Exclusive MMA Interviews News
Yorgan De Castro doesn't expect Carlos Felipe fight to last long: "One of us will fall down"
Cole Shelton - September 30, 2020
Yorgan De Castro is looking to get back into the win column when he battles Carlos Felipe in the co-main event of UFC Fight Island 4. De Castro is coming off his first career loss back at UFC 249 where he suffered a decision loss to Greg Hardy. Since the fight, the 32-year-old has learned a ton about himself and how he needs to fight differently.
After having a "really bad" case of COVID-19, Irene Aldana eyes stoppage win over Holly Holm to earn title shot
Cole Shelton - September 29, 2020
Irene Aldana is glad she will still be the main event against Holly Holm. Aldana was supposed to fight Holm in Las Vegas on August 1, yet she had tested positive for COVID-19 and was forced to pull out of the fight. It was also a bad case of the coronavirus and Aldana said it had impacted her training quite a bit.
Brandon Royval says Kai Kara-France win "was pure domination," wants a top contender in December
Cole Shelton - September 29, 2020
Brandon Royval knew he was a better striker than Kai Kara-France and wanted to make a point of it in their fight at UFC 253. Royval was the betting underdog heading into the fight, yet he knew he had the skillset to win as long as could avoid the right hand of Kara-France.
Damon Jackson says return to UFC is "surreal," knew he would submit Mirsad Bektic
Cole Shelton - September 25, 2020
After May 23, 2019, Damon Jackson thought his chances of getting back to the UFC were over. Jackson, who had three fights in the UFC from 2014-2016 and did not get a win and was cut, fought in LFA hoping to get another crack. Yet, after years of trying nothing came up. So, Jackson signed with the PFL and hoped winning the tournament would open that door again. However, in his first fight, he was knocked out by Movlid Khaibulaev in just 10 seconds by a flying knee. He was then pulled from the tournament and he asked for his release.
Brandon Royval planning on bringing the fight to Kai Kara-France: "I’m known to finish motherf*****s"
Cole Shelton - September 24, 2020
Brandon Royval is looking to go 2-0 in the UFC with two stoppage wins. On the main card of UFC 253, Royval is set to fight Kai Kara-France in a pivotal flyweight bout. For the former LFA flyweight champion in Royval, it is surreal for him to already be fighting someone ranked in the top-10 this early into his UFC tenure. Yet, he knows he belongs and plans to prove that on Saturday.
UFC 253 | Pro fighters make their picks for Dominick Reyes vs. Jan Blachowicz title fight
Cole Shelton - September 24, 2020
In the co-main event of UFC 253, the vacant light heavyweight title is on the line as Dominick Reyes takes on Jan Blachowicz. Heading into the fight, Reyes is a -300 favorite while the Pole is a +230 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The pros are unanimous in thinking it will be Reyes winning the fight and finally becoming the champion after many thought he beat Jon Jones last time out.
Kai Kara-France was forced to live in the gym, planning to make a "statement" against Brandon Royval at UFC 253
Cole Shelton - September 23, 2020
Kai Kara-France was forced to live at City Kickboxing in order to train for his UFC 253 fight against Brandon Royval. With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing New Zealand to lockdown again, Eugene Bareman got Kara-France, Israel Adesanya, Shane Young, and Brad Riddell to bring their mattresses and live at the gym in order to train. After weeks of doing that, the CKB team left for Fight Island which adds confidence for Kai Kara-France.
Sijara Eubanks planning her own "David and Goliath story" against Ketlen Vieira at UFC 253
Cole Shelton - September 23, 2020
Sijara Eubanks is making history on Saturday night as she will tie Hannah Cfiers for the fastest turnaround for a female fighter in UFC history. She will also be the first fighter in this COVID-19 era to fight in Jacksonville, the UFC Apex and Fight Island, the three spots the UFC has held events. Eubanks, who is coming off a decision win over Sept. 12, got a call just days later to fly out to Fight Island to fight Kelten Vieira.
TUF 28 winner Juan Espino ecstatic to be able to fight again, promises "entertaining fight" against Jeff Hughes
Cole Shelton - September 22, 2020
Juan Espino is back. The 39-year-old, Espino has not fought since he won The Ultimate Fighter 28 back in November of 2018. Since then, many were eager to see how the heavyweight would do inside the Octagon given his wrestling and jiu-jitsu background.
Jan Blachowicz plans to prove he's "better than Jon Jones" by finishing Dominick Reyes
Cole Shelton - September 22, 2020
Jan Blachowicz wants to do what no one has done before. Finish Dominick Reyes. Blachowicz and Reyes are set to fight in the co-main event of UFC 253 for the vacant light heavyweight title. For Blachowicz, he knew he would be fighting for UFC gold after he beat Corey Anderson, but didn’t know the date or against who.
David Dvorak believes people are overlooking him, remains focused on beating Jordan Espinosa at UFC Vegas 11
Cole Shelton - September 18, 2020
David Dvorak knows he is not being talked about as much as most of the other flyweight contenders. The Czech Republic native is on a 14-fight winning streak including being 1-0 inside the Octagon. At UFC Vegas 11, the 28-year-old in Dvorak is set for his toughest test to date when he takes on Jordan Espinosa. Yet, this was not his original opponent.
Journey Newson admits he "didn't know who Randy Costa was", expects to earn stoppage win
Cole Shelton - September 18, 2020
Journey Newson had to look up Randy Costa when he got the call to fight him at UFC Vegas 11. Newson is coming off a KO win over Domingo Pilarte back at UFC 247. However, it was overturned to a no-contest due to Newson testing positive for marijuana. Although it is a no-contest on his record, the 31-year-old is still viewing it as a win. So, following that quick KO, he expected to get someone with more notoriety than Costa.
Pro fighters make their picks for Colby Covington vs. Tyron Woodley
Cole Shelton - September 17, 2020
In the main event of UFC Vegas 11, Colby Covington and Tyron Woodley will finally be sharing the Octagon. Heading into the fight, Covington is a -350 favorite while the former champion is a +265 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The majority believe Covington’s pace will be too much for Woodley and he will get his hand raised.
Randy Costa ecstatic to be fighting Journey Newson: "I’m expecting this to be a fan-friendly fight"
Cole Shelton - September 16, 2020
Randy Costa couldn’t be more excited when he found out he was fighting Journey Newson. Costa was set to fight in March but the event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, the loyal Massachusetts native packed up and headed to Florida to train at American Top Team due to the restrictions Massachusetts had.
After getting back into the win column, Hunter Azure looking to turn around quickly and build up some momentum
Cole Shelton - September 15, 2020
Hunter Azure knew that he needed to beat Cole Smith back at UFC Vegas 9. Azure was entering the fight coming off a knockout loss to Brian Kelleher at 145-pounds. Although he is a natural bantamweight, due to the pandemic and the lack of training, his fight with ‘Boom’ was up a weight class.
Johnny Walker expects to finish Ryan Spann after having "one of the best camps ever" at SBG Ireland
Cole Shelton - September 15, 2020
Johnny Walker is on a two-fight losing streak and thus has made some career changes ahead of his upcoming fight. At UFC Vegas 11, Walker is set to take on Ryan Spann in a very intriguing matchup. Normally, Walker trains at Tristar in Montreal, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he could not get into Canada so he decided to send John Kavanagh a message to train at SBG Ireland.
Patrick Mix trashes James Gallagher: "I don’t even think he is better than CM Punk"
Cole Shelton - September 11, 2020
Patrick Mix doesn’t believe James Gallagher is a very good fighter. Ever since Mix signed to Bellator, Gallagher called him out, but as of late, Mix has noticed Gallagher hasn’t been saying his name. For “Patchy” he isn’t worried about that at all given he is set to fight for the bantamweight title on Saturday night while Gallagher hasn’t even been in a number one contender fight.
Tyson Nam confident he will KO Matt Schnell at UFC Vegas 10: "I just have to land the right hand once"
Cole Shelton - September 10, 2020
Tyson Nam expects to earn another knockout win when he faces Matt Schnell at UFC Vegas 10. Nam is coming off his first UFC win as he scored a 32-second knockout win over Zarrukh Adashev back in June. For the Hawaiian, after the win, he was looking to make a quick turnaround and had his eye on Schnell.