Exclusive MMA Interviews News
Sam Alvey says UFC 249 fight against Ryan Spann is "do-or-die" for UFC career
Cole Shelton - May 8, 2020
Sam Alvey knows his UFC roster spot in on the line when he opens the stacked UFC 249 card against Ryan Spann. Alvey is currently on a three-fight losing streak where he lost by TKO to Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Jimmy Crute and most recently dropped a decision to Klidson Abreu. Against Spann, “Smile’n Sam” is the biggest underdog on the card but isn’t paying attention to any of that.
A.J. McKee wants to box Floyd Mayweather after he becomes Bellator champ-champ
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.
Pro fighters make their picks for Francis Ngannou vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
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.
Alexey Oleynik says UFC 249 fight with Fabricio Werdum is for "best motherf****r submission title"
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.
Michelle Waterson plans on knocking out Carla Esparza to put her in talks to fight for belt
Cole Shelton - May 5, 2020
Michelle Waterson believes her UFC 249 fight against former champion Carla Esparza has title implications on the line. Waterson will make her return to the Octagon after a decision loss to Joanna Jedrzejczyk back at UFC Tampa last October. She says she learned a lot about herself in that fight and says it proves she belongs at the top.
UFC 249 | Pro fighters make their picks for Tony Ferguson vs. Justin Gaethje title fight
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.
Jairzinho Rozenstruik plans to KO Francis Ngannou in "one of the best fights of 2020"
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.
Israel Adesanya explains why he's a bad matchup for "washed up" Jon Jones
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.
Douglas Lima believes he could KO Kamaru Usman and "it wouldn’t take much either"
Cole Shelton - May 1, 2020
Douglas Lima hopes he and Kamaru Usman will fight each other one day. Currently, Lima is Bellator’s welterweight champion while Usman is the UFC’s 170-pound champion. Although a fight between them seems unlikely due to the lack of cross-promotional interest by Dana White, Lima hopes it can happen one day, but he isn’t holding his breath.
Israel Adesanya shares advice for young fighters: "Don't be fake like Jon Jones"
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.
Douglas Lima "disappointed" Rory MacDonald left Bellator but hopes trilogy happens down the line
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.
Johny Hendricks explains how USADA played a role in his retirement from MMA
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.
Johny Hendricks still open to a return to the UFC and MMA under one condition
Cole Shelton - April 29, 2020
Johny Hendricks says the door is still open for a return to the UFC. Hendricks is a former UFC welterweight champion who last fought in 2017 where he suffered a TKO loss to Paulo Costa. He announced his retirement from MMA in June of 2018 but had one bare-knuckle fight after.
Douglas Lima sends message to Michael Page: "Get some better wins then we will fight"
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.
Douglas Lima believes he'll "finish" Gegard Mousasi to win middleweight belt and cement his legacy
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.
Modestas Bukauskas recalls early pro days, eyes UFC debut on Fight Island
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.
Felicia Spencer believes beating Amanda Nunes "legitimatizes" her career
Cole Shelton - April 23, 2020
Felicia Spencer is confident she has what it takes to beat Amanda Nunes. Spencer was expected to battle Nunes for the featherweight belt at UFC 249 on May 9. Yet, the fight was postponed after Nunes said she wouldn’t be fighting during the pandemic. The Canadian, Spencer, is now in a wait and see approach as to when the fight will happen. But, the delay has not derailed her confidence.
Angela Lee eyeing Denise Zamboanga, Xiong Jingnan bouts when pandemic subsides
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.