Exclusive MMA Interviews News

Cole Shelton - February 10, 2020

Leon Edwards is looking to rematch Kamaru Usman and is confident he would dethrone the champion. Edwards and Usman fought back at UFC on Fox 17 in December of 2015 where it was Usman who won by unanimous decision. It was a close fight where two judges had it 29-28, with the Englishman winning the first round. Yet it was Usman’s wrestling which was the difference-maker.

Cole Shelton - February 10, 2020

Jan Blachowicz always wanted to rematch Corey Anderson. The two first fought back at UFC 191 where it was Anderson who used his wrestling to score a unanimous decision win. Now, in the main event of UFC Rio Rancho, they will run it back where the stakes are higher, as the winner is expected to receive the next title shot against Jon Jones.

Cole Shelton - February 7, 2020

Mirsad Bektic believes his Tristar teammate Georges St-Pierre will fight inside the Octagon again. St-Pierre has not fought since he submitted Michael Bisping at UFC 217 to win the middleweight title and become a champion in two divisions. Since that fight, which was his return from a four-year layoff, many have wondered if the Canadian will fight again. He has hinted at a Khabib Nurmagomedov matchup but the UFC wasn’t interested in it.

Cole Shelton - February 7, 2020

For many in the combat sports world, the name Dan Ige was familiar even before the featherweight was in the UFC. He works under Ali Abdelaziz for Dominance MMA and helps Abdelaziz manage top clients like Khabib Nurmagomedov, Kamaru Usman, and Henry Cejudo. Although that has helped Ige establish a name in MMA, he wants to be known more than a manager. At UFC 247, he has that opportunity as he will take on Mirsad Bektic on the main card where a win should get him ranked.

Cole Shelton - February 6, 2020

In the co-main event of UFC 247, Valentina Shevchenko is looking to defend her flyweight title for a third time when she battles Katlyn Chookagian. Heading into the fight, Shevchenko is a -1200 favorite while the American challenger is a +700 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. To no surprise, the majority are leaning towards Shevchenko getting it done, but one is picking the upset. The pros also believe the champ is running out of challengers and think the Amanda Nunes trilogy should happen next.

Cole Shelton - February 6, 2020

In the main event of UFC 247, Jon Jones is looking to defend his light heavyweight belt once again when he battles Dominick Reyes. Heading into the fight, the champion is a -500 favorite while the undefeated challenger is a +350 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the fight and the pros are unanimous in this one believing Jones defends his belt.

Cole Shelton - February 4, 2020

Leon Edwards is not a fan of Kamaru Usman and Jorge Masvidal’s altercation at Radio Row during Super Bowl week. The two were doing radio shows to talk about what’s next for them when they saw each other and got into a verbal altercation. Immediately, it went all over social media and UFC president Dana White said he was not a fan of it. For Edwards, he agrees with White and says it makes MMA and the UFC look fake like the WWE.

Cole Shelton - February 4, 2020

Ilir Latifi always wanted to fight Derrick Lewis and now he has gotten his wish. On the main card of UFC 247, Latifi will move up in weight to battle Lewis.

Cole Shelton - January 31, 2020

Kevin Lee did not expect to be fighting Charles Oliveira next but is excited about the scrap. In the main event of UFC Brasilia on March 14, Lee will look to make it two in a row when he battles the local favorite Oliveira. “The Motown Phenom” says fighting a Brazilian in Brazil is something not many people want to do. But he is excited about the opportunity.

Natasha Hooper - January 31, 2020

This week on his Weighing In podcast, Josh Thomson announced his official retirement from fighting. “I can say that I’m officially retired,” Thomson began.

Mike Heck - January 31, 2020

While there were two big events in the MMA world on Saturday night — UFC on ESPN+ 24 and Bellator 238 — Montel Jackson may have won the entire weekend before his fight with Felipe Colares even began. Prior to his unanimous decision win over Colares in Raleigh, NC, Jackson walked to the Octagon to a song very few combat sports fans expected to hear: Whitney Houston’s mega-hit song released in November 1992, I Will Always Love You.

Cole Shelton - January 30, 2020

Ryan LaFlare is looking to end his retirement. LaFlare went 7-3 in UFC and headlined a card against Demian Maia and had a notable win over Santiago Ponzinibbio. Yet, he had to end his MMA career after a knockout loss to Anthony Rocco Martin at UFC 229 due to his injuries.

Cole Shelton - January 29, 2020

Ilir Latifi expects Alexander Gustafsson to fight again soon. Shortly after Gustafsson was submitted by Anthony Smith in the main event of UFC Stockholm he announced his retirement. Yet many thought the Swede would come back and a few months later he revealed he is considering a return.

Alfredo Zullino - January 28, 2020

Amongst the most hardcore of fight fans, interest is growing in an extremely brutal combat sport: Lethwei. Also called Burmese bare knuckle boxing, Lethwei is far older than other combat sports like MMA, as there are records of matches taking place as far back as the third century in Myanmar. Lethwei, nicknamed “The Art of Nine Limbs” because it includes head-butts, punches, elbows, kicks and knees, is considered one of the most violent sports in the world. Clinches, sweeps, and throws are accepted techniques as well, which makes the sport even more dangerous.

Cole Shelton - January 28, 2020

Sodiq Yusuff is now a perfect 4-0 inside the Octagon, and ranked in the featherweight top-15. At UFC 246, Yusuff competed in the biggest fight of his career when he took on Andre Fili. The Nigerian-American knew it was going to be a tough fight but was confident he would get his hand raised. That is exactly what happened as he edged out a decision victory.

Cole Shelton - January 27, 2020

Diego Ferreira knows the best is yet to come. At UFC 246, Ferreira picked up the biggest win of his career when he submitted Anthony Pettis in the second round. The victory got the Brazilian a spot in the UFC rankings, and it also happened to take place on his birthday which he says was a great present.

Cole Shelton - January 24, 2020

Curtis Millender is entering his fight at Bellator 238 fight against Moses Murrietta with a chip on his shoulder. Millender, who was recently released from the UFC, immediately reached out to Bellator to try and sign back with the promotion after fighting for them in 2015 and 2017.

Cole Shelton - January 24, 2020

Cris Cyborg knows she will go down as one of the greats but at Bellator 238 she can cement her legacy even more. In the main event, Cyborg is making her Bellator debut and taking on Julia Budd for the featherweight title. Should she win, she would become the first person to win belts in Strikeforce, Invicta, UFC, and Bellator. Or, as Cyborg calls it, a “Grand Slam Champion.”