Exclusive MMA Interviews News

Cole Shelton - March 20, 2019

The Octagon heads to Nashville, Tennessee on Saturday and on the main card will be Canadian John Makdessi taking on Jesus Pinedo. For Makdessi it has been a long road to get to the Octagon after having to pull out of UFC 231 with an injury.

Tom Taylor - March 19, 2019

UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway is headed up to the lightweight division for an interim title fight with Dustin Poirier. While he’s stated that he hopes to return to the featherweight division and defend his belt thereafter, it’s not completely clear how things will actually unfold if he wins interim lightweight gold. Whatever the case, top featherweight contender Alexander Volkanovski wants Max Holloway to know that he still has work to do in the featherweight division.

Cole Shelton - March 19, 2019

At UFC 235, Ben Askren made his highly-anticipated debut, when he took on Robbie Lawler. Askren, who is undefeated, was looking to show he is the best in the world. However, early on, ‘Funky’ was in a lot of trouble when Lawler slammed him on his head.

Thomas Taylor - March 18, 2019

In June of 2018, in Yangon, Myanmar, ONE Championship middleweight and light heavyweight titleholder Aung La N Sang stepped into the cage with DEEP openweight champion Ken Hasegawa. This pairing turned out to be incredibly volatile, as the two stars engaged in a frenetic, back-and-forth war and a bona fide 2018 Fight of the Year contender. In the end, Aung La N Sang was able to win this grueling gunfight with a beautifully timed uppercut in the fifth round. Yet this punch would not end his rivalry with Hasegawa — not by a long shot.

Cole Shelton - March 18, 2019

Alex Morono is now ready to call fighters out after being called out for his last fight. Morono, who is coming off of a first-round win over Zak Ottow is ready to fight a legend in the sport in Diego Sanchez.

Thomas Taylor - March 17, 2019

The last few years have not been easy for ONE Championship atomweight titleholder Angela Lee. Although she was able to pick up a decision victory over Mei Yamaguchi in May of 2018, this victory was sandwiched between a harrowing 2017 car accident and a cancelled November, 2018 fight with ONE strawweight champ Xiong Jing Nan.

Cole Shelton - March 15, 2019

Josh Emmett was on the rise in the featherweight division. He shocked many by knocking out Ricardo Lamas to put himself into the top-10 of the division. There, Emmett was looking to build off the win and become a title contender. His next fight was in the main event when he took on Jeremy Stephens. Emmett had some success in the fight until Stephens landed a nice combination of punches and elbows which knocked Emmett out. To make matters worse, Emmett dealt with a bevy of injuries which has kept him out of the Octagon for over a year.

Cole Shelton - March 15, 2019

Vicente Luque is coming off what may very well be the Fight of the Year. At UFC Phoenix, Luque and Bryan Barberena engaged in an unbelievable war and Luque scored a last-second knockout to get the win. Now, Luque is already eyeing his next fight. He wants to fight Neil Magny. Unfortunately for him, Magny has yet to accept his callout.

Tom Taylor - March 12, 2019

On March 23, at UFC Nashville, dangerous heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes will look to distance himself from a tough loss to Francis Ngannou as he takes Justin Willis. Heading into this matchup, the wrestling specialist Blaydes expects Willis to be well-prepared, as he trains at American Kickboxing Academy alongside top heavyweight wrestlers like Daniel Cormier and Cain Velasquez.

Thomas Taylor - March 11, 2019

If you’re not familiar with Herdem Alacabek yet, you probably will be soon. The Swedish light heavyweight, who has kickstarted his pro mixed martial arts career with five straight finishes, is narrowing in on a UFC roster spot. In fact, he could put pen to paper very soon.

Cole Shelton - March 11, 2019

Jordan Rinaldi was in a must-win situation in his last fight. At UFC 230, he moved down to featherweight to take on Jason Knight, and was fresh off of a tough loss to Gregor Gillespie. Rinaldi knew another loss could mean the end of his UFC career. Luckily, he ended up beating Knight by unanimous decision, protecting his job in the process.

Tom Taylor - March 11, 2019

Bobby Moffett called for a showdown with fellow featherweight prospect Bryce Mitchell, and that’s just what he got. The pair will collide at UFC Nashville on March 23. Speaking on episode 111 of BJPENN Radio, Moffett broke down this compelling showdown with Bryce Mitchell.

Tom Taylor - March 7, 2019

At UFC London, which goes down on March 16, surging light heavyweight contender Dominick Reyes will face arguably the toughest test of his career in former title challenger Volkan Oezdemir. In Oezdemir, Reyes will face a clever striker with shocking power in both hands. Given his foe’s strengths, Reyes is prepared to ground the fight if need be.

Cole Shelton - March 7, 2019

Macy Chiasson had a weekend to remember. After a long, 12-week training camp, Chiasson cut down to fight in the bantamweight division, which will be her home from now on. In her bantamweight debut, which was the second fight on the UFC 235 bill, she looked like a force to be reckoned with, as she scored a quick knockout win over Gina Mazany.

Cole Shelton - March 7, 2019

The Octagon touches down in Wichita, Kansas for the first time in history this Saturday. In the main event, former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos will be taking on former title challenger Derrick Lewis. Ahead of this heavyweight fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions. Some believe dos Santos will be too much for Lewis, while others believe Lewis will land a fight-ending blow on dos Santos. Two others can’t decide at all.

Drake Riggs - March 6, 2019

Without proper guidance, navigating the waters of life can be all the more difficult than it may be even with that directional aid. Like an ocean, there will be many waves that one will be hit with throughout. Some big, some small, but no matter the size of the challenge, ups and downs, positivity and negativity, contrasts are necessary requirements to evolve as individuals.

Cole Shelton - March 5, 2019

Blagoy Ivanov is ready to fight again. The Bulgarian heavyweight was considered a big signing for the UFC after he dominated in the now defunct World Series of Fighting organization, capturing heavyweight gold. The UFC had so much confidence in Ivanov that his UFC debut was a main event spot against former champion Junior dos Santos. He ended up losing the fight by unanimous decision, but for Ivanov it was a great learning experience.

Tom Taylor - March 4, 2019

Trying to knock Bryan Barberena out is kind of like trying to chop down a tree with a golf club — it’s possible, but it’s absurdly difficult. Vicente Luque learned this the hard way when he met Barberena at UFC on ESPN 1 last month. Over the course of two and half rounds, Luque bombarded his sturdy foe with the kind of skull-rattling strikes that would have left many other fighters snoozing. But Barberena just kept coming — and firing back.