Exclusive MMA Interviews News

Cole Shelton - May 30, 2019

Gilbert Burns is looking to get into the top-15 of the UFC lightweight division, but that has been easier said than done. The Brazilian is riding a two-fight winning streak with wins over Olivier Aubin-Mercier and Mike Davis. However, the 32-year-old says many ranked fighters have simply turned down the contract to fight him. Burns wanted to fight Alexander Hernandez, Gregor Gillespie, and Charles Oliveira — among others. Unfortunately, he’s had no luck finding a willing dance partner.

Tom Taylor - May 30, 2019

Earlier this month, Brazilian striking expert Cosmo Alexandre derailed the ONE Championship debut of Sage Northcutt with a jaw-dropping first-round knockout. For those unfamiliar with Alexandre’s body of work, this outcome came as a shock. Yet it’s just the kind of outcome the Brazilian destroyer had envisioned for himself.

Cole Shelton - May 30, 2019

The Octagon returns to Stockholm, Sweden on Saturday with the fittingly titled UFC Stockholm card. The main event will be a battle of two top light heavyweights as Alexander Gustafsson will be looking to thwart Anthony Smith on home soil. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The majority believe the home crowd will play a factor and Gustafsson will win.

Tom Taylor - May 29, 2019

Singapore-based martial arts organization ONE Championship has recently signed a host of high profile free agents, most notably Demetrious Johnson, Eddie Alvarez, and Sage Northcutt. Among Western fans, many of whom grew familiar with these fighters during their time in the UFC, the widespread expectation was that all three would all be extremely successful in ONE. This has not been the case.

Drake Riggs - May 28, 2019

‘The greatest of all time’ is a label reserved strictly for only one specific component. Of course, when breaking down the category overall that the subject pertains to, there can be multiple different variants that make up the classification of a G.O.A.T. In the general sports world, this often can come in the forms of a team’s best player historically. However, in a singular athletic endeavor like a combat sport such as mixed martial arts, the closest comparison to a team’s G.O.A.T. would be that of a weight division’s.

Cole Shelton - May 28, 2019

In the co-main event of UFC Stockholm, Volkan Oezdemir will return to the Octagon to take on Ilir Latifi. There, the Swiss fighter will attempt to get back into the win column for the first time since UFC 214 in July 2017. His current skid includes losses to Daniel Cormier, Anthony Smith, and a controversial decision loss to Dominick Reyes in March. After these setbacks, Oezdemir just wanted to get back into the Octagon soon and get the bad taste of losing out of his mouth.

Drake Riggs - May 27, 2019

A month ago, UFC strawweight veteran, Angela Magana was set to make her Combate Americas debut at Combate 36: Reinas on April 26 against Kyra Batara. Unfortunately, an emergency surgery to take care of a herniated disc took a turn for the worst.

Tom Taylor - May 27, 2019

Demetrious Johnson has already cemented himself one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time, but he’s not ready to rest on his laurels. After a record-setting reign as the UFC flyweight champion, he is now zeroing in on a new title in ONE Championship. Johnson’s road to ONE Championship gold leads through the perilous ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix. The former UFC champion has already advanced to the tournament’s second round, having submitted Yuya Wakamatsu in Tokyo in March, and he’s now looking ahead to a yet unscheduled semifinal showdown with former DEEP flyweight champion Tatsumitsu Wada.

Tom Taylor - May 26, 2019

Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal are two of the top welterweights on the UFC roster. They’re also training partners at American Top Team, and very close friends. While their friendship has beneficial in the past, it may soon become a bit of an obstacle, as both men are seemingly right on the cusp of welterweight title shots.

Tom Taylor - May 26, 2019

Colby Covington and Jon Jones have had an interesting relationship over the years. Though they once called each other roommates, they’ve since devolved into enemies. While Covington recently attempted to extend the olive branch to Jones, he’s still more than willing to trash talk reigning UFC light heavyweight champion if the chance presents itself.

Cole Shelton - May 24, 2019

Colby Covington has been waiting to get a shot at the welterweight title ever since he beat Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 225 to win the interim belt. It has been nearly a year since that fight, and Covington has stated he is ready to fight and is just waiting on the champion Kamaru Usman, who is recovering from injury. However, Covington believes Usman is not even hurt, and that he didn’t even need surgery. Instead, he thinks the champion is faking injuries to avoid him.

Cole Shelton - May 23, 2019

UFC veteran Jeremy Kennedy is set to make his PFL debut tonight when he takes on Luis Rafael after his initial opponent was pulled for missing weight. However, the opponent change isn’t impacting Kennedy, who is no doubt ready to fight and win all the same. This will be Kennedy’s first time competing in a tournament format. The 26-year-old is excited about the matchmaking integrity the tournament format ensures. He can let his fighting do the talking.

Tom Taylor - May 23, 2019

Last year, Lance Palmer took his impressive MMA career to new heights, winning the featherweight playoffs in the Professional Fighters League (PFL) and earning a gold belt and $1M prize for his efforts. This season, he’ll look to accomplish the same feat with a new team behind him. Ahead of his first PFL bout of the season, which will pit him against Alex Gilpin this very evening, Palmer has relocated to New Jersey where he is training under renowned coach Mark Henry.

Tom Taylor - May 23, 2019

Yesterday afternoon, it was reported that the UFC is working on finalizing a heavyweight fight between Juan Adams and controversial former NFL player Greg Hardy. This bout, which is being targeted for July 20 in San Antonio, is one Adams has been chasing for months, as he’s ceaselessly berated Hardy on social media and in interviews. Needless to say, he’s happy he’s finally gotten his wish.

Cole Shelton - May 17, 2019

After Colby Covington beat Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 225 to win the interim welterweight title, the expectation was that he would fight Tyron Woodley for the undisputed belt. They do not like each other and it would have been one of the bigger fights of the year. However, “Chaos” was passed up not once but twice at UFC 228 and UFC 235. On those cards, Woodley beat Darren Till and then lost to Kamaru Usman. Following Usman winning the belt, UFC President Dana White said Colby Covington was next for a title shot. But for months now, nothing has been said and Usman’s manager has talked about Ben Askren or Jorge Masvidal getting the title shot instead.

Cole Shelton - May 17, 2019

Kevin Lee is set to move up to welterweight to take on Rafael dos Anjos in the main event of UFC Rochester. Although Lee will weigh around 170 pounds, he was hoping by now he would be a part of a new 165-pound division. Lee and several other fighters have talked about why this division is so important for their health, and added that the UFC would benefit from the creation of another belt. However, UFC President Dana White has said there won’t be a 165-pound division for at least the next seven years — as long as he is in charge. But, “The Motown Phenom” is not buying that at all.

Cole Shelton - May 16, 2019

In the main event of UFC Rochester, Kevin Lee is moving up in weight to make his welterweight debut against former lightweight champ Rafael dos Anjos. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the fight.

Cole Shelton - May 15, 2019

Dustin Poirier has had a crazy road to get to a title shot. The 30-year-old had fought the very best of both the featherweight and lightweight divisions before getting an interim lightweight title shot against Max Holloway at UFC 236. Poirier would go on to defeat Holloway for the second time in his career that night in Atlanta. To see ‘The Diamond’ finally capture UFC gold was a surreal feeling for American Top Team owner, Dan Lambert.