Exclusive MMA Interviews News

Alfredo Zullino - October 9, 2019

2019 hasn’t been a great year for MMA in Italy, as most of the Italian fighters signed to the biggest international promotions haven’t been able to bring victories home. Of a total of 22 fights, Italian athletes have only won 6 of them. One of those winners was Mauro Cerilli (13-3; 1-1 ONE 1-1), former Cage Warriors heavyweight title-holder and current ONE Championship heavyweight contender.

Cole Shelton - October 8, 2019

Eryk Anders is back to middleweight following a brief stint at light heavyweight. When he makes his return to 185 pounds at UFC Tampa this Saturday, Gerald Meerschaert will be standing across from him. Although Anders is coming off of a knockout win at light heavyweight last time out, he has a simple reason for moving back to middleweight.

Tom Taylor - October 7, 2019

For a time, Jimi Manuwa and Daniel Cormier were heated rivals in the UFC light heavyweight division. Regrettably, the pair never got the chance to share the cage and likely never will, as Manuwa has since retired, and Cormier has hiked up to the heavyweight division. Much of Cormier’s time in the heavyweight division has been consumed by a rivalry with Stipe Miocic. The pair are tied 1-1 across two previous title fights, with Cormier winning the first encounter by first-round knockout, and Miocic winning the rematch, which occurred at UFC 241 in August, by fourth-round TKO.

Cole Shelton - October 7, 2019

Michelle Waterson is calling it the biggest fight of her career. In the main event of UFC Tampa, she is taking on former UFC strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk, and the winner could very well be getting the next title shot.

Tom Taylor - October 3, 2019

Arjan Bhullar was expected to make his ONE Championship debut against Mauro Cerilli back in August. Unfortunately, this plan was nixed at the very last minute when Cerilli was forced out of the contest with a medical issue. Luckily, this cloud turned out to have a silver lining.

Cole Shelton - October 3, 2019

In the main event of UFC 243, Robert Whittaker is looking to defend his middleweight title against the interim champion, Israel Adesanya. Heading into this fight, the champion is a -110 underdog while “The Last Stylebender” is a -120 favorite. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. As the odds suggest, the pros truly believe it is a pick’em fight, but the majority believe Robert Whittaker gets it done.

Tom Taylor - October 2, 2019

ONE heavyweight champ Brandon Vera has been dreaming of becoming a two-division titleholder since his days in the UFC. At ONE: Century – Part 2, scheduled for October 13 in Tokyo, he’ll have the chance to make that dream come true when he challenges Aung La N Sang for the ONE light heavyweight strap. Vera says he’s feeling better than ever as this career-defining challenge draws closer.

Cole Shelton - October 2, 2019

Gilbert Burns is now 2-0 since returning to the UFC welterweight division. First, the former lightweight contender took a short notice welterweight bout against undefeated Alexey Kunchenko and handed him his first loss. A month and a half later, he took another short-notice fight, this time against fellow grappler Gunnar Nelson. He once again got his hand raised.

Tom Taylor - October 2, 2019

Jimi Manuwa is feeling the itch to fight again, but he’s not sure if it’s an itch he should scratch. The long-time UFC light heavyweight contender retired in early June, days after an undeniably brutal knockout loss to Aleksandar Rakić. He did so with his health in mind, but admits the urge to dust off his gloves often out-muscles the concern that led him to retire in the first place.

Cole Shelton - October 1, 2019

Robert Whittaker’s longtime jiu-jitsu coach Alex Prates recently said his pupil is a better version of Georges St-Pierre. “Maybe you’ll see Robert Whittaker using a style that I think is the one that suits him better but he never really needed it because it was always comfortable for him on the feet for most of his fights,” Prates told MMA Fighting, discussing Whittaker’s looming showdown with Israel Adesanya. “With Yoel Romero, for example, it would have been stupid to try to take him down. But Robert has great wrestling and great timing. I honestly think Robert is a better version of GSP. And we might see this now.”

Tom Taylor - October 1, 2019

Danny Kingad, a staple of Team Lakay in Baguio City, Philippines, is gearing up for the biggest fight of his life. At ONE: Century Part 1 on October 13 in Tokyo — the evening of Saturday, October 12 in North America — he’ll step into the cage with former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson. A few years ago, when Johnson was ruling over the UFC flyweight division, this is a matchup that seemed impossible to Kingad.

Cole Shelton - September 30, 2019

Robert Whittaker sees a clear path to victory against Israel Adesanya and it is not by using his wrestling as some would expect. At UFC 243, the UFC middleweight champion will return to the Octagon for the first time since June of 2018. He will make his return against the interim champ in Adesanya. It is a highly anticipated fight between an Australian and a Kiwi in Adesanya, and it’s being billed as the biggest fight in Oceanic history.

Tom Taylor - September 26, 2019

When Eddie Alvarez was forced out of his ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix final showdown with Saygid Guseyn “Dagi” Arslanaliev, ONE Championship began a frantic search for a replacement opponent. In the end, it was ONE Lightweight World Champion Christian Lee who stepped up. Lee will now fight Dagi on the main card of ONE: Century – Part 1. Stateside, the card will air on Saturday, October 12 at 11:00pm ET on TNT.

Tom Taylor - September 26, 2019

ONE Championship is plotting an expansion into the United States, and Demetrious Johnson is more than willing to be a part of those plans. Johnson, who will have fought twice in Tokyo and once in Manila by year’s end, discussed a potential return to US soil in a recent interview with BJPENN.com. He says he’s particularly interested in fighting in Hawaii, home to ONE Championship stars Christian and Angela Lee, and the perceived frontrunner for ONE’s US debut.

Tom Taylor - September 26, 2019

Dwayne Johnson, better known as “The Rock,” is a big MMA fan. The pro wrestling legend and Hollywood actor often rubs shoulders with the stars of the fight game, such as current ONE Championship heavyweight kingpin Brandon Vera. The Rock and Vera recently sat down to discuss a number of topics, including The Rock’s latest film project Hobbs & Shaw, and Vera’s upcoming title fight with ONE Light Heavyweight Champion Aung La N Sang.

Cole Shelton - September 26, 2019

Bellator is back in Inglewood, California this Saturday night for a stacked Bellator 228 card. It features four Bellator Featherweight Grand Prix fights, and in the co-main event, a pivotal middleweight bout as Gegard Mousasi takes on Lyoto Machida in a rematch of their 2014 fight in the UFC. Heading into the tilt, Mousasi is a -300 favorite while the former UFC champ is a +230 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. Surprisingly, the pros are unanimous on this one.

Cole Shelton - September 25, 2019

Gilbert Burns is once again taking a welterweight short notice fight. Back in August, the Brazilian stepped up and took on Alexey Kunchenko and handed him his first loss. Now, on Saturday, at UFC Copenhagen, Burns will take on Gunnar Nelson having had just a week and a half to prepare.

Tom Taylor - September 24, 2019

Long before Aung La N Sang became a professional fighter, he worked as a professional beekeeper. Surprisingly, there are a number similarities between these two gigs.