Exclusive MMA Interviews News
Javier Mendez "wouldn’t be surprised" if Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor 2 is next
Cole Shelton - October 21, 2020
Javier Mendez, the head coach of Khabib Nurmagomedov, believes the Conor McGregor rematch is likely next if the champ can get past Justin Gaethje. At UFC 254, Nurmagomedov is set to defend his belt against Gaethje, in what some are considering the toughest challenge for the champ. However, Mendez has said he still believes McGregor is the toughest test and knows the UFC wants the rematch.
Sam Alvey knows the stakes are high for his UFC 254 showdown with Da Un Jung
Cole Shelton - October 21, 2020
Sam Alvey thought his time as a UFC fighter was over when he lost to Ryan Spann at UFC 249 but he’s getting one more shot at UFC 254. Alvey was on a three-fight losing streak and figured it was do-or-die for his career and dropped a very close split decision. Yet, weeks later, he got a fight offer to take on Da Un Jung at UFC 254 and knows he will be cut if he loses five in a row.
UFC 254 | Pro fighters make their picks for Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Justin Gaethje title fight
Cole Shelton - October 21, 2020
In the main event of UFC 254, Khabib Nurmagomedov is looking to defend his lightweight title for the third time when he battles current interim champion Justin Gaethje. Heading into the fight, the undefeated champ is a -325 favorite while the American is a +250 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The slight majority of pros believe we will hear “And New” as Justin Gaethje will be the first person to defeat Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Khabib Nurmagomedov's coach believes McGregor is a tougher overall test when compared to Gaethje
Cole Shelton - October 20, 2020
Javier Mendez believes Khabib Nurmagomedov has already fought the toughest challenge for his title and that was Conor McGregor. In the main event of UFC 254, Nurmagomedov is set to defend his lightweight title against the interim champion, Justin Gaethje. In the lead up to the fight, many pundits have said Gaethje will be Khabib Nurmagomedov’s toughest test, which Mendez disagrees with.
Jan Blachowicz open to Israel Adesanya superfight next: I will "show him legendary Polish power at 205"
Cole Shelton - October 16, 2020
Jan Blachowicz is open to the idea of fighting Israel Adesanya. After Adesanya beat Paulo Costa at UFC 253 and Jan Blachowicz claimed the vacant light heavyweight in the co-main event, many thought a superfight between them made sense. It would no doubt be a massive fight and if Adesanya could beat Blachowicz is only further the talks for the Jon Jones fight.
Modestas Bukauskas expects to make "a big statement" by finishing Jimmy Crute in the second round
Cole Shelton - October 15, 2020
Modestas Bukauskas knows people were surprised when it was revealed he would be fighting Jimmy Crute. Bukauskas and Crute are two of the best up and coming prospects at light heavyweight and given the need for new blood, many figured they would both fight veterans. However, at UFC Fight Island 6, they will be fighting one another. According to the Lithuanian, it is due to the fact several fighters had turned down Crute so he stepped up to the plate.
James Krause knows he's a "tough stylistic matchup for Claudio Silva" at UFC Fight Island 6
Cole Shelton - October 15, 2020
James Krause is taking another short-notice fight. At UFC 247, Krause stepped up to fight Trevin Giles at middleweight on 24 hours notice. Even though he took the fight on very short notice he had a ton of success and lost a very controversial decision.
Martin Nguyen vows to be the "best version" of himself against Thanh Le
Tom Taylor - October 15, 2020
ONE Championship featherweight titleholder Martin Nguyen says he’ll be better than ever when he steps into the cage with streaking challenger Thanh Le on October 30. The bout will be Nguyen’s first since August, 2019, and the champion is unsurprisingly very excited to get back into the cage—particularly when so many athletes are unable to compete during the coronavirus pandemic.
Gillian Robertson expects to submit Poliana Botelho: "It’s no secret what my game plan is"
Cole Shelton - October 14, 2020
Gillian Robertson currently holds the most wins in the UFC’s flyweight division as well as the most submission wins by a woman in UFC history and thus she is looking to build off that at UFC Fight Island 6. Robertson got back into the win column with a submission win over Cortney Casey last time. Following the win, many expected the Canadian to get a ranked opponent next, but that wasn’t the case.
Jan Blachowicz shares interesting theory as to why Jon Jones vacated his light heavyweight belt
Cole Shelton - October 14, 2020
Jan Blachowicz has a theory as to why Jon Jones vacated his light heavyweight belt and now has a planned move up to heavyweight. At UFC 253, Blachowicz fought and beat Dominick Reyes to win the vacant light heavyweight title. Immediately after the fight, Jones tweeted asking fans if he should go try and reclaim his belt. Yet, for the Pole, he doesn’t think “Bones” has any interest in fighting him as he knows he would get knocked out.
Jan Blachowicz says people need to start "believing in my legendary Polish power" after UFC 253 win
Cole Shelton - October 13, 2020
Jan Blachowicz is constantly a betting underdog and when he fought Dominick Reyes at UFC 253 for the vacant light heavyweight title, that was no different. Blachowicz was around a +210 underdog and pulled off the upset with a second-round knockout over Reyes. For the Pole, he says the fight went better than he even anticipated.
Coach: "If Korean Zombie can hit Brian Ortega a third of what Max did, Zombie is going to put him away"
Cole Shelton - October 12, 2020
Korean Zombie’s striking coach, Eddie Cha, is confident his pupil will be able to knock Brian Ortega out. In the main event of UFC Fight Island 6, Zombie and Ortega will finally settle their differences after months of trash talk. It is a highly-anticipated fight and one even Cha is excited to watch.
The painter and the fighter: the duality of Simon Biyong
Alfredo Zullino - October 8, 2020
Who is Simon Biyong? A basketball player for an Italian team? A Bellator fighter? Or maybe he is a talented painter? What is sure, is that he hasn’t always been a mixed martial artist. Born in 1991 in Yaoundé, Cameroon, the Italian-based fighter recalls his early days as a sportsman.
Angela Lee expects to return "a completely different animal" after birth of first child
Tom Taylor - October 8, 2020
In the animal kingdom, there are few creatures more dangerous than a protective mother. If ONE atomweight champion Angela Lee is any indication, that rule also applies in mixed martial arts. Lee, who has held the ONE atomweight belt in a vice grip since 2016, is expecting her first child in April. While her pregnancy will keep her out of competition for some time, she plans to return better than ever once her baby has arrived.
Giga Chikadze planning to submit Omar Morales to show off improved ground game on Fight Island
Cole Shelton - October 7, 2020
Giga Chikadze hopes to show everyone he isn’t just a kickboxer. When Chikadze signed with the UFC, he was a decorated kickboxer, and in his first three UFC fights he was able to show off his striking. Yet, many thought he would be able to show off his ground game against Alex Caceres. Unfortunately, Chikadze had tested positive for COVID-19 leaving that fight to be canceled.
Cheick Kongo expects to finish Tim Johnson again, says Ryan Bader getting KO'd was "karma" for eye pokes in their fight
Cole Shelton - October 7, 2020
Cheick Kongo thought he would be having an immediate rematch with Ryan Bader. Kongo and Bader fought at Bellator 226 for the heavyweight title. It was a very intriguing matchup but the fight ended due to eye pokes from Bader and was ruled a no-contest. Yet, Bader claimed he never poked Kongo in the eye. For the Frenchman, he knows that was inaccurate and actually revealed he and Bader agreed to rematch in June before the pandemic hit.
Tim Johnson "excited" to get Cheick Kongo rematch after "fluky" first fight, believes win earns him title shot
Cole Shelton - October 6, 2020
Tim Johnson will finally get the rematch with Cheick Kongo he has been calling for. In Johnson’s Bellator debut, he fought Kongo and lost by TKO in just 68 seconds. Yet, Johnson wasn’t happy with the stoppage and wanted the rematch ever since and at Bellator 248 he will get his wish. He will also fight on the first major MMA event in France since the sport was legalized.
Casey Kenney says all Heili Alateng has is "a basic right hand and wrestling," expects to finish him
Cole Shelton - October 1, 2020
Casey Kenney was surprised Heili Alateng was his next opponent but knows it is a good matchup for him. Kenney is coming off a very impressive submission win over Louis Smolka and he thought a ranked opponent could be next. Yet, that will not be the case but he will take on Alateng who is 2-0 in the UFC, but Kenney still isn’t too impressed with him.