Exclusive MMA Interviews News
Jonathan Pearce "excited" to face Darren Elkins at UFC Orlando, knows he has to be careful against him: "I have to fight smart and fight perfectly for 15 minutes"
Cole Shelton - November 30, 2022
Jonathan Pearce was pumped when he got the call to fight Darren Elkins at UFC Orlando. After Pearce beat Makwan Amirkhani at UFC London in July he wasn’t sure what was going to be next for him. He thought he could’ve gotten a ranked opponent. But, is excited to face Elkins who is someone he grew up watching.
Kyle Daukaus details injuries he sustained in Roman Dolidze fight, reveals Eryk Anders fight at UFC Orlando is the final one on his contract: "This is do-or-die for me"
Cole Shelton - November 29, 2022
Kyle Daukaus didn’t think he would be fighting again in 2022. Back in June at UFC Austin, Daukaus suffered a first-round KO loss to Roman Dolidze. Daukaus got caught quickly with a knee and the fight was stopped 73 seconds in, which was disappointing for the Philly native.
Stephen Thompson not thinking about retirement, preparing for "the hardest fight imaginable" against Kevin Holland at UFC Orlando
Cole Shelton - November 29, 2022
Stephen Thompson was pumped when he got the fight offer to headline UFC Orlando against Kevin Holland. After Thompson lost back-to-back fights to Belal Muhammad and Gilbert Burns, he told the UFC he wanted to fight a striker. He admitted he turned down a fight with Shavkat Rakhmonov as he just wanted a fun fight and gets his wish as he will headline UFC Orlando against Kevin Holland.
Houston Alexander "would love to take a crack" at boxing Jake or Logan Paul: "I have a ton of respect for them"
Cole Shelton - November 28, 2022
Houston Alexander is open to taking a boxing fight and has two names in mind. Alexander – who is 50 years old – is coming off another knockout win in BKFC as he is 3-0 in the promotion. The veteran has also competed for the UFC, Bellator, KSW, and many other promotions but he has never had a pro boxing fight.
Miles Johns admits not having James Krause in his corner was "challenging," explains why he's "not happy" with his win over Vince Morales
Cole Shelton - November 25, 2022
Miles Johns is disappointed with how he fought at UFC Vegas 65. Johns stepped up on short notice to take on Vince Morales in his first fight off suspension and changing camps. With that, he says that impacted him too much, which is why didn’t fight the way he usually does.
Kevin Croom explains why he signed with BKFC, pleased with KO win in his debut: "It is a good way to get paid without fighting world-class athletes"
Cole Shelton - November 24, 2022
Kevin Croom decided to give BKFC a try after he was released from the UFC. After Croom lost three fights in a row in the UFC he was released and then fought on the regional scene and picked up a win. After he returned to the win column in MMA, he signed with BKFC which was an easy decision for him.
50-year-old Houston Alexander ecstatic with TKO win over Joey Beltran at BKFC 33, has no plans of retiring anytime soon: "Even though Father Time is undefeated, it hasn't gotten me yet"
Cole Shelton - November 24, 2022
Houston Alexander improved to 3-0 in BKFC as he scored a second-round KO win over Joey Beltran. Alexander was headlining the event in his adopted hometown of Omaha, Nebraska, and dominated the fight from start to finish. He ended up scoring a second-round TKO over Beltran as he says the fight played out exactly how they thought.
Stevie Ray plans to be the first person to finish former training partner Olivier Aubin-Mercier to win the PFL lightweight title: "We have both submitted each other"
Cole Shelton - November 23, 2022
Stevie Ray is happy to shut up the doubters as he fights for the PFL lightweight title. Following Ray’s majority decision win over Michael Johnson, it was reported he retired from MMA. Yet, he then told BJPENN.com that he only retired because the UFC released him and went on to sign with the PFL. Ray then ended his two-and-a-half-year layoff but dropped his debut to Alex Martinez. After losing to Martinez, he submitted Anthony Pettis to earn a playoff spot and beat Pettis once again to advance to the finals.
Brendan Loughnane makes it clear Bubba Jenkins won't "stand" with him, confident he'll become the PFL featherweight champion: "I'm a better mixed martial artist"
Cole Shelton - November 22, 2022
Brendan Loughnane is ready to finally say he’s a world champion. Loughnane is set to face Bubba Jenkins for the PFL’s featherweight title in the championship event at the Hulu Theater in New York on Friday. Loughnane defeated Chris Wade to get to the finals, while Jenkins beat Ryoji Kudo by submission.
Olivier Aubin-Mercier says PFL lightweight title fight against Stevie Ray may be his retirement bout: "I don't know if I have one more year in me"
Cole Shelton - November 22, 2022
Olivier Aubin-Mercier could be fighting for the final time on Friday. Aubin-Mercier is set to face Stevie Ray for the PFL lightweight title in the championship event from the Hulu Theater in New York City. To get to the final, the Canadian beat Natan Schulte and Alex Martinez in the regular season. In the semifinals, he defeated Martinez again to set up the showdown with Ray.
Vanessa Demopoulos doubts Maria Oliveira will want to go to the ground with her at UFC Vegas 65
Cole Shelton - November 18, 2022
Vanessa Demopoulos was very familiar with Maria Oliveira when she was offered to fight her at UFC Vegas 65. Demopoulos is coming off a split decision win over Jinh Yu Frey and wasn’t sure what was going to be next for her. But, she was adamant she wanted to fight one more time in 2022 which is what happened.
Chris Gutierrez says KO win over Frankie Edgar was "bittersweet," believes he proved he belongs
Cole Shelton - November 18, 2022
Chris Gutierrez says his win over Frankie Edgar was bittersweet for a few reasons. Gutierrez was set for the biggest fight of his career at UFC 281 as he was taking on Frankie Edgar in his retirement fight. It was a big moment for Gutierrez and he delivered as he got a first-round KO. However, he says it was a bittersweet moment as it was hard to see a legend like Edgar end his career that way.
Brady Hiestand plans to be "the first person to finish" Fernie Garcia at UFC Vegas 65: "It will be a good win on my résumé"
Cole Shelton - November 17, 2022
Brady Hiestand is vieweing his UFC Vegas 65 fight against Fernie Garcia as his official UFC debut. Hiestand is coming off a split-decision loss to Ricky Turcios in August of 2021 in the TUF 29 finale. It was a very close fight and after the loss, Hiestand went under the knife for his knee as he was fighting through an ACL tear.
Vince Morales excited for Miles Johns fight, plans to "do something spectacular" at UFC Vegas 65: "We will both meet in the middle and find right hands"
Cole Shelton - November 16, 2022
Vince Morales was happy when Miles Johns stepped up on short notice to fight him. Morales was supposed to face Jose Johnson, which is a fight Morales didn’t want. He and Johnson have trained in the past and have become close which also includes them playing video games with one another. So, when he pulled out and Johns replaced him at UFC Vegas 65, Morales was excited.
Pro fighters make their picks for Derrick Lewis vs. Serghei Spivac
Cole Shelton - November 16, 2022
In the main event of UFC Vegas 65, a heavyweight bout headlines the card as Derrick Lewis takes on Serghei Spivac. Heading into the fight, Lewis is a +165 underdog while the Moldovan is a -195 favorite. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The pros believe Lewis will find the KO now that he isn’t fighting in Texas and back at the Apex where he is undefeated.
Miles Johns explains why he left Fortis to train at Glory, hopes for stoppage win over Vince Morales: "I'm trying to be violent when I'm in there"
Cole Shelton - November 15, 2022
Miles Johns made a big change to his career ahead of his UFC Vegas 65 fight against Vince Morales. When Johns makes the walk to the Octagon, he will do so with a new coach as he left Fortis MMA to train under James Krause at Glory. Although the decision was a hard one, Johns said it was needed as he wanted to be closer to family.
Andre Petroski disappointed he lost his 100 percent finish rate at UFC 281, believes he'd submit Bo Nickal: "I don't think he has that dog in him"
Cole Shelton - November 14, 2022
Andre Petroski remained undefeated in the UFC with a decision victory over Wellington Turman at UFC 281. Andre entered the fight being 3-0 in the UFC with three stoppage wins. The hope for Petroski was to submit Turman and continue to prove he’s the best grappler in the UFC. Although that didn’t happen, Petroski earned a clear-cut decision win, which he’s happy with.
Grant Dawson reveals he nearly pulled out of Mark Madsen fight, says he plans to fight Tony Ferguson and Dan Hooker in 2023
Cole Shelton - November 14, 2022
Grant Dawson is quite happy with his third-round submission win over Mark Madsen – especially with everything he overcame. Dawson took the fight on short notice as he knew it was a fight that would likely get him in the rankings. Yet, on weigh-in day, Dawson came in heavy which he isn’t making excuses for. Instead, he turned his attention to the fight and put on a great performance.