Exclusive MMA Interviews News
Pro fighters make their picks for Vicente Luque vs. Belal Muhammad 2
Cole Shelton - April 14, 2022
In the main event of UFC Vegas 51, a welterweight rematch between Vicente Luque and Belal Muhammad headlines the card. Heading into the fight, Luque is a -170 favorite while ‘Remember The Name’ is a +150 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. Although these two fought back at UFC 205 with Luque winning by KO in 79 seconds, all the pros are expecting a much different fight this time around. The pros are actually lean towards the underdog in Muhammad in getting his hand raised.
Aljamain Sterling says it's "criminal" that he never got a 10-8 round against Petr Yan
Cole Shelton - April 14, 2022
Aljamain Sterling still doesn’t understand why he was such a big underdog against Petr Yan. Sterling was looking to defend his belt in the co-main event of UFC 273 against Yan in an intriguing rematch. Heading into the fight, the champ was a +300 underdog but Sterling only used that as motivation as he knew his grappling could win him the fight.
Drakkar Klose says he's still dealing with injuries he sustained from Jeremy Stephens shove, was nearly was forced to retire: "I did think that was going to be the end of me"
Cole Shelton - April 13, 2022
Drakkar Klose doesn’t think he will ever be the same after the shove from Jeremy Stephens at the face-off after weigh-ins. Klose and Stephens were set to fight at UFC Vegas 24 on April 17, but Stephens shoved Klose at weigh-ins, and right away he knew something was wrong. He was still dehydrated and didn’t expect the shove which is why he thinks the injury was so bad.
Aljamain Sterling blasts Dana White for his scorecard in rematch with Petr Yan: "Dana's always going to be throwing dirt on my name"
Cole Shelton - April 13, 2022
Aljamain Sterling wasn’t surprised when he heard Dana White thought Petr Yan beat him at UFC 273. In the co-main event of the pay-per-view card, Sterling edged out Yan by split decision to defend his belt in a highly-anticipated rematch. To many, the fight came down to the first round and White thought Yan won it which won him the fight.
Vicente Luque ecstatic for first UFC main event, believes he will finish Belal Muhammad again: "We both know I have the power to knock him out"
Cole Shelton - April 12, 2022
Vicente Luque is excited to headline his first UFC card. In the main event of UFC Vegas 51, Luque is set to rematch Belal Muhammad in a crucial fight for the welterweight division. The two fought back at UFC 205 where Luque won the fight in 79 seconds by KO. Since then, he has gone on an incredible run, but he hasn’t been the main event until now which he says is a dream come true.
Jared Vanderaa believes he could be fighting for job at UFC 273, but confident he finishes Aleksei Oleinik early
Cole Shelton - April 8, 2022
Jared Vanderaa didn’t hesitate to accept a fight against Aleksei Oleinik at UFC 273. Oleinik was supposed to face Ilir Latifi on Saturday night, but on just a weeks’ notice the Swede was forced out of the fight. When Vanderaa was offered the fight he immediately accepted it as it is his shot to get back into the win column.
Vinc Pichel says Mark Madsen's striking is "amateur", vows to "put this dude out"
Cole Shelton - April 8, 2022
Vinc Pichel wanted to fight Mark Madsen for a few reasons. Pichel and Madsen were booked to fight one another at UFC 271 in February, but the wrestling ace was forced out of the bout. Pichel was then offered a fight against Nasrat Haqparast but ultimately decided to turn that down as he had his sights firmly set on Madsen.
Jairzinho Rozenstruik warns Marcin Tybura of his power ahead of UFC 273: "As soon as I start touching people they have big problems"
Cole Shelton - April 7, 2022
Jairzinho Rozenstruik wasn’t surprised he was booked to fight Marcin Tybura. Rozenstruik headlined a card last year against Augusto Sakai who he knocked out in brutal fashion. That same night, Marcin Tybura TKO’d Walt Harris in the evening’s co-main attraction. After the event, Tybura called for the Rozenstruik fight to happen next but instead they both got different opponents. Now, however, after they both lost their last fights, the two will meet on the UFC 273 prelims.
UFC 273 | Pro fighters make their picks for Gilbert Burns vs. Khamzat Chimaev
Cole Shelton - April 7, 2022
On the main card of UFC 273, a very intriguing welterweight matchup goes down as Gilbert Burns takes on the undefeated and hyped-up, Khamzat Chimaev. Heading into the fight, Burns is a +375 underdog while the Swede is a massive -510 favorite. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. While the majority of pros are picking Chimaev, some think the odds for the contest are off, believing Burns can make this is a tough fight and possibly get the win.
Ian Garry expects another highlight reel finish against Darian Weeks at UFC 273: "It won't just be an easy finish, it will be beautiful"
Cole Shelton - April 6, 2022
Ian Garry is eyeing another spectacular finish when he squares off with Darian Weeks at UFC 273 on Saturday night. Garry is set to make his sophomore Octagon appearance this weekend against Weeks. It’s an intriguing matchup but when Garry was offered the fight, he says he didn’t know who Weeks was but the one thing he does know now, is his foe is a very game opponent.
UFC 273 | Pro fighters make their picks for Alexander Volkanovski vs. Korean Zombie title fight
Cole Shelton - April 6, 2022
In the main event of UFC 273, the featherweight title is up for grabs as Alexander Volkanovski is set to take on Korean Zombie. Heading into the fight, Volkanovski is a massive -720 favorite while the challenger is a +500 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The pros actually believe the fight is much closer than the odds make it out to be, but the slight majority are thinking Volkanovski defends his belt.
UFC 273 | Pro fighters make their picks for Aljamain Sterling vs. Petr Yan 2 title fight
Cole Shelton - April 6, 2022
In the co-main event of UFC 273, the bantamweight title is up for grabs as Aljamain Sterling rematches Petr Yan. Heading into the fight, Sterling is a +360 underdog while the interim champ is a -490 favorite. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. As seen below, many of the pros believe Yan defeats Sterling with ease in the rematch, while a select few are picking ‘Funkmaster’ to edge out the win.
Alexander Volkanovski plans to silence his doubters in UFC 273 title fight with Korean Zombie: "I do think it will be an eye-opener"
Cole Shelton - April 5, 2022
Alexander Volkanovski plans to make a statement against Korean Zombie at UFC 273. Volkanovski will collide with ‘TKZ’ in Saturday night’s event headliner, this after his original opponent Max Holloway was forced out due to injury. Zombie was quick to step up in place of ‘Blessed’ and Volkanovski says this is now a “legacy fight” and one that he’s wanted for years.
Josh Fremd plans to prove he's "a much better fighter" than Anthony Hernandez at UFC 273
Cole Shelton - April 4, 2022
Josh Fremd is excited to show just how good he is on Saturday night. Fremd is set to make his Octagon debut against Anthony Hernandez at UFC 273 in a fight he accepted on just over a weeks’ notice. It’s an intriguing matchup and Fremd is excited to test himself against Hernandez.
Chris Gutierrez eyes Sean O'Malley, Frankie Edgar, or Dominick Cruz next after KO win at UFC Columbus
Cole Shelton - March 29, 2022
Chris Gutierrez believes it’s time people start putting respect on his name. Gutierrez entered his UFC Columbus fight against Danaa Batgerel and knew his opponent had a ton of power. He saw Batgerel had a ton of first-round knockouts but it wasn’t until they shared the Octagon that he realized how powerful he was.
Matt Brown ecstatic to fight back at home, plans to KO Bryan Barberena with "an elbow or knee"
Cole Shelton - March 24, 2022
Matt Brown wasn’t sure he was going to get the hometown fight at UFC Columbus. When the promotion announced they were heading back to Columbus, Brown immediately asked Sean Shelby to get him on the card. However, the UFC matchmaker told him the card was full which shocked Brown as he is one of the only fighters from Columbus on the roster.
Max Griffin is confident that he will finish Neil Magny at UFC Columbus: "I'm gonna knock him out”
Cole Shelton - March 23, 2022
Max Griffin is glad he’s finally getting a ranked opponent. Griffin is on a three-fight win streak and gets the chance to fight the ninth-ranked welterweight in Neil Magny. It’s an intriguing matchup and for Griffin, he says the timing is perfect for him to get a top-10 opponent.
UFC Columbus | Pro fighters make their picks for Curtis Blaydes vs. Chris Daukaus
Cole Shelton - March 23, 2022
In the main event of UFC Columbus top-10 heavyweights collide as Curtis Blaydes takes on Chris Daukaus. Heading into the fight, Blaydes is a -400 favorite while the Philadelphia native is a +300 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The pros are unanimous in thinking Blaydes takes Daukaus down and gets the ground and pound TKO win.