Exclusive MMA Interviews News
Chris Barnett expecting a "war" in "the king of the dad bods battle" against Jake Collier at UFC 279: "We are going to strike, we are going to spin"
Cole Shelton - September 7, 2022
Chris Barnett is excited to face Jake Collier at UFC 279 and to fight in front of fans again. Barnett is coming off a decision loss to Martin Buday, however, the entire camp was a hard one as his wife was in the hospital, and 30 hours before the fight he got a call that he had to make a decision about her. Following the loss, she, unfortunately, passed away. With that, Barnett spent the next few months with his kids but now finally feels ready to fight again.
Julian Erosa believes he has to make it a "dirty" and "crazy" fight against Hakeem Dawodu at UFC 279: "I'm a bonus chaser"
Cole Shelton - September 6, 2022
Julian Erosa is expecting a very fun fight at UFC 279 against Hakeem Dawodu. After Erosa beat Steven Peterson back in February, in a ‘Fight of the Night’ performance, he called out Dawodu and Alex Caceres. Erosa wanted a bigger step-up in competition and got his wish as he will face Dawodu this weekend at UFC 279. Although he got the matchup he wanted, Erosa says his return was pushed back a couple of times.
Johnny Walker believes the "only chance" Ion Cutelaba beats him is if he "does something really different" at UFC 279, says he will retire at 35 if he's not the champ
Cole Shelton - September 6, 2022
Johnny Walker is confident he will not just beat Ion Cutelaba at UFC 279 but will put on a very good performance. Walker is coming off a KO loss to Jamahal Hill back in February and since then he says he has been working a lot on his striking defense. He spent time in Thailand working on his striking and he’s confident it will all pay off at UFC 279.
Chris Barnett reveals 30 hours before Martin Buday fight he had to make a decision on his sick wife, thanks Dana White for calling and taking care of him
Cole Shelton - September 5, 2022
Chris Barnett wishes he never fought Martin Buday back in April. Throughout the entire training camp for the Buday fight, his wife was battling encephalitis and unfortunately, she later passed away in May. With his wife in the hospital, Barnett says some days he wouldn’t get any training in, and on fight week, he got a phone call from the hospital that he needed to make a decision which caught him by surprise.
Sayif Saud explains why Alonzo Menifield was so "pissed off" with "sauced up" Askar Mozharov: "We just kind of blocked it out""
Cole Shelton - September 2, 2022
Alonzo Menifield had one of the more unusual UFC fight weeks in recent memory. Menifield was set to welcome Askar Mozharov to the Octagon back at UFC Vegas 56 in June, in what was expected to be a banger of a fight. However, fight week was an unusual one as Mozahrov had a record of 25-7 but by the time he made the walk to the Octagon his record was 18-13 as he had used fake names and had fights that never took place on his record.
Sayif Saud knew Geoff Neal had to finish Vicente Luque to "make a big statement," hopes Gilbert Burns fight happens
Cole Shelton - September 1, 2022
Fortis MMA head coach Sayif Saud knew Geoff Neal had to not only beat Vicente Luque but had to finish him. Neal and Luque met in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 59 on August 6 in a big fight for both men. Luque was coming off the decision loss to Belal Muhammad, while Neal recently returned to the win column but had a rough couple of years due to health issues which Saud believes are finally solved.
Pro fighters make their picks for Robert Whittaker vs. Marvin Vettori
Cole Shelton - September 1, 2022
In the co-main event of UFC Paris, a pivotal middleweight bout goes down as Robert Whittaker takes on Marvin Vettori. Heading into the fight, Whittaker is a -250 favorite while the Italian is a +190 underdog. Heading into the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The pros believe Whittaker is the more well-rounded fighter and will get the job done, likely by decision.
John Dodson "wasn't surprised" with 40-second KO over Ryan Benoit in BKFC debut, hopes for quick turnaround in bare knuckle or MMA
Cole Shelton - August 31, 2022
John Dodson said he was going to KO Ryan Benoit in his BKFC debut and he did just that. In the co-main event of BKFC 28, Dodson scored a 40-second KO win against Benoit and although it was a sub-minute KO, he still was a bit disappointed with it. The only reason why Dodson was disappointed is due to the fact his brother Eric also made his BKFC debut on the card and got a 23-second KO on the prelims.
Sayif Saud "proud" of Uriah Hall's career and everything he accomplished following his retirement from MMA: "Uriah had a great run"
Cole Shelton - August 30, 2022
Sayif Saud is proud of everything he accomplished coaching Uriah Hall. Hall joined Fortis MMA back in 2019 ahead of his fight with Antonio Carlos Junior. He won that bout and then went on to defeat both Anderson Silva and Chris Weidman. However, Hall went on to suffer a decision loss to Sean Strickland in a main event contest and then lost to Andre Muniz by deicison.
Ciryl Gane says he's fighting "for my country" at UFC Paris, plans to "put on a show" against Tai Tuivasa to get the "finish"
Cole Shelton - August 30, 2022
Ciryl Gane is excited to headline the first UFC event in Paris, France. Gane, who was born and raised in France is excited to fight in front of his family and friends again. The Frenchman hasn’t fought at home since his muay Thai career and he knows the walkout and the moment will be special.
Stephen Thompson eyes "fun fight" against Michel Pereira at UFC 281: "I think I could put him away"
Cole Shelton - August 26, 2022
Stephen Thompson has made it known he wants to fight a striker next. Thompson was linked to a fight with Shavkat Rakhmonov but told BJPENN.com on Thursday that he was not interested in that fight. ‘Wonderboy’ says he wants to fight a striker, so with that, he hopes he can face Michel Pereira his next time out.
Chris Weidman still training, hoping to return "middle of next year," reveals Stephen Thompson
Cole Shelton - August 26, 2022
Chris Weidman has made it known he will make the walk to the Octagon again. At UFC 261, Weidman broke his leg in a gruesome fashion as just 17 seconds into the fight, he threw a leg kick that Uriah Hall blocked and his leg snapped in half. It was a major injury that resulted in multiple surgeries but Weidman is back in the gym and getting closer to a return.
Stephen Thompson not interested in fighting Shavkat Rakhmonov next: "It doesn't make sense for me to face another heavy grappler"
Cole Shelton - August 25, 2022
Stephen Thompson isn’t interested in fighting Shavkat Rakhmonov next. Thompson hasn’t fought since last December when he lost by decision to Belal Muhammad. It was his second straight defeat, and in both losses, he was out grappled and outwrestled.
John Dodson reveals career highlight from his UFC tenure: "I came out unscathed, he came out looking like Frankenstein"
Cole Shelton - August 24, 2022
John Dodson has accomplished a lot in his career but there are some things that stick out to him more than others. Dodson won TUF 14 as he knocked out TJ Dillashaw and went on to start out his UFC career 3-0 which led to a flyweight title fight against Demetrious Johnson. Although he never touched UFC gold, Dodson fought so many future champions which he says is a career highlight that he always fought the best of the best.
TJ Dillashaw "is going to go ahead and beat Aljamain Sterling," says former opponent: "He has a better skill set"
Cole Shelton - August 23, 2022
John Dodson, who fought and beat TJ Dillashaw, believes the former bantamweight champ is going to reclaim his belt at UFC 280. Dillashaw is set to face Aljamain Sterling in the co-main event of UFC 280 in a very intriguing matchup. Dillashaw returned to the win column last time out as he beat Cory Sandhagen by split decision in his return from USADA suspension to earn the title shot.
Josh Quinlan says he was "pretty devastated" when the NSAC wouldn't clear him due to past drug suspension, happy with KO win over Jason Witt
Cole Shelton - August 19, 2022
Josh Quinlan didn’t know if his UFC debut would happen. Quinlan earned a UFC contract last year on the Contender Series but failed a drug test for the banned substance drostanolone. Once he served his suspension he was supposed to return at UFC Vegas 59 against Jason Witt, yet he was flagged again for picograms of the metabolite of oral turinabol and thus the Nevada State Atheltic Commission would not clear him.
Geoff Neal hopes for main event fight against Gilbert Burns in a title eliminator bout: "I match up really well against him"
Cole Shelton - August 18, 2022
Geoff Neal is hoping to headline a Fight Night card his next time out with Gilbert Burns standing across the Octagon from him. Neal is coming off a third-round TKO over Vicente Luque back at UFC Vegas 59 and after the win, he called out Gilbert Burns. The Fortis MMA fighter believes the scrap makes sense and it’s also a contest he thinks will favor him as well.
UFC 278 | Pro fighters make their picks for Paulo Costa vs. Luke Rockhold
Cole Shelton - August 18, 2022
In the co-main event of UFC 278, an intriguing middleweight bout goes down as Paulo Costa takes on the returning Luke Rockhold. Heading into the fight, Costa is a sizeable -340 favorite while the former UFC middleweight champ is a +250 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The majority of pros believe Costa will eventually land something big and KO Rockhold.