Exclusive MMA Interviews News
Terrance McKinney plans to silence the crowd at UFC 283 with a KO win over Ismael Bonfim: "I think it might be something crazy, fans should expect something insane"
Cole Shelton - January 17, 2023
Terrance McKinney has said his dream was to fight in Brazil and he now gets his wish at UFC 283. McKinney is set to face Ismael Bonfim at UFC 283 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Although McKinney is fighting a UFC newcomer, he says the reason he took this fight is because it is in Brazil, which has been his dream to fight there.
Johnny Walker not ruling out grappling with Paul Craig, plans to get a stoppage win at UFC 283: "If 2023 goes the way I want, I get the title shot in 2024"
Cole Shelton - January 17, 2023
Johnny Walker is prepared to grapple at UFC 283. Walker is set to be on the pay-per-view main card against Paul Craig in an intriguing matchup at light heavyweight. It’s also exciting for Walker as he gets to fight at home in Rio de Janeiro in front of his friends and family.
Dan Ige details the mental struggles of losing three fights in a row, says he spoke to a sports psychologist: "I was depressed for a little bit"
Cole Shelton - January 13, 2023
Dan Ige says he had to get past the stigma of men being weak in order to deal with the mental struggles of losing three fights in a row. After Ige knocked out Gavin Tucker, he got a main event fight against Korean Zombie in what could be a title eliminator. Unfortnately, Ige suffered a decision loss and then lost two more fights to Josh Emmett and Movsar Evloev.
Isaac Dulgarian explains why the Full Send deal with the Nelk Boys hasn't come to fruition yet: "I'm hoping we get something figured out"
Cole Shelton - January 12, 2023
Isaac Dulgarian earned a UFC contract last February and was offered to be the Full Send fighter. Back at FAC 12, which served as a Dana White Lookin’ For A Fight episode, the UFC was teaming up with the Nelk Boys so they could sponsor a fighter and get them into the UFC. The Las Vegas-based promotion made it a big deal and it was Dulgarian – who scored a first-round KO – who got the offer, but nearly a year later it still has yet to come to fruition for a few reasons.
Dan Ige plans to remind everyone he's "still a force to be reckoned with" at UFC Vegas 67: "I'm ready to go out there and kill someone"
Cole Shelton - January 10, 2023
Dan Ige is looking to prove to everyone he is as dangerous as ever at UFC Vegas 67. Ige is set to return in the co-main event against Damon Jackson in a pivotal fight for his career as he’s on a three-fight losing skid. Last time out, he dropped a decision to Movsar Evloev. It was a tough loss for him, and he wanted to return right away, but that didn’t happen.
Adrian Yanez warns Rob Font of thinking he is a tune-up fight: "It's going to be far more than a tune-up, he has to be ready for war"
Cole Shelton - January 9, 2023
Adrian Yanez was glad to finally be booked against Rob Font. After Yanez knocked out Tony Kelley in June at UFC Austin, a month later he was in discussions to fight Rob Font at Madison Square Garden. Yet, it never came to fruition, and Yanez was offered some different opponents but those too never happened.
Adrian Yanez happy Sean O'Malley never came to fruition last year, expects to face 'Suga' for the belt: "We are two strikers, we are not going to shoot in for the takedown"
Cole Shelton - January 9, 2023
Adrian Yanez and Sean O’Malley both agreed to fight one another last year, but the bout never came to fruition. Yanez had called out O’Malley after his win, and ‘Suga’ had said Yanez would be next, but the scrap never happened. Instead, O’Malley had a No-Contest against Pedro Munhoz and then defeated Petr Yan by split decision, which surprised many but not Yanez as he thought O’Malley was capable of winning that fight.
Ben Rothwell eyes return at KnuckleMania, says he doubts Greg Hardy will ever fight in BKFC
Cole Shelton - December 28, 2022
Ben Rothwell couldn’t have had a better BKFC debut. Rothwell made his promotional debut at BKFC 30 and scored a 19-second knockout win over Bobo O’Bannon. Heading into the fight, the longtime UFC veteran was confident he would have success in BKFC but didn’t expect his debut to go that well.
BKFC president says the contract they will offer Nate Diaz will make it "hard for him to say no," hopes to make Mike Perry fight
Cole Shelton - December 21, 2022
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship president, David Feldman thinks the offer BKFC will give Nate Diaz will be tough to turn down. After Diaz fought out his contract at UFC 279 with a submission victory over Tony Ferguson he became one of the biggest free agents in recent memory. Most of the promotions will be after him, and BKFC is no different as they have already reached out to his camp and plan on making a solid offer.
BKFC president says if Paige VanZant doesn't re-sign "it was a good ride and a good decision," but still open to extending her contract
Cole Shelton - December 20, 2022
David Feldman isn’t ruling out Paige Vanzant extending her contract with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. VanZant shocked many when she fought out her UFC contract and signed with BKFC. However, she has lost both of her fights with promotion, suffering losses to Britain Hart and Rachael Ostovich. Since her second loss in July of 2021, she hasn’t fought since. But, Feldman hopes the former UFC fighter will return in February at KnuckleMania 3.
Chris Curtis wants main event fight against Dricus Du Plesiss or Gastelum-Imavov winner after KO win over Joaquin Buckley at UFC 282
Cole Shelton - December 16, 2022
Chris Curtis figured he would have to be the aggressor against Joaquin Buckley at UFC 282. When the fight was offered, Curtis was surprised as he didn’t understand why Buckley even called him out. But, once he started training camp, he says the plan was to be the aggressor and force Buckley to be active and likely gas out later in the fight.
Billy Quarantillo says he knew he would break Alexander Hernandez at UFC 282, wants Edson Barboza next
Cole Shelton - December 16, 2022
Billy Quarantillo was expecting a dog fight when he fought Alexander Hernandez at UFC 282 and that is exactly what he got. When Quarantillo got the call to face Hernandez, he was surprised Alexander was dropping down to featherweight. Yet, after studying him, Quarantillo knew the first round would be tough, which is exactly what happened.
Saidyokub Kakhramonov believes he will "make it look easy" against Said Nurmagomedov, vows to fight for the belt by the end of 2023
Cole Shelton - December 15, 2022
Saidyokub Kakhramonov is confident he will beat Said Nurmagomedov with ease. Kakhramonov is set to return to the Octagon at UFC Vegas 66 against Nurmagomedov as the 27-year-old wanted to fight one more time this year. He improved to 2-0 in the UFC back in July with a decision win over Ronnie Lawrence. Now, he will fight on the final card of the year against Nurmagomedov.
Bryan Battle plans to "make a statement" against Rinat Fakhretdinov at UFC Vegas 66: "It will be a really bad night for him"
Cole Shelton - December 14, 2022
Bryan Battle was preparing to fight by the end of the year. After Battle knocked out Takashi Sato in 44 seconds in June, he wanted a quick turnaround. Yet, that did not come to fruition so when Michael Morales was forced out of his fight against Rinat Fakhretdinov, Battle immediately took the scrap on short notice.
Pro fighters make their picks for Jared Cannonier vs. Sean Strickland
Cole Shelton - December 14, 2022
In the main event of UFC Vegas 66 on Saturday, a middleweight bout headlines the card as Jared Cannonier takes on Sean Strickland. Heading into the fight, the oddsmakers have it as a pick’em as Cannonier is -111 while the comeback on Strickland is -115 on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The pros believe Cannonier will get his hand raised, with some even expecting the fight to end by KO.
Cody Brundage believes Michal Oleksiejczuk has holes in his game that he will "exploit" at UFC Vegas 66: "I think I can get him out of there"
Cole Shelton - December 13, 2022
Cody Brundage is excited to fight one more time in 2022. Brundage was supposed to face Rodolfo Vieira in November but the Brazilian pulled out on fight week. The news was disappointing for Brundage as no replacement opponent was found – despite him being offered one.
Sean Strickland can beat Jared Cannonier "pretty easily" at UFC Vegas 66 if he fights smart, says teammate: "He should do well in this if he fights with his head and not his pride"
Cole Shelton - December 12, 2022
Chris Curtis believes Sean Strickland should beat Jared Cannonier with ease in the main event of UFC Vegas 66 on Saturday. Strickland and Cannonier were supposed to fight in October but the bout was rescheduled due to Strickland’s finger being infected. Although the two have more time to prepare for one another, Curtis and everyone at Xtreme Couture after confident Strickland will get his hand raised if he fights smart. Yet, that is the big question of if he will fight smart.
Jonathan Pearce eyes Giga Chikadze or Dan Ige next after win over Darren Elkins: "I know there is not a guy in this division that can beat me"
Cole Shelton - December 10, 2022
Jonathan Pearce knew it would be hard to finish Darren Elkins, but is happy with his performance. Pearce was looking to improve to 5-0 at featherweight at UFC Orlando and was taking on Elkins. He had a ton of confidence heading into the scrap and he believes he showcased all his skills and showed how good he is.