Exclusive MMA Interviews News
Peter Barrett expects to KO Chase Hooper in the first: "He blocks punches with his face"
Cole Shelton - December 11, 2020
Peter Barrett believes the UFC and Chase Hooper made a mistake by taking this fight. At UFC 256, Hooper is set to return to the Octagon after his first career loss to battle Barrett, who lost his promotional debut earlier this year. However, for the 34-year-old in Barrett, he believes the UFC is rooting for Hooper to win as they have high expectations for him.
Conor McGregor will KO Dustin Poirier in the first round again, according to Artem Lobov
Cole Shelton - December 11, 2020
Artem Lobov believes Conor McGregor will beat Dustin Poirier at UFC 257 the same way he did at UFC 178. Back in 2014, McGregor was making his rise up the featherweight division and scored a first-round KO over Poirier. The Irishman said he would do exactly that, but at UFC 257 they are rematching at lightweight with many believing it will be a more competitive fight.
Daniel Pineda on Cub Swanson fight: "He will either knock my ass out or I will finish him"
Cole Shelton - December 10, 2020
Daniel Pineda doesn’t think the judges will be needed for his UFC 256 fight against Cub Swanson. After Pineda finished Herbert Burns at UFC 252, the hope for the 35-year-old was to get a ranked opponent or someone near the rankings. And, he ended up getting his wish as he was offered perennial contender, Cub Swanson.
Artem Lobov open to boxing Jake and Logan Paul if the money is right
Cole Shelton - December 10, 2020
Artem Lobov is open to boxing either of the Paul brothers. After Jake Paul knocked out Nate Robinson on the Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. undercard, the 23-year-old called out the likes of Dillon Danis and Conor McGregor. Given those are his teammates, Artem Lobov says if those fights don’t come to fruition, he would take the fight and beat up Paul if he is paid accordingly.
UFC 256 | Pro fighters make their picks for Tony Ferguson vs. Charles Oliveira
Cole Shelton - December 10, 2020
In the co-main event of UFC 256, Tony Ferguson is set to return to the Octagon against rising contender, Charles Oliveira. Heading into the fight, Ferguson is a -175 favorite while the Brazilian is a +145 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The majority believe Ferguson gets it done but they aren’t counting out Oliveira.
Renato Moicano reveals three ranked fighters turned him down, looking to "put on a show" against Rafael Fiziev
Cole Shelton - December 9, 2020
Renato Moicano thought he would be fighting a ranked opponent at UFC 256. Moicano was a perennial contender at featherweight and was one win away from getting a title shot at 145-pounds. However, he suffered back-to-back knockout losses to Jose Aldo and Korean Zombie which triggered a move to lightweight.
UFC 256 | Pro fighters make their picks for Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Brandon Moreno title fight
Cole Shelton - December 9, 2020
In the main event of UFC 256, Deiveson Figueiredo is looking to defend his flyweight title for the second time against Brandon Moreno. Heading into the fight, the champ is a -325 favorite while the Mexican challenger is a +250 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. Nearly all the pros predict we hear ‘And Still’ as Deiveson Figueiredo will get his hand raised and likely does by stoppage.
Brandon Moreno plans for "upset of the year" with stoppage win of Deiveson Figueiredo
Cole Shelton - December 8, 2020
Brandon Moreno plans to shock the world. In the main event of UFC 256, Moreno is making a three-week turnaround to battle Deiveson Figueiredo for the flyweight title. It is a very intriguing matchup given both men just fought at UFC 255.
Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship interested in signing Yoel Romero: "He has BKFC written all over him"
Cole Shelton - December 7, 2020
David Feldman is hoping to meet with Yoel Romero in the coming days. On Friday, it was revealed Romero was shockingly released from the UFC. Immediately, many thought the middleweight would sign with Bellator or PFL. However, on Monday, it was reported both promotions aren’t interested in bringing in the 43-year-old.
Gina Mazany in no rush to move up flyweight ranks after TKO win over Rachael Ostovich
Cole Shelton - December 4, 2020
Gina Mazany is back in the win column. At UFC Vegas 15, Mazany dropped down to flyweight to battle Rachael Ostovich. In the lead-up to the fight, Mazany was unsure how she would feel at 125-pounds but says it was the easiest weight cut of her career and it showed as she TKO’d Ostovich in the third.
Jack Hermansson rooting for Adesanya over Blachowicz: "It would be cooler to beat the double champ"
Cole Shelton - December 4, 2020
Jack Hermansson is okay with Israel Adesanya moving up to light heavyweight to fight Jan Blachowicz. Sometime in early 2021, Adesanya will look to become a champ-champ against Blachowicz. However, many people didn’t get the fight as both men have plenty of options to defend their own titles. Yet, for Hermansson, he is fine with the fight being made as long as the middleweight champion wins.
Marvin Vettori expects Jan Blachowicz to "clean the mat with Israel Adesanya"
Cole Shelton - December 4, 2020
Marvin Vettori doesn’t believe Israel Adesanya’s light heavyweight run will go well. Sometime in early 2021, it is expected that Adesanya will move up in weight to battle Jan Blachowicz for the light heavyweight title. Although many don’t think the fight should happen all signs point to that being the case.
Marvin Vettori reveals which fighters turned him down before getting Jack Hermansson fight
Cole Shelton - December 3, 2020
Marvin Vettori has had a hard time getting fights. After Vettori submitted Karl Roberson in the first round back in June, the hope for the Italian was to get a ranked opponent. However, in the months since, it has been a difficult time getting a fight with someone ranked above him. That all changed when he was supposed to fight Jacare Souza at UFC 256 but was pulled from that fight to battle Jack Hermansson in the main event of UFC Vegas 16.
Bi Nguyen looks to close out chaotic 2020 with big win over Jihin Radzuan
Tom Taylor - December 3, 2020
ONE Championship atomweight star Bi Nguyen is hoping to close out a chaotic year with a huge win over Malaysia’s Jihin Radzuan at ONE: Big Bang, which goes down on the promotion’s home turf in Singapore this Friday. The coronavirus pandemic made 2020 a bumpy year for just about everyone, but it was particularly frustrating for Nguyen. The 31-year-old striking specialist’s bad luck began early in the year, when she was forced out of planned February fight with Japan’s Itsuki Hirata with an injury. March brought another tough break, as Nguyen’s planned Muay Thai bout against Rudzma Abubakar fell through amid the early chaos of the pandemic. The trouble then continued in the third quarter of the year, when ONE Championship’s attempt to reschedule the failed February fight with Hirata came up empty—ostensibly because the Japanese fighter didn’t sign her contract.
Diego Ferreira believes he's the dark horse at 155lbs, discusses trouble getting fights: "I feel like everyone is scared"
Cole Shelton - December 2, 2020
Diego Ferreira has had a hard time getting fights. At UFC 246 in January, Ferreira picked up the biggest win of his career as he submitted former champion, Anthony Pettis, in the second round. It was his sixth straight victory and following the win, many figured he would get a top-10 opponent. However, for the Brazilian, he has yet to fight again and won’t fight until February when he battles Beneil Dariush.
After doing part of training camp through Zoom, Montana De La Rosa expects to finish Talia Santos
Cole Shelton - December 2, 2020
Montana De La Rosa had a unique fight camp for her short-notice fight against Talia Santos. De La Rosa is stepping up on about a month’s notice to battle Santos at UFC Vegas 16. It is a very intriguing matchup, and for the 25-year-old in De La Rosa, she just wanted to get another fight in this year.
Parker Porter believes he has "something to prove," expects to finish Josh Parisian early
Cole Shelton - November 27, 2020
Parker Porter is viewing this as his true UFC debut. Porter, a 35-year-old heavyweight, took his UFC debut on just days’ notice against Chris Daukaus and was knocked out in the first round. For Porter, he says he was not in the place to accept a fight, as he even had to cut weight but couldn’t say no to the UFC.
Badou Jack slams "boxing politics," believes he will need to KO Jean Pascal in their rematch in order to win
Cole Shelton - November 27, 2020
Badou Jack believes there is too much politics in boxing. Although Jack is just 1-2-2 in his last five, he has been part of some controversial decisions. He lost a narrow split decision to Jean Pascal last December in a fight many thought Jack won. He also fought Adonis Stevenson to a draw where many thought he won that fight as well.