Exclusive MMA Interviews News

Mike Straus - October 1, 2018

Recently signed heavyweight fighter Tim Johnson plans on opening some eyes at Bellator 208 when he takes on Cheick Kongo in a feature main card bout. Johnson, 33, signed with the Viacom owned promotion after going a very respectable 4-3 inside the Octagon. He holds notable victories over Shamil Abdurakhimov, Marcin Tybura, and Daniel Omielańczuk while under the UFC’s banner. As impressive as those wins are, Johnson wanted more.

Tom Taylor - October 1, 2018

Khabib Nurmagomedov has long been considered one of the best lightweights in the world, but for a time between 2014 and 2016, his standing in the division was seriously hurt by his inability to stay healthy. During that period, Khabib Nurmagomedov was scheduled for three fights — two with Donald Cerrone, and one with Tony Ferguson. Unfortunately, not one of these bouts came to fruition as the Russian star kept sustaining injuries that rendered him unable to compete.

Cole Shelton - September 29, 2018

Jimmie Rivera suffered a devastating 33-second knockout loss to Marlon Moraes at June’s UFC Fight Night event in Utica. The loss snapped a twenty-fight win streak for “El Terror” and came at a great cost. Had he defeated Moraes, Rivera most likely would have been granted the next title shot at T.J. Dillashaw, but after the loss, it was back to the drawing board for the New Jersey native. Rivera decided it was time to return to the octagon just three months after the loss. Jimmie took on fan favourite John Dodson at September’s UFC 228 in Dallas. The quick turnaround had many fans and analysts feeling that Rivera was coming back too soon, especially given the way he lost to Moraes.

Tom Taylor - September 28, 2018

On October 6, in the main event of UFC 229, UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov will attempt to defend his title against former UFC lightweight and featherweight champion Conor McGregor. Given that Conor McGregor is one of the most feared strikers in UFC history, many fans and pundits feel Khabib Nurmagomedov would be wise to use his world-class wrestling early on. Nurmagomedov’s head coach Javier Mendez shares this opinion — although he’s not confident Nurmagomedov will do so. The Russian champion, after all, often deviates from the intended game plan in his fights. And while this can occasionally be frustrating for Mendez, he maintains that it’s okay so long as Nurmagomedov keeps winning.

Tom Taylor - September 27, 2018

The UFC bantamweight division is ruled by three men, all of whom have worn the divisional belt in the last few years. One is TJ Dillashaw, the reigning champion. The second is former champion Dominick Cruz, who is the last man to defeat Dillashaw. The other is former champion Cody Garbrandt, who ended Cruz’s title reign, but had his own reign ended by Dillashaw. Given their ability and the way they match up with each other, it’s conceivable that Dillashaw, Cruz and Garbrandt could battle at the top of the bantamweight division for years, swapping the title every few fights. Jimmie Rivera is hoping he can stop that from happening.

Cole Shelton - September 27, 2018

On Saturday, on the main card of Bellator 206, one of the most highly regarded prospects in all of MMA, Aaron Pico, will be taking on Leandro Higo. Pico is looking to continue his run in the featherweight division to an eventual title shot. While many believe Pico is destined to be a future champion, he already knows what it takes to be a champion as he’s been training with UFC bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw at the Treigning Lab in California.

Tom Taylor - September 27, 2018

The UFC 229 press conference, which featured UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and his upcoming opponent Conor McGregor, produced all of the trash talk and saber-rattling we anticipated. Most of that trash talk, of course, came from McGregor, who is as known for his gift of gab as he is for his fistic proficiency. While Conor McGregor is infamous for his trash talk, many fans feel he crossed some lines at this UFC 229 press conference, as he targeted Nurmagomedov’s entourage, his family, and even his religion.

Tom Taylor - September 27, 2018

Aaron Pico (3-1) has only been competing as a professional mixed martial artist for a little over a year. Yet in this short timeframe, the American wrestler has managed to establish himself as one of the most promising prospects on the Bellator roster — and he’s done so with a trio of thunderous knockout wins, showing he’s far more than just a wrestler. This Saturday, on the main card of the stacked Bellator 206 card, Aaron Pico will take on the biggest test of his career thus far, as he battles an exponentially more experienced foe in former Bellator bantamweight title challenger Leandro Higo (18-4).

Tom Taylor - September 26, 2018

Bellator’s anticipated Welterweight Grand Prix, which will see Rory MacDonald, Douglas Lima, Andrey Koreshkov, Jon Fitch, Paul Daley, Michael Page, Neiman Gracie and Ed Ruth battle for welterweight gold, is almost here. The first tournament bout occurs on the main card of the stacked Bellator 206 on September 29, when former champions Douglas Lima and Andrey Koreshkov collide in a tie-breaking trilogy fight.

Cole Shelton - September 24, 2018

Arguably the best MMA prospect in the entire world is California native Aaron Pico. Pico grew up around fighting, he was a wrestler growing up and became one of the best in America. He would go onto win the Cadet World Championship in 2013. He followed that by coming second and third in 2014 and 2015 at the Junior World Championship for wrestling.

Cole Shelton - September 21, 2018

There is no question about it. The top fighters in the UFC make a pretty penny, while the fighters competing on the prelims often struggle to get by. This has been a huge concern for several fighters, some of whom have attempted to start a fighter’s union to improve things, though these efforts have not gained much traction. South Dakota native Devin Clark falls into this second category of fighters. He is currently not ranked and isn’t fighting the kind of big fights that will improve his pay. While Clark will be taking on Aleksander Rakic at UFC 231 on Dec. 8, he knows he has to win to get his win bonus, as well as make it flashy for a shot at a performance bonus.

Cole Shelton - September 20, 2018

Devin Clark will be fighting inside the Octagon very shortly at UFC 231 on December 8 in Toronto against Aleksander Rakic, who is currently 2-0 in the UFC. While both Clark and Rakic are currently unranked, the fight should bring fireworks as both have knockout power. However, even though the fight should be a fun one, it isn’t one Clark wanted. After working his way up the UFC light heavyweight rankings, Clark wanted a bigger name, but when none were offered, so he had to settle for Rakic.

Tom Taylor - September 20, 2018

Back in July, on the main card of UFC 226, kickboxing legend Gokhan Saki stepped into the UFC’s Octagon to do battle with rising light heavyweight contender Khalil Rountree. Heading into this fight, the widespread expectation was that Saki would have a significant edge in the striking department. Unfortunately for Saki and his legions of fans, however, this fight did not go the way he planned. Instead, he was put down by a thunderous Rountree punch in the bout’s first round. While this outcome was undeniably disappointing for Gokhan Saki, he showed incredible sportsmanship after the fact, congratulating his opponent on the upset victory. That being said, Saki feels the outcome of this fight can be attributed more to his own errors than Rountree’s technique.

Tom Taylor - September 20, 2018

Having healed up from a tough, July loss to Khalil Rountree, kickboxing legend Gokhan Saki is now looking forward to his next challenge in the UFC’s Octagon. And while the Turkish knockout artist matches up beautifully with a great many of his peers in the UFC light heavyweight division, he’s recently been linked to a potential heavyweight showdown with fellow striking specialist Mark Hunt. Speaking to BJPENN.COM’s Jason Kindschy this week, Gokhan Saki explained how this potential matchup with Mark Hunt came about.

Tom Taylor - September 20, 2018

In 2017, Argentina’s Santiago Ponzinibbio burst into welterweight title contention with a decision defeat of Nordine Taleb, an 82-second knockout of Gunnar Nelson, and a thrilling decision triumph over “Platinum” Mike Perry. Unfortunately, he’s yet to fight in 2018 thanks to a serious hand injury that ultimately required surgery. While 2018 has not been particularly kind to Santiago Ponzinibbio thus far, things are definitely looking up. With his surgery in the rear-view and his health back to 100%, he’s been booked for a high-stakes showdown with long-time contender Neil Magny. And that’s not where the good news ends. The fight will go down in the main event of the UFC’s first-ever trip to Ponzinibbio’s homeland of Argentina.

Tom Taylor - September 19, 2018

When fighters make their UFC debuts, they’re generally given opponents of similar experience levels. This will not be the case for featherweight prospect Bobby Moffett (13-3). Shortly after earning himself a UFC contract with an impressive D’arce choke win on an August episode of Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series, Moffett was matched up with Chas Skelly (17-3), who is already nine fights into his UFC career. The pair will meet when the UFC returns to Denver, Colorado on November 10. While this fight with Chas Skelly represents an uncharacteristically tough test for a debuting fighter, Bobby Moffett is looking forward to the challenge.

Tom Taylor - September 18, 2018

Having dispatched Darren Till with a D’arce choke at UFC 228 earlier this month, UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley can now look forward to a huge showdown with his arch rival Colby Covington. Although this Tyron Woodley vs. Colby Covington fight is not official yet, it is possible that the UFC schedules it for the main event of UFC 230, a massive card that goes down on November 3 inside New York City’s hallowed Madison Square Garden.

Tom Taylor - September 17, 2018

UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley and former interim champion Colby Covington stand out as two of the fiercest rivals in modern MMA. Though their anticipated showdown has not yet been made official, they’re expected to fight quite soon, and when they do, it’s going to be one of the biggest grudge matches in recent memory. There was a time, of course, when Tyron Woodley and Colby Covington were actually on good terms. That was several years ago, when both trained at American Top Team.