Exclusive MMA Interviews News
UFC 265 | Pro fighters make their picks for Derrick Lewis vs. Ciryl Gane interim title fight
Cole Shelton - August 5, 2021
In the main event of UFC 265, the interim heavyweight title is up for grabs as Derrick Lewis takes on Ciryl Gane. Ahead of the fight, Gane is a -380 favorite while “The Black Beast” is a +290 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The majority of the pros believe it will be Gane being too technical for Lewis and winning a decision. However, they all still think Lewis is a live dog as he only needs to land one punch.
Ode Osbourne expecting a "war" against Manel Kape in "the biggest fight of my life" at UFC 265
Cole Shelton - August 5, 2021
Ode Osbourne is eager to fight Manel Kape at UFC 265. Osbourne is dropping down to flyweight to face the former RIZIN champ in a scrap he’s eager about. He was supposed to fight Amir Albazi back in July but his opponent pulled out and he was matched up against Kape which he likes.
Jason Witt hoping for a quick turnaround after "the best performance" of his career in win over Bryan Barberena
Cole Shelton - August 5, 2021
Jason Witt is pleased with his win over Bryan Barberena at UFC Vegas 33. Witt entered the fight coming off a 16-second KO loss to Matthew Semelsberger and had a chip on his shoulder. He had heard all the talk that he didn’t have a chin and Barberena would KO him early. Witt also entered the fight knowing if he lost, it likely would’ve been the final fight of his career.
Alonzo Menifield eyes KO win over Ed Herman at UFC 265: "I'm honored to go in there and fight with him and take him out"
Cole Shelton - August 4, 2021
Alonzo Menifield is excited to be getting the chance to fight Ed Herman and in front of a crowd. Menifield returned to the win column last time out with a submission win over Fabio Cherant. The victory snapped his two-fight losing skid and now, he gets a chance to fight Herman at UFC 265 in his home state of Texas which he’s ecstatic about.
Vicente Luque says UFC 265 scrap against Michael Chiesa "will be the Fight of the Night" if he doesn't get the KO win
Cole Shelton - August 3, 2021
Vicente Luque thought he would be fighting Michael Chiesa after his win over Tyron Woodley in March. Luque and Chiesa are currently ranked fifth and sixth at welterweight and both are dark horses of the division. It’s an intriguing matchup but for the Brazilian, he knows stylistic, it’s a striker vs. grappler matchup. Luque is also expecting the scrap to be an entertaining one for however long it lasts.
Casey Kenney plans to "throw down" with Song Yadong at UFC 265 en route to a stoppage win
Cole Shelton - August 3, 2021
Casey Kenney had a feeling he would be fighting Song Yadong after his last fight. Kenney will make the walk to the Octagon on the main card of UFC 265 in Houston, Texas. The bantamweight contender is coming off a split decision loss to Dominick Cruz in March and after the loss, Kenney says he wanted to be active.
Marina Mokhnatkina is the PFL's new queen of Sambo
Drake Riggs - August 2, 2021
Russia’s Marina Mokhnatkina is on her way to the PFL. After achieving everything she could in Sambo, her intentions are clear: conquer MMA. Mokhnatkina made the move to Florida’s Sanford MMA in February 2021 after initially negotiating with the neighboring American Top Team. The male-dominated gym originally greeted the 33-year old with skepticism, but she was quickly welcomed after her skills were displayed. Now, Mokhnatkina is the lone woman training at the gym daily.
Josh Barnett says 'It would really suck' to never fight Fedor Emelianenko
Drake Riggs - July 29, 2021
Josh Barnett vs. Fedor Emelianenko is one of MMA’s biggest fights that got away — but what if it didn’t have to? The pair of heavyweight legends were originally set to clash in 2009 under the short-lived Affliction banner. Fast-forward 12 years and they’re both in the same promotion once again as Emelianenko has his next bout set for October at Bellator’s first show in Russia.
Adrian Yanez says he's "not happy" with his TKO win performance against Randy Costa, hopes a top-15 opponent is next
Cole Shelton - July 28, 2021
Adrian Yanez wasn’t happy with his TKO win over Randy Costa at UFC Vegas 32. Yanez and Costa opened up the main card in a highly-anticipated bout between two of the brightest prospects at bantamweight. In the first round, it appeared Costa would be the one getting his hand raised as he was jabbing Yanez and landing heavy shots. For the Texan, he says the way Costa fought the first round threw him off.
Maycee Barber explains why she called out "legend" Jessica Eye after beating Miranda Maverick
Cole Shelton - July 28, 2021
Maycee Barber has never been shy to call out her next opponent and that is exactly what happened after her win at UFC Vegas 32 on Saturday. After Barber earned a controversial split decision over Miranda Maverick, “The Future” got onto the mic to call out Jessica Eye. It’s an opponent she has talked about before so Barber wasn’t surprised Eye responded to the callout, so she hopes that means the UFC will make the fight.
Maycee Barber confident she beat Miranda Maverick: "I got my hand raised and I got the two checks"
Cole Shelton - July 27, 2021
Maycee Barber knew she beat Miranda Maverick when the fight went to the scorecards. Entering her fight at UFC Vegas 32, Barber was on a two-fight losing skid and was in a new gym at Team Alpha Male. She was also set to fight a very dangerous opponent in Maverick, but Barber knew they had a game plan to get the win.
Chris Daukaus expects to finish Shamil Abdurakhimov and get a "big-name" opponent next
Cole Shelton - July 26, 2021
Chris Daukaus didn’t expect that he would be fighting Shamil Abdurakhimov. Daukaus, who joined the UFC in August of 2020, is already 3-0 in the promotion with three first-round knockouts. After his last win over Aleksei Oleinik in February, he expected he would get another ranked opponent next, and was unsure if it would be in the top-10.
Pro fighters make their picks for Cory Sandhagen vs TJ Dillashaw
Cole Shelton - July 22, 2021
In the main event of UFC Vegas 32, Cory Sandhagen welcomes back former bantamweight champ, TJ Dillashaw from his two-year USADA suspension in a highly-anticipated bout. Entering the fight, Sandhagen is a -195 favorite while the former champ is a +165 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The pros are nearly unanimous in the thinking Sandhagen gets the win with many thinking he stops Dillashaw in the process.
Adrian Yanez believes Randy Costa fight has similar career trajectory to the first Poirier-McGregor scrap, eyes stoppage win
Cole Shelton - July 22, 2021
Adrian Yanez sees a lot of similarities between his UFC Vegas 32 fight against Randy Costa and the first time Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor fought. Yanez and Costa are both coming off back-to-back highlight-reel KO wins. They also both have a lot of hype behind them. Yet, many have said this fight is happening too soon. Yanez, however, disagrees with it as he thinks they will eventually meet again years down the line in a much bigger fight similar to Poirier and McGregor.
Maycee Barber explains move to Team Alpha Male: "I’m not going to sit around and wait for people or beg them to come on this journey with me"
Cole Shelton - July 21, 2021
Maycee Barber has been training at a new camp for her UFC Vegas 32 fight against Miranda Maverick. After Barber lost her second fight in a row to Alexa Grasso at UFC 258, she decided to change camps and had to California to train at Team Alpha Male. “The Future” has already been at several gyms like Factory X, Roufusport, JacksonWink, and in Chicago under Mike Valle among others. However, the reason why she made the switch to Team Alpha Male for this fight was due to COVID-19 restrictions among other reasons.
Randy Costa ecstatic for "fun" fight against Adrian Yanez, expects to "open a lot of people's eyes"
Cole Shelton - July 21, 2021
Randy Costa and Adrian Yanez have one of the weirder fight bookings in recent memory. After Yanez picked up his second UFC win, many on MMA Twitter called for him to face Costa. After the Massachusetts native didn’t respond to fans asking if he’d take the fight, some said he was scared. However, “Zohan” quickly responded saying he’s not scared and he likes Adrian but took a shot at Dr. Pepper which is Yanez’s drink of choice. The Texan dumped on Reese’s which Costa likes and the fight was born.
Kyler Phillips plans to finish Raulian Paiva and get a ranked opponent next: "I'm going to grab that belt"
Cole Shelton - July 20, 2021
Kyler Phillips wasn’t too mad when Raphael Assuncao was forced out of their fight and was replaced by Raulian Paiva. After Phillips beat Song Yadong at UFC 259, many expected him to get a ranked opponent next. That ended up being the case as he was set to meet Raphael Assuncao at UFC Vegas 32. Unfortnately, Assuncao got injured which was disappointing news. However, for Phillips, he said his mindset didn’t change at all.
Maycee Barber expects to finish Miranda Maverick: "I’m not going out there to play around, I’m planning to put her away"
Cole Shelton - July 19, 2021
Maycee Barber wasn’t surprised when she was offered Miranda Maverick as her next fight. After Maverick beat Gillian Robertson at UFC 260, Barber saw all the posts about how fans wanted to see the fight happen. However, given they are two of the up and comers at flyweight, some thought it didn’t make sense. Yet, for Barber, she says she likes the fight and is eager for it.