Exclusive MMA Interviews News
Sean O'Malley planning for "viral knockout" of Eddie Wineland at UFC 250
Cole Shelton - June 2, 2020
Coach would be "surprised" if Jon Jones never fights again but adds he is "serious about vacating the belt"
Cole Shelton - June 1, 2020
Mike Winkeljohn says Jon Jones is happy with vacating the light heavyweight belt and walking away from the sport for a few years. Recently, Jones and Dana White have not seen eye-to-eye about his pay to move up to heavyweight and fight Francis Ngannou. “Bones” has come out and said he would walk away from the sport and on Sunday night claimed he was vacating the belt. According to his coach in Winkeljohn, the champ is 100 percent serious about it.
Felicia Spencer believes she will "shock the world" with stoppage win over Amanda Nunes
Cole Shelton - June 1, 2020
Felicia Spencer believes she’ll pull off one of the biggest upsets in MMA history on Saturday night. In the main event of UFC 250, Amanda Nunes is looking to defend her featherweight title against Spencer. It was originally supposed to happen at UFC 249 on May 9 but Nunes needed it delayed until June.
Giga Chikadze wants Edson Barboza next: "It would be the Fight of the Year"
Cole Shelton - May 29, 2020
Giga Chikadze has all the accolades in kickboxing and karate and he’s looking to add to that in MMA. Chikadze, who’s 10-2 in MMA and 3-0 in the UFC, is coming off a decision win over Irwin Rivera back at UFC on ESPN 8.
Dan Ige doesn't “see the argument” that he didn’t beat Edson Barboza, wants Jeremy Stephens next
Cole Shelton - May 28, 2020
Dan Ige doesn’t understand how people thought Edson Barboza beat him. Back at UFC on ESPN 8, Barboza made his featherweight debut against the 15th-ranked, Dan Ige. Early on in the fight, the Brazilian dropped Ige but the Hawaiian rallied in the second and third rounds to win a split decision.
Blagoy Ivanov confident he earns first UFC finish against Augusto Sakai: "I’m taking him into deep waters"
Cole Shelton - May 27, 2020
Blagoy Ivanov is confident he will earn his first UFC finish this Saturday night when he battles Augusto Sakai. Ivanov is coming off a split decision loss to Derrick Lewis at UFC 230 in a fight he thought he won. It was a disappointing outcome for the Bulgarian as a win over “The Black Beast” would’ve changed his career.
Louis Smolka promises to finish Casey Kenney: "I’m going to hit him until he breaks"
Cole Shelton - May 27, 2020
For Louis Smolka, he wishes every fight would be like his upcoming one on Saturday night against Casey Kenney. Smolka was offered the bout just one week ago, but for the Hawaiian, he didn’t hesitate to take the fight on short notice. Instead, he says he loves short notice fights and the chaos that comes with it.
Cortney Casey on quick turnaround during pandemic: "It's my job to go out there and fight"
Mike Pendleton - May 26, 2020
Getting back to normalcy is tough during a worldwide pandemic, but fighters, especially those in the UFC are known and credited for their toughness, one way or another. As the UFC works it’s way back to normalcy and continues to put on events, fighters like Cortney Casey are getting back to their jobs. Casey most recently picked up a win at UFC Fight Night on ESPN with a first-round submission win over Mara Romero Borella, and now has accepted a quick turnaround and will meet Gillian Robertson on June 20 for a matchup of flyweights looking to climb up in the division.
Tim Elliott says he's "no longer chasing wins," focused on collecting bonuses
Cole Shelton - May 25, 2020
Tim Elliott has changed his approach to fighting. The former UFC flyweight title challenger and TUF winner will return to the Octagon on Saturday to battle newcomer Brandon Royval. He’s also looking to snap his two-fight losing streak, but for him, he says wins and losses no longer matter. Instead, he wants to win bonuses and be known as an exciting fighter.
Francis Ngannou says he’s "more confident" in a rematch with Stipe Miocic than a potential fight with Daniel Cormier
Cole Shelton - May 22, 2020
Francis Ngannou believes he’d have an easier time in a rematch with Stipe Miocic than he would in a potential fight against Daniel Cormier. Yet, for Ngannou, he just hopes he can fight one of them soon as he says the UFC needs to make the heavyweight division active.
Eric Albarracin hopes Korean Zombie returns "ASAP" from injury to battle Alexander Volkanovski for the belt
Cole Shelton - May 21, 2020
Eric Albarracin says ‘The Korean Zombie’ Chan Sung Jung is almost ready to return. Since Zombie defeated Frankie Edgar by TKO at UFC Busan last December he has been dealing with an eye injury. He ended up needing to get surgery and said he was targeting a summer return.
Coach: Israel Adesanya vs Paulo Costa will be "the greatest middleweight title fight in history"
Cole Shelton - May 20, 2020
Eric Albarracin has high expectations for Israel Adesanya vs Paulo Costa. Adesanya and Costa have been going back-and-forth at one another for months a fight between them seems likely. It would see both men put their undefeated records on the line, in what Albarracin says will be the greatest middleweight title fight in history.
Francis Ngannou wishes Jairzinho Rozenstruik fight went longer so he could have showcased his ground game
Cole Shelton - May 20, 2020
Francis Ngannou didn’t expect to knock out Jairzinho Rozenstruik in 20 seconds at UFC 249 and is semi-disappointed that he did. Entering the fight, Ngannou was on a three-fight winning with all three wins coming by knockout in under two minutes. Against Rozenstruik, however, Ngannou wanted to show off his much-improved cardio and ground game to prove to people he was ready for a title shot.
Edson Barboza says if UFC doesn't give him his win bonus he won't cut back down to 145
Cole Shelton - May 19, 2020
Edson Barboza hopes the UFC and Dana White finally show him some love and respect following his split decision loss to Dan Ige. At UFC on ESPN 8, Barboza dropped down to featherweight to take on 15th ranked Ige. Many had wondered how the Brazilian would fare in his debut and early on he had a ton of success by even dropping Ige in the first.
Eric Albarracin says Henry Cejudo's retirement is "permanent" and goes down as all-time GOAT
Cole Shelton - May 18, 2020
Eric Albarracin wasn’t surprised that his pupil Henry Cejudo finished Dominick Cruz inside two rounds, but was shocked he retired. Cejudo was looking for his first bantamweight title defense when he landed a perfect knee that dropped Cruz. “Triple C” followed it up with ground and pound shots to win the fight by TKO. For Captain Eric, he says Cejudo followed the gameplan perfectly.
Sayif Saud making Fortis MMA into a top gym with five ranked UFC fighters
Cole Shelton - May 18, 2020
Sayif Saud didn’t expect Fortis MMA to become this successful so early on. Saud, who used to be an MMA fighter and trained at JacksonWink MMA, became a coach due to injuries limiting his pro career. After coaching around at various gyms, Saud, alongside former NBA player Deron Williams opened up Fortis MMA in 2017.
Ryan Bader says he will rematch Cheick Kongo and fight Rampage Jackson after bizarre Bellator 226
Cole Shelton - May 15, 2020
Ryan Bader makes it very clear he is not scared of Cheick Kongo and will rematch him after he defends his light heavyweight title. In the main event of Bellator 226 last September, Bader was looking for his first title defense at heavyweight against Kongo. Early on the champ-champ was having success yet there was an accidental eye poke leaving Kongo unable to continue and the fight ended in a no-contest.
Marvin Vettori's nutritionist clears the air on the infamous confrontation with Karl Roberson
Alfredo Zullino - May 15, 2020
Basically everyone has seen the infamous clip of Marvin Vettori going after his former opponent Karl Roberson, but there are still questions about what actually happens. Both fighters gave their sides of the story but of course, they differ from each other.
Pro fighters make their picks for Walt Harris vs. Alistair Overeem
Cole Shelton - May 14, 2020
In the main event of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night card in Jacksonville, Florida, Walt Harris battles longtime heavyweight contender Alistair Overeem. Heading into the fight Harris is a -165 favorite, while the Dutchman is a +135 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The pros have a slight lean towards Harris to get it done by stoppage, as he’ll be motivated following the tragic murder of his stepdaughter.