Exclusive MMA Interviews News
Mario Bautista "super happy" with first-round submission win over Benito Lopez, hopes for a ranked opponent next
Cole Shelton - November 11, 2022
Mario Bautista couldn’t be happier with his win over Benito Lopez at UFC Vegas 64. Bautista was set to face the returning Lopez who hadn’t fought since 2019 and the goal for Bautista was to put him away early. He wanted to prove he is a lot better than Lopez and he did just that as he scored a first-round submission win.
Frankie Edgar reflects on career ahead of retirement fight, reveals the one opponent he wishes he could've fought
Cole Shelton - November 11, 2022
Frankie Edgar will make the walk – rather run – to the Octagon for the final time at UFC 281. Edgar is set to take on Chris Gutierrez on the main card of UFC 281 at Madison Square Garden. It will also be Edgar’s 36th professional fight and 30th in the UFC between three weight classes and also being the former lightweight champ. Yet, he says he still hasn’t truly reflected on how great his career is, but it is something he’s looking forward to doing.
Andre Petroski plans to submit Wellington Turman at UFC 281 to prove he's "the best grappler" at middleweight, blasts Bo Nickal
Cole Shelton - November 11, 2022
Andre Petroski is hoping to prove he is the best grappler in the middleweight division at UFC 281. Petroski is set to face Wellington Turman on the prelims of the stacked card at Madison Square Garden. After Petroski’s first-round submission win over Nick Maximov, he wasn’t sure what would be next but he wanted to fight at MSG. In order to get this fight, he had to make sacrifices. His coaches left for Abu Dhabi to corner Sean Brady, but that didn’t stop Petroski’s training.
UFC 281 | Pro fighters make their picks for Carla Esparza vs. Zhang Weili title fight
Cole Shelton - November 10, 2022
In the co-main event of UFC 281, the strawweight title is on the line as Carla Esparza looks to defend her belt for the first time as she takes on Zhang Weili. Heading into the fight, Esparza is a +285 underdog while the challenger is a massive -400 favorite on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro-fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The pros expect Weili to reclaim her strawweight title and even some expect her to finish Esparza.
Matt Frevola plans to drag Ottman Azaitar into deep waters to finish him at UFC 281 after 2021 fight cancellation: "I owe that dude an ass beating"
Cole Shelton - November 9, 2022
Matt Frevola couldn’t have picked a better opponent for his return to Madison Square Garden. Frevola is set to take on Ottman Azaitar who is an opponent the ‘Steamrolla’ has wanted to fight for quite some time. The two were booked to face one another at UFC 257 on Fight Island, but after Azaitar snuck a bag and people into the hotel, he was released from the promotion.
Chris Gutierrez says "the fans are going to be in for a good fight" when he faces Frankie Edgar at UFC 281: "I'm always trying to get the finish"
Cole Shelton - November 9, 2022
Chris Gutierrez is honored to be Frankie Edgar’s retirement fight at UFC 281. Edgar is making the walk to the Octagon for the final time against Gutierrez at Madison Square Garden on Saturday. It’s a big moment for Edgar but is also a big moment for Gutierrez who finally gets the chance to fight a big name he has wanted.
UFC 281 | Pro fighters make their picks for Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira title fight
Cole Shelton - November 9, 2022
In the main event of UFC 281, the middleweight title is up for grabs as Israel Adesanya takes on Alex Pereira. Heading into the fight, Adesanya is a -210 favorite while the challenger is a +162 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro-fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The pros slightly lean towards Pereira winning once again by KO as they think Adesanya will fight too emotionally and get caught.
Renato Moicano says he has no game plan for Brad Riddell, but plans to "put on a show" at UFC 281 to earn a fight with Tony Ferguson or Dan Hooker next: "I'm going to call out names"
Cole Shelton - November 8, 2022
Renato Moicano was hoping to fight Brad Riddell after his short-notice loss to Rafael dos Anjos back in March. After Moicano submitted Alexander Hernandez at UFC 271, he stepped up on just days’ notice on the next pay-per-view to face dos Anjos. The fight did not go his way but he showed a ton of heart and after the loss, he called for a scrap with Riddell.
Johnny Munoz Jr. plans to submit Liudvik Sholinian on last fight of deal to earn a new UFC contract
Cole Shelton - November 4, 2022
Johnny Munoz Jr. knows there is pressure on him as he’s fighting out his UFC contract on Saturday at UFC Vegas 64. Munoz Jr. is 1-2 in the UFC and coming off a first-round TKO loss to Tony Gravely back in June. Following that, he wasn’t sure what would be next for him but when he got the call to face Sholinian he was excited as he knows a ton about him.
Mario Bautista reveales he was supposed to fight Benito Lopez as an amateur, expects to get a stoppage win: "There are some big holes in his game"
Cole Shelton - November 3, 2022
Mario Bautista was ecstatic when he got the call to fight Benito Lopez. After Bautista submitted Brian Kelleher back in June he wasn’t sure what would be next. Yet, when he got the call to face Lopez it did surprise him as Benito hasn’t fought since 2019. However, Bautista was excited about the matchup given the two were supposed to fight as amateurs in 2013.
Steve Garcia admits he was surprised he put Chase Hooper away so early, hopes to re-sign with UFC after fighitng out his contract
Cole Shelton - November 3, 2022
Steve Garcia knew he had to drop down in weight after his last fight. Garcia went to Singapore to take on Maheshate at UFC 275 in June and after he weighed in, he had a hard time putting on weight. He ended up losing by first-round TKO and after the loss, he knew he needed to drop down to featherweight.
Chase Sherman asked the UFC for Josh Parisian fight, says if he doesn't get a "highlight-reel finish" he'll be "slightly disappointed"
Cole Shelton - November 2, 2022
Chase Sherman wanted Josh Parisian next and approached the UFC with the matchup. After Sherman scored a third-round TKO over Jared Vanderaa he wasn’t sure what would be next. But, after going on social media he saw many mention a fight against Parisian made sense. He then talked to his coaches who also liked the matchup, so he pitched the fight to Mick Maynard who made it happen as the two will meet at UFC Vegas 64.
Josh Fremd believes he's fighting for his job at UFC Vegas 63, sees a "lot of holes" in Tresean Gore
Cole Shelton - October 28, 2022
Josh Fremd was happy when he got rebooked to face Tresean Gore as he believes this is a very favorable matchup for him. Fremd and Gore were booked to fight one another back in July but an injury forced Fremd out of the matchup. His teammate in Cody Brundage then took the scrap and got a KO win and after the fight, Fremd was glad when he got the call to face Gore.
Joseph Holmes believes he'll finish Jun Yong Park in the first round at UFC Vegas 63: "He's not going to want to stand with me"
Cole Shelton - October 28, 2022
Joseph Holmes has a ton of confidence heading into his UFC Vegas 63 matchup against Jun Yong Park. Holmes is coming off his first UFC win as he defeated Alen Amedovski in the first round back in May. After the win, he wasn’t sure what would be next for him but he’s glad to be facing someone like Park.
On last fight of deal, Jared Vanderaa switched camps and vows to finish Waldo Cortes-Acosta to earn a new contract
Cole Shelton - October 28, 2022
Jared Vanderaa will be fighting for his UFC career on Saturday night. Vanderaa is set to face Waldo Cortes-Acosta at UFC Vegas 63 in a do-or-die spot for his career. He’s on a four-fight losing skid but the promotion is giving him the final fight on his deal due to him taking short-notice fights.
Pro fighters make their picks for Jake Paul vs. Anderson Silva boxing match
Cole Shelton - October 27, 2022
In the main event of a Showtime boxing pay-per-view on Saturday in Arizona, Jake Paul has the toughest test of his career as he takes on former UFC champ, Anderson Silva. Heading into the fight, Paul is a -192 favorite while the Brazilian is a +150 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. Many believe Silva will get it done while some are starting to believe Paul is legit.
Dustin Jacoby plans to "expose" and KO Khalil Rountree at UFC Vegas 63: "If he's not the best Khalil it's going to be a quick night"
Cole Shelton - October 25, 2022
Dustin Jacoby was hoping for a ranked opponent next time out but is happy to be facing Khalil Rountree next time out. Jacoby scored a first-round KO win over Da Un Jung back at UFC Long Island in his first fight as a ranked light heavyweight. After the win, he wanted to face another ranked opponent but that won’t be the case as he will take on Rountree at UFC Vegas 63.
Chase Hooper plans to "show off" against Steve Garcia at UFC Vegas 63: "I think from here I can start looking up at the division"
Cole Shelton - October 25, 2022
Chase Hooper is glad to be making a relatively quick turnaround. Back in May, Hooper returned to the win column with a TKO victory over Felipe Colares. The fight was his first in nearly a year which Hooper admits he doesn’t like. He will now be returning five months later which is a much better timeframe for him.