Exclusive MMA Interviews News

Cole Shelton - October 31, 2019

Lyman Good knows his UFC 244 fight is crucial after his last loss. Good had a chance to become a ranked welterweight in his last fight when he took on Demian Maia who was coming off three straight losses. Yet, the fight did not go as planned as he was submitted in the first round and never looked normal in the fight. Well, it turns out he had a major injury and that is why he will return to the Octagon nine months later.

Tom Taylor - October 30, 2019

It’s cold in Norway this time of year, and the sun seems to set earlier every day. As the temperature drops and the days darken, Norwegian welterweight Emil Meek is feeling the urge to leave. Not forever, just for long enough to send a worthy adversary to Valhalla — and maybe get a bit of sun. “I need to travel somewhere,” Meek told BJPENN.com on Tuesday. “I can’t handle all this darkness.”

Mike Pendleton - October 30, 2019

As the clock continues to tick towards UFC 244, fans, fighters and media alike are excited for the main event between Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz, who will collide for “BMF” title inside Madison Square Garden. There are many places this excitement can be focused on: Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal fighting each other, the creation of the BMF title, or maybe, two of the biggest throwback fighters in the UFC today grabbing the spotlight in the Mecca of the fighting world.

Cole Shelton - October 30, 2019

In the co-main event of UFC 244, former welterweight title challenger Darren Till is moving up in weight to take on Kelvin Gastelum. Ahead of the scrap, “The Gorilla” is a +160 underdog while Gastelum is a -200 favorite. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The majority are leaning towards Gastelum but some feel it is a much closer fight than the odds suggest.

Cole Shelton - October 29, 2019

Kevin Lee is set to return to the lightweight division at UFC 244 in New York. There, the “Motown Phenom” will be taking on the undefeated Gregor Gillespie in a very risky fight. In fact, Lee says this is the stupidest fight he could have taken, but it’s a scrap he wanted to take nonetheless.

Cole Shelton - October 25, 2019

One fight many fans want to see is Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson. Many believe “El Cucuy” is the toughest fight for the undefeated Dagestani champion in Nurmagomedov. Yet he bout has still yet to happen despite being scheduled four times.

Cole Shelton - October 24, 2019

In the main event of UFC Singapore, Ben Askren will be looking to get back into the win column when he takes on Demian Maia. Heading into this fight, “Funky” 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 predictions for the scrap. The majority are leaning towards Maia being able to submit Ben Askren and extend his losing streak to two.

Cole Shelton - October 23, 2019

Kevin Lee believes Georges St-Pierre will return to the Octagon, and that the former welterweight and middleweight champ will do so at lightweight. Lee is now training at the famed Tristar gym in Montreal, Canada. The gym is the long-time home of St-Pierre.

Cole Shelton - October 23, 2019

In the main event of Bellator 232, the welterweight title is on the line, as well as the welterweight grand prix title. The champion, Rory MacDonald rematches Douglas Lima in a very interesting bout. Heading into the scrap, the champion is a +130 underdog while the challenger is a -160 favorite. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The majority are leaning to hearing ‘And New’ but they all agree it is a very close fight.

Alfredo Zullino - October 22, 2019

MMA will finally be legal in France on January 1 of the New Year. It’s going to be a huge step for France and for larger Europe, as a lot of young, talented fighters can finally pursue a professional career as an MMA fighter in their own backyards.

Mike Heck - October 22, 2019

Maurice Greene has his sights set on the top-10 of the ever evolving UFC heavyweight division and will look to take a pivotal step forward this weekend. “The Crochet Boss” will take on Sergey Pavlovich this Saturday at UFC on ESPN+ 20. The event will take place at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore and will be headlined by a welterweight matchup between Ben Askren and Demian Maia.

Tom Taylor - October 18, 2019

These days, more and more fighters are using trash talk to promote themselves and their fights. Former UFC bantamweight champion Miesha Tate understands why this happens, but believes fighters should think twice before ramping up the verbal warfare. Speaking to BJPENN.com ahead of last weekend’s ONE: Century card, Tate explained how trash talk and bravado can sometimes end up being more damaging to a fighter’s career than helpful. If a fighter talks a big game and fails to back it up, then their brand can take a huge, often irrecoverable hit.

Cole Shelton - October 16, 2019

David Feldman has high hopes for his new promotion, Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. Although he has already taken over the bare-knuckle market in North America, Feldman hopes BKFC will be considered one of the biggest combat sports promotions on earth by 2021.

Cole Shelton - October 15, 2019

In the main event of UFC Boston, Chris Weidman is moving up to light heavyweight to take on the undefeated Dominick Reyes. Heading into the fight, Reyes is a -170 favorite while the former middleweight champion is a +140 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The majority think Dominick Reyes will win the fight, but some feel it’s very close.

Tom Taylor - October 15, 2019

At 16 years old, Cody Crowley traveled to Las Vegas and snuck into the World MMA Awards. In the midst of all the excitement and fanfare, the young boxer met UFC President Dana White. Crowley didn’t just pose for a picture with the UFC boss, he pitched him on a TV show.

Tom Taylor - October 12, 2019

Christian Lee is the ONE lightweight champ, but many fans expected him to lose his short-notice fight with Saygid Guseyn “Dagi” Arslanaliev at ONE: Century – Part 1 in Tokyo on Sunday afternoon. Lee happily silenced his doubters by battering Dagi to a unanimous decision victory.

Cole Shelton - October 10, 2019

Max Griffin will return to the Octagon on Saturday against Alex Morono at UFC Tampa. He last fought back in April at UFC 236 and edged out a decision over Zelim Imadaev. For Griffin, the hope was to fight much sooner than this. He was scheduled to fight in summer but the UFC could not find him an opponent.

Tom Taylor - October 10, 2019

Eddie Alvarez has had an interesting run in ONE Championship thus far. After losing his promotional debut at the hands of Timofey Nastyukhin in March, he rebounded with a beautiful, come-from-behind submission defeat of the former champion Eduard Folayang in August. Alvarez was then expected to meet Saygid Guseyn “Dagi” Arslanaliev at ONE: Century in Tokyo this weekend, but was unfortunately forced off the card with an injury.