Exclusive MMA Interviews News

Tom Taylor - December 24, 2017

British knockout artist Jimi Manuwa is one of the best light heavyweight mixed martial artists on earth. And though he is currently riding a tough knockout loss to upcoming light heavyweight title challenger Volkan Oezdemir, he is still only a win or two from his own shot at the belt. While Manuwa has plenty of interesting options in the UFC light heavyweight division – ranging from Mauricio “Shogun” Rua to Glover Teixeira – he has also been flirting with the idea of a boxing match with fellow Brit David Haye.

Tom Taylor - December 24, 2017

Over the last few weeks, the MMA community has been buzzing about the possibility of undefeated boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. cutting a deal with the UFC and stepping into the Octagon. These rumors were started by comments from Mayweather himself, then thrust into overdrive by subsequent statements from Joe Rogan and Dana White, who confirmed outright that the promotion was in talks with the boxer. Since then, of course, Mayweather has assured he has no real intention of competing in mixed martial arts. That said, many fighters are still dreaming of the chance to welcome the boxing legend to the cage – and you can count bantamweight prospect “Sugar” Sean O’Malley among them.

Tom Taylor - December 21, 2017

Last weekend, in the main event of UFC on Fox 26, former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos authored a dominant, unanimous decision win over Robbie Lawler, asserting himself as one of the welterweight division’s top contenders in the process. This win seemed to impress the majority of the MMA community, but don’t count surging welterweight contender Colby Covington as part of that group. “I thought RDA looked slow,” Covington said of Dos Anjos’ win on the latest episode of BJ Penn Radio. “He looked old, man. He looked like the same guy that I’ve been calling out since [the UFC’s June stop in] Singapore. They had to put him on my undercard when I was on the main card because he didn’t want to fight me, and he’s been ducking me for a while. He knows what’ll happen if we fight. He’ll get a young buck who hasn’t been tested, a guy who hasn’t had all those miles on his chin.”

Tom Taylor - December 21, 2017

Sean O’Malley became an instant hint when he knocked out Alfred Khashakyan on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series. When he smoked up with Snoop Dogg immediately after this win, however, he became a viral sensation. Unsurprisingly, this post-fight session with Snoop was an unforgettable experience for the 23-year prospect.

Tom Taylor - December 21, 2017

Sean O’Malley, the rangy, 23-year-old bantamweight who burst into the limelight with an epic knockout on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series (and by getting high with Snoop Dogg after this win), believes he knows who he’ll fight next. Shortly after his impressive UFC debut, in which he bludgeoned a game Terrion Ware to a unanimous decision win, O’Malley was called out by Andre Soukhamthath, who recently won big with a knockout of Luke Sanders.

Tom Taylor - December 18, 2017

England’s Jimi Manuwa is one of the top light heavyweight contenders in the UFC. That said, his recent knockout loss to Volkan Oezdemir probably means he’s another impressive win away from a title shot. When weighing the options for Manuwa’s next fight, there are a few that really stand out. One is Glover Teixeira, who won big over Misha Cirkunov last weekend (though he doesn’t seem that interested in this potential fight). Another is MMA legend Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, who has recently been enjoying a significant, late-career resurgence.

Tom Taylor - December 14, 2017

Currently on a four-fight win-streak, composed of wins over dangerous adversaries in Dominic Waters, Albert Tumenov, Vincente Luque and Bryan Barberena, England’s Leon Edwards in one of the fastest-rising contenders in the UFC welterweight division. Edwards will attempt to make his next leap up the proverbial ladder this March 27, when the UFC touches down in London, England. His opponent will dangerous Polish-German fighter – sorry, Jamaican fighter – Peter Sobotta. While Edwards respects Sobotta, however, this is not really the kind of fight he was hoping for after four-straight wins.

Tom Taylor - December 14, 2017

When heavyweight veteran Alistair Overeem stepped into the Octagon with brick-fisted puncher Francis Ngannou at UFC 218, he opted to stand and trade with him, and ultimately paid the price, succumbing to a first-round uppercut. Speaking on the latest episode of BJ Penn Radio, 9th-ranked UFC heavyweight Curtis Blaydes explained that he does not expect Francis Ngannou’s next opponent, UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic, to make this kind of mistake. Instead, he expects a cautious and surgical approach from the champ. “I was a little surprised [how the fight went],” Curtis Blaydes said on the latest episode of BJ Penn Radio. “I wasn’t surprised at Ngannou. He did, definitely, what he should have done, [which] was just stand there and chuck [punches at] him, and it worked. I’m surprised that Overeem was so quick to engage in that type of action. Overeem’s a veteran, and him knowing that he doesn’t have the best chin anymore, I was a bit surprised at how eager he was [to trade].”

Tom Taylor - December 14, 2017

Earlier this month, in the co-main event of UFC 218, surging French-Cameroonian heavyweight Francis Ngannou knocked out Alistair Overeem to earn a shot at reigning UFC heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic. This violent knockout win caused Ngannou’s hype to skyrocket to new and towering heights, but in the opinion of 9th-ranked heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes, the outcome of this fight had a lot to do with Overeem’s surprising game plan. “I mean, I was a little surprised [how the fight went],” Curtis Blaydes said on the latest episode of BJ Penn Radio. “I wasn’t surprised at Ngannou. He did, definitely, what he should have done, [which] was just stand there and chuck [punches at] him, and it worked. I’m surprised that Overeem was so quick to engage in that type of action. Overeem’s a veteran, and him knowing that he doesn’t have the best chin anymore, I was a bit surprised at how eager he was [to trade].”

Tom Taylor - December 7, 2017

Last weekend, Nicco Montano and Roxanne Modafferi stepped into the Octagon to compete in the first ever UFC women’s flyweight title fight. After five, fun, back and forth rounds, Montano came out on top, making history as the first female flyweight champ in UFC history. Unsurprisingly, long-time women’s bantamweight contender Valentina Shevchenko, who could well be the next flyweight title challenger, was watching closely. “I was watching the fight,” Shevchenko said on the latest episode of BJ Penn Radio. “It was a very good fight, a very entertaining fight. It was five rounds, no talk, not one girl wanted to quit and both girls put all the heart that they had [out there]. My number one goal, like it was before, and it still right now, is to be the champion of UFC, and I’m very glad that now we have one more weight class, 125. It’s my natural weight class, and I feel like fighting in this 125 [division], I will have more opportunity to show more skills, more technique, because it’s different when you have to fight with bigger sized opponent and it’s different when you have to fight with the same sized opponent. It doesn’t matter for me because in 135 I was feeling the same good. I was feeling very strong there and everything was great. But I feel for 125, it’s more natural weight class for me.”

Tom Taylor - December 7, 2017

Last Friday, the UFC crowned it’s first ever women’s flyweight champion in Nicco Montaño, who defeated Roxanne Modafferi to earn the inaugural title. While Montaño now owns the belt, however, many expect her reign to be quite short, as long-time women’s bantamweight contender Valentina Shevchenko zeroes in on a drop to flyweight, and most likely, an immediate title shot. In fact, many fans seem to consider Shevchenko the uncrowned flyweight queen. Yet while Shevchenko finds these opinions flattering, she is being careful not to let them get to her head. Overconfidence, after all, is a killer in MMA.

Tom Taylor - December 7, 2017

Angela Magana, a veteran of MMA’s women’s strawweight division, is well acquainted with her haters. While she’s got a legion of loyal followers, her outspoken attitude assures she receives plenty of backlash too. That said, Magana has never let her haters get to her. Believing that she’s just a bit misunderstood, she chooses instead to dismiss them and keep being herself.

Tom Taylor - December 7, 2017

Last weekend, on the undercard of UFC 218, Angela Magana came up short against Amanda Bobby Cooper, succumbing to second-round punches. Unfortunately, Magana feels as though the fight might have been stopped a little early by referee Keith Peterson. “I feel like the fight was stopped early,” Magana explained on the latest episode of BJ Penn Radio. “I remember my corner saying 28 seconds, and there were less than 30 seconds. Yes, [Cooper] was bashing the shit out of me, but I was fully with it. I was fully aware of what was going on. As soon as it stopped I was over with the referee just seeing the replay. I put my hands out like what the hell? But that’s his decision. You have to respect his decisions. I felt like if I could have got a third round, and my corner said, ‘whatever you do, don’t go to the ground, stand up [with her].’ I might have pulled something out of somewhere, I don’t know, to be able to win it. Who knows, but it was stopped a bit early. I feel like that’s the thing with women’s MMA. That they always stop us early in comparison to the men.”

Tom Taylor - December 4, 2017

Last month, in the lead-up to the UFC’s latest stop in Sydney, Australia, former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum had a run-in with surging welterweight contender Colby Covington, during which Werdum ultimately threw a boomerang at Covington. Shortly thereafter, news surfaced that Covington planned to press charges against Werdum. Unsurprisingly, Werdum – and many members of the testosterone soaked MMA community – felt that Covington had violated some kind of unspoken code by going to the police. In the opinion of Chael Sonnen, however, it was Werdum, not Covington, that violated a code.

Tom Taylor - December 4, 2017

Ever since Georges St-Pierre submitted Michael Bisping to win the UFC middleweight title, we’ve been speculating as to what might come next for him. While a title unifying showdown with Robert Whittaker is certainly the most logical option, his other options include bouts with welterweight champ Tyron Woodley and even lightweight champ Conor McGregor. In the ever-interesting opinion of Chael Sonnen, though, the Canadian champ is likely to land in the cage with Whittaker next. ‘I think that he’ll fight Robert Whitaker,” Sonnen said on the most recent episode of BJ Penn Radio. “I know that it’s done verbally on both sides with no agreement on date, but that was part of the contingency for George to take the Bisping fight. Should you win, you take Whitaker. He said yes. I know things change in this business but I expect George to be a man of his word and I expect him to be at all times and I know Whitaker would take the fight, and Dana White said it’s happening. I think for me to say anything different would be a little bit reckless, but let’s see what happens there.”

Tom Taylor - November 30, 2017

Do not count Chael Sonnen among Colby Covington’s haters. No, “The Bad Guy” has actually become a big fan of his fellow Oregonian, and thinks that other fighters should be taking notes when Covington does his thing. “I think people can learn from Colby,” Sonnen said on the latest episode of BJ Penn Radio. “He’s going to be in that pool by himself, because all these crybabies can’t stand to hear anybody boo them. He’s just being himself and it’s what all fighters should do. We’ll see these fighters come out. They want to act like some religious angel or they’re the world’s nicest guy, when they’re nothing more than a dirty rotten cage fighter.”

Chris Taylor - November 30, 2017

UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley does not understand the logic behind Michael Bisping’s decision to make a quick turnaround and fight Kelvin Gastelum at UFC Shanghai. Just three weeks after being choked unconscious by Georges St-Pierre in the main event of UFC 217, former champion Michael Bisping was back in the octagon staring down dangerous middleweight Kelvin Gastelum.

Tom Taylor - November 30, 2017

In 2018, Bellator MMA will crown a heavyweight champion by way of an action-packed heavyweight Grand Prix. This headline-dominating tournament will kick off on January 20, when three-time UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen takes on former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. Then, in the subsequent months, we’ll witness matchups between Roy Nelson and Matt Mitrione, Fedor Emelianenko and Frank Mir, and lastly, Ryan Bader and Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal. In the opinion of Chael Sonnen, any one of these dangerous competitors has a real shot at winning it all.