Exclusive MMA Interviews News
Charles Rosa excited to go into enemy territory at UFC London against Nathaniel Wood: "I'm smashing this kid's face in"
Cole Shelton - July 20, 2022
Charles Rosa wanted to fight in front of fans in his next fight and he got his wish. Rosa has fought six straight times in front of no fans and after his latest effort, he told his manager and the UFC that he wanted to fight in front of fans again. He ended up getting his wish, as on about five weeks’ notice he got the call to face Nathaniel Wood at UFC London.
Muhammad Mokaev confident he'll submit Charles Johnson after training with him in 2019, vows to become the youngest UFC champion in history: "None of them are special"
Cole Shelton - July 19, 2022
Muhammad Mokaev is excited to return to London and perform in front of his hometown fans again. Mokaev made good of his UFC debut back in March as he submitted Cody Durden in 58-seconds. After the win, Mokaev wanted a quick turnaround but it was hard for him to get an opponent until former LFA flyweight champ Charles Johnson, who he previously trained with, agreed to fight.
Volkan Oezdemir plans to "finish" Paul Craig at UFC London: "There is more than one way I will be able to finish the fight"
Cole Shelton - July 19, 2022
Volkan Oezdemir is excited to make the walk to the Octagon and get the bad taste of his last fight out of his mouth. Oezdemir is set to face Paul Craig at UFC London as he enters the fight on a two-fight losing skid. He’s coming off a decision loss to Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 267 in a fight he is not happy with as he believes it’s the worst performance of his career.
Chris Gonzalez plans to bring the fight to Usman Nurmagomedov and make him "uncomfortable" at Bellator 283 to earn a title shot
Cole Shelton - July 18, 2022
Chris Gonzalez always wanted to fight Usman Nurmagomedov ever since both men signed with Bellator. At Bellator 283, Gonzalez is set to face Nurmagomedov in a crucial lightweight scrap and one that Gonzalez has wanted.
Pro fighters make their picks for Brian Ortega vs. Yair Rodriguez
Cole Shelton - July 14, 2022
In the main event of UFC Long Island, a pivotal featherweight scrap headlines the card as top-three featherweights collide as Brian Ortega takes on Yair Rodriguez. Heading into the fight, Ortega is a -180 favorite while the Mexican is a +140 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The majority of pros are leaning towards Ortega getting his hand raised and likely doing it by submission.
Felice Herrig explains why she ended retirement to sign with BKFC, reveals they "tripled my UFC contract"
Cole Shelton - July 13, 2022
Felice Herrig ended her retirement rather quickly. After Herrig suffered a submission loss to Karolina Kowalkiewicz in June she announced her retirement from MMA. Yet, she recently signed with BKFC, and according to Herrig, she retired from MMA, not from fighting.
Cody Brundage says KO win over Tresean Gore proves "I don't have to just wrestle"
Cole Shelton - July 13, 2022
Cody Brundage was happy to shut up Tresean Gore. Leading up to his UFC Vegas 58 fight, Brundage heard all the trash talk Gore was saying, and that included throughout fight week. However, Brundage just put his head down as he had all the confidence in the world he would beat Gore and was surprised the former TUF competitor didn’t come out more aggressive.
Dustin Jacoby expecting a "15-minute war" against "durable" Da Un Jung at UFC Long Island: "I'm there to defend my spot"
Cole Shelton - July 12, 2022
Dustin Jacoby has been in talks to fight Da Un Jung to fight in the past, so he’s excited it’s finally coming to fruition at UFC Long Island. Jacoby is coming off a decision win over Michal Oleksiejczuk in a fight he barely threw any kicks due to an ankle injury. Given kicks are a big part of his game, he needed to take some time off and now that he’s healthy he’s excited to return on Saturday at UFC Long Island.
Cody Brundage believes Tresean Gore is "a regional level fighter," confident he will find the finish at UFC Vegas 58
Cole Shelton - July 8, 2022
Cody Brundage is looking to extend his win streak to two when he faces Tresean Gore at UFC Vegas 58. Gore was supposed to face Josh Fremd who is Brundage’s teammate, but Fremd got hurt and was forced out of the bout. Once that happened, Brundage offered to step up and the promotion quickly made the fight.
Pro fighters make their picks for Rafael dos Anjos vs. Rafael Fiziev
Cole Shelton - July 7, 2022
In the main event of UFC Vegas 58, top-10 lightweights collide as Rafael dos Anjos takes on Rafael Fiziev. Heading into the fight, dos Anjos is a +186 underdog while Fiziev is a -245 favorite on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The pros are leaning towards Fiziev getting the job done as many think his striking will be too much.
James Krause says he has "no intention or desire" to fight again but would "if the perfect scenario was put in front of me"
Cole Shelton - July 6, 2022
James Krause won’t say he is retired but says it is unlikely he will fight again. Krause has not fought since October of 2020 when he beat Claudio Silva by decision. He took that fight and the fight prior on short notice as he has been busy coaching. Although he has not officially retired he says it is unlikely he will step into the Octagon again.
Jalin Turner believes he's "on a new level" after submitting Brad Riddell at UFC 276: "I'm coming into my own and hitting my stride"
Cole Shelton - July 6, 2022
Jalin Turner believes UFC 276 was a breakout performance for himself. Turner was set to fight his first-ranked opponent as he was taking on Brad Riddell in the prelim headliner at UFC 276. Entering the scrap, Turner knew Riddell would be a tough test but he rocked the Aussie early and then hopped on a choke and got the tap just 45-seconds in.
James Krause believes it will take a "more well-rounded" fighter than Kai Kara-France to beat Brandon Moreno
Cole Shelton - July 5, 2022
Brandon Moreno will have a new head coach in his corner at UFC 277 and it will be James Krause. Moreno has spent the majority of his career at Entram Gym, including having them in his corner when he won UFC gold. Yet, he revealed he needed a change and decided to go to Glory MMA and train under Krause.
Mario Bautista says his finish of Brian Kelleher was "the biggest win of my career," believes he's one win away from top-15
Cole Shelton - June 30, 2022
Mario Bautista believes he made a statement with his first-round submission win over Brian Kelleher at UFC Vegas 57. Bautista entered the fight knowing Kelleher would be at his most dangerous in the first round. Yet, the plan was to also be aggressive early and force Kelleher to make a mistake, which is what happened. Just two minutes into the opening round, Bautista ended up sinking in a choke and got the first-round submission.
Chris Curtis eyes "a knockdown drag-out war" with Kelvin Gastelum next after win over Rodolfo Vieira: "It would be a really fun fight"
Cole Shelton - June 30, 2022
Chris Curtis is hoping to fight Kelvin Gastelum his next time out. Curtis improved to 3-0 in the Octagon at UFC Vegas 57, as he beat Rodolfo Vieira by decision in a fight that saw him defend 20 takedown attempts. Although Curtis got the win, he didn’t get the finish which is something he wanted.
UFC 276 | Pro fighters make their picks for Alexander Volkanovski vs. Max Holloway 3 title fight
Cole Shelton - June 30, 2022
In the co-main event of UFC 276, the featherweight title is up for grabs as Alexander Volkanovski takes on Max Holloway for the third time. Heading into the fight, Volkanovski is a -215 favorite while the challenger is a +164 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The pros are actually split in this one as they all believe it is a very close and competitive fight that likely goes the distance.
Danny Sabatello "happy" with dominant win over Leandro Higo, confident he finishes "scared" Raufeon Stots: "He knows that I'm coming for him"
Cole Shelton - June 29, 2022
Danny Sabatello wanted to hurt Leandro Higo and he believes he did just that. Sabatello and Higo met in the quarter-finals of the Bellator bantamweight grand prix at Bellator 282. In the lead-up to the fight, Sabatello was vocal in his desire to beat up and hurt Higo and he did just that as he earned a clear-cut decision win.
UFC 276 | Pro fighters make their picks for Israel Adesanya vs. Jared Cannonier title fight
Cole Shelton - June 29, 2022
In the main event of UFC 276, the middleweight title is up for grabs as Israel Adesanya looks to defend his belt as he faces Jared Cannonier. Heading into the fight, Adesanya is a -480 favorite while the challenger is a +330 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The pros are nearly unanimous in thinking Adesanya defends his belt with ease and will likely score a stoppage win at UFC 276.