, Hermansson and Gastelum were calling each other out on Twitter. After that, they went to the UFC to make the fight which is what happened as the two will be the co-main event on July 18.

Cole Shelton - July 14, 2020

Calvin Kattar expects to extend his winning streak and add another stoppage win to his record tomorrow night. In the main event of Wednesday’s July 15 Fight Island card, Kattar is set to battle rising contender, Dan Ige. It is a very interesting fight, but for many, they believe Kattar should’ve fought a higher-ranked opponent. For him, he says he will have to fight them at some point, so he might as well make it now.

Cole Shelton - July 14, 2020

Dan Ige is no stranger to being the betting underdog. Ige has been the underdog in his past three fights against Edson Barboza, Mirsad Bektic, and Kevin Aguilar and yet won all three contests. But, entering his July 15 main event against Calvin Kattar, it will be the toughest opponent he has faced and he’s excited Kattar took the fight given he is lower in the rankings.

Cole Shelton - July 13, 2020

Frankie Edgar’s bantamweight debut was pushed back once again, but he still has his eyes on several opponents. Edgar was expected to face Pedro Munhoz at UFC 251 and then on July 15 but the Brazilian tested positive for COVID-19 pulling him from the bout.

Cole Shelton - July 10, 2020

On the stacked UFC 251 card Jessica Andrade and Rose Namajunas are set to have their highly-anticipated rematch. Heading into the fight, the Brazilian, Andrade, is  a +175 underdog while the American is a -225 favorite. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. Although Andrade won the first fight by KO at UFC 237, the majority believe it will be Namajunas who gets the job done.

Cole Shelton - July 9, 2020

The third title fight on the stacked UFC 251 card sees the vacant bantamweight title on the line as Petr Yan battles Jose Aldo. Heading into the fight, the Russian in Yan is a -225 favorite while the Brazilian is a +175 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The majority of the fighters believe it will be Petr Yan getting the job done, with many thinking the fight ends by stoppage.