Exclusive MMA Interviews News

Cole Shelton - May 7, 2020

A.J. McKee is looking to become a champ-champ in Bellator and then go into boxing to challenge Floyd Mayweather. Mayweather has not boxed professionally since he defeated Conor McGregor in the summer of 2016. It was a highly-anticipated bout, and McKee thinks he can capture that same momentum.

Cole Shelton - May 7, 2020

On the stacked UFC 249 main card, Francis Ngannou takes on undefeated contender, Jairzinho Rozenstruik. Heading into this fight, Ngannou is a -275 favorite while “Bigi Boy” is a +215 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The pros believe the scrap ends by knockout where the majority lean towards Ngannou getting his hand raised.

Cole Shelton - May 6, 2020

Alexey Oleynik says there is a belt on the line when he takes on Fabricio Werdum at UFC 249. Oleynik will welcome Werdum back to the Octagon after a USADA suspension on the stacked UFC 249 card. The Russian is eager to share the cage with a ‘legend’ and says this fight is to see who’s the best grappler of all-time.

Cole Shelton - May 6, 2020

In the co-main event of UFC 249, Henry Cejudo is looking to defend his bantamweight title for the first time against former champion, Dominick Cruz. Heading into this fight, “Triple C” is a -225 favorite while the challenger is a +180 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The pros believe Cejudo will defend his belt, but they realize they can’t count out Cruz, who many consider is the bantamweight GOAT.

Cole Shelton - May 5, 2020

In the main event of UFC 249, Tony Ferguson is taking on Justin Gaethje for the interim lightweight title. Heading into the fight, “El Cucuy” is a -190 favorite while Gaethje is a +155 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The pros believe it is a pick’em fight but the majority believe we will see Gaethje pull off the upset.

Cole Shelton - May 4, 2020

Jairzinho Rozenstruik is expecting to continue his knockout streak on Saturday night when he takes on Francis Ngannou at UFC 249. Rozenstruik and Ngannou were expected to headline UFC Columbus and then fight on April 18, but those events were canceled. Now, for Rozenstruik, he finally gets his wish of fighting Ngannou on May 9.

Tom Taylor - May 4, 2020

UFC middleweight champ Israel Adesanya has made no secret of the fact that he intends to move up to the light heavyweight division to battle Jon Jones in the future. Speaking on the latest episode of BJPENN.COM Radio, Adesanya explained why he’s so confident he’d win this potential matchup.

Cole Shelton - May 1, 2020

Johny Hendricks says he doesn’t think about the Georges St-Pierre fight anymore. Back at UFC 167, St-Pierre was looking to defend his welterweight title against Hendricks. It was a back-and-forth fight but when the final bell rang, most fans and media, including UFC president Dana White thought Hendricks had won. But, the judges’ gave GSP a hard-fought split decision victory.

Adam Martin - May 1, 2020

UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya is one of the biggest stars in mixed martial arts today, and many up-and-coming fighters are bound to try to emulate his success. Speaking on the latest episode of BJPENN.COM Radio, Adesanya shared some advice for young fighters that seek to follow in his footsteps.

Cole Shelton - April 30, 2020

Douglas Lima says he’s disappointed Rory MacDonald left Bellator as it ruined plans for a trilogy fight. MacDonald is the former Bellator welterweight champion but after losing his belt to Lima in the grand prix final, he left in free agency to PFL. Many were surprised as they figured the Canadian would re-sign to set up the trilogy with Lima, which the Brazilian thought would be the case.

Cole Shelton - April 30, 2020

Johny Hendricks never failed a USADA test or took any performance-enhancing drugs in his career. But, he does say USADA played a big factor in why he retired in 2018. Hendricks claimed UFC gold back at UFC 171 where he defeated Robbie Lawler to win the vacant belt. He would then lose the title to Lawler in his next fight and USADA would be soon introduced afterward.

Tom Taylor - April 30, 2020

Alain Ngalani has been given the momentous task of welcoming former UFC light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort to ONE Championship, and he relishes that challenge. In fact, it’s providing him with new motivation after a prolonged period of listlessness. Ngalani, who hails from Cameroon and now lives in Hong Kong, says the bout will most likely occur in the ONE light heavyweight division under a modified rule set—though the pertinent details are still being hashed out. The date of this showdown is also a moving target amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Cole Shelton - April 29, 2020

Douglas Lima doesn’t believe Michael Page should get a title shot anytime soon. Page is riding a three-fight winning streak since suffering his first loss to Lima at Bellator 221. Since the knockout loss, he beat Richard Kiely, Giovanni Melillo, and Shinsho Anzai by knockout. With “MVP” on a winning streak he has called for a rematch with Lima. Yet, the champion isn’t impressed with the Englishman’s caliber of wins and says he doesn’t deserve a title shot.

Cole Shelton - April 28, 2020

Douglas Lima was disappointed he won’t get the chance to become a champ-champ on May 9. Lima, who is the current Bellator welterweight title was moving up in weight to battle Gegard Mousasi for the vacant middleweight strap. Yet, the event was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic which was disappointing news for Lima.

Alfredo Zullino - April 24, 2020

Being signed by the Ultimate Fighting Championship is the dream of many fighters around the world. Modestas Bukauskas recently achieve that dream. Back in January, Bukauskas’ management announced his signing with the UFC. Since then, though, the Brit hasn’t been able to step foot into the Octagon.

Alfredo Zullino - April 23, 2020

A lot of MMA bouts have been canceled or postponed during the past few weeks, including one involving Italy’s Alessio Di Chirico. The Italian fighter was originally slated to compete on April 11 in Portland against Abu Azaitar. He was later rescheduled to fight Markus Perez on the same date, but the entire card was ultimately called off due to the COVID–19 concerns.

Tom Taylor - April 22, 2020

ONE atomweight champion Angela Lee, like many other fighters, is currently playing a bit of a waiting game. While she was recently linked to a title defense opposite the undefeated Denise Zamboanga, that plan was put on ice when the coronavirus pandemic took hold. “Everything is up in the air,” Lee told BJPENN.com from her home in Hawaii. “I’m definitely still training with Denise in mind, but anything can happen.

Cole Shelton - April 21, 2020

Felicia Spencer was looking forward to fighting Amanda Nunes for the featherweight belt on May 9. Yet, that will no longer be the case after the champion announced she won’t be competing at the event as she can’t train properly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the news came out on Monday, Spencer said she got told late Friday night the fight was off. When she received a text message telling her she wouldn’t be competing on May 9 she had mixed emotions.