Exclusive MMA Interviews News

Mike Straus - December 20, 2018

Jason Parillo is one of the most accomplished boxing coaches in the sport of mixed martial arts. He will be in Cris ‘Cyborg’ Justino‘s corner at UFC 232 for the biggest fight of her career. Parillo has worked with some of the best MMA fighters of this generation. Cyborg, BJ Penn, Tito Ortiz, and Michael Bisping just to name a few. Still, Parillo doesn’t seek out athletes to work with, that just doesn’t jive with his sensibility.

Cole Shelton - December 20, 2018

UFC featherweight champion Cris Cyborg will battle arguably her toughest opponent to date when UFC bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes moves up in weight to challenge her in the co-main event of UFC 232 on December 29. Cyborg has been the UFC’s featherweight champion since 2017 and hasn’t lost since her very first pro fight in 2005. She has been a seemingly unstoppable force for more than a decade, but many fans believe Nunes could be the woman to finally defeat her.

Tom Taylor - December 19, 2018

It took the UFC a long time to find a main event for UFC 230, which went down on November 3 in New York City. One of the options that was on the table before the promotion landed on the card’s eventual Daniel Cormier vs. Derrick Lewis headliner was a welterweight scrap between Colby Covington and Nick Diaz. Unfortunately for the fans, however, this fight never came to fruition.

Cole Shelton - December 19, 2018

Matt Brown has been in the UFC since 2008. He has also fought at least once a year every year since 2005. However, in 2018 that streak ended when Brown, unfortunately, was dealing with some injuries that kept him from competing inside the Octagon. He tore his ACL earlier this year when he was preparing for a fight against Carlos Condit.

Tom Taylor - December 18, 2018

At long last, Valentina Shevchenko has captured the thing she’s been chasing: The UFC flyweight belt. Shevchenko earned this title with a dominant decision victory over former UFC strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 231 earlier this month. Looking back on the fight, Valentina Shevchenko says she’s pleased not only with her own performance, but with Jedrzejczyk’s. She believes that, together, they showcased the true art of fighting.

Cole Shelton - December 17, 2018

Geoff Neal may very well have earned the 2018 Knockout of the Year honors with his UFC 228 head-kick knockout of Frank Camacho, but he’s not resting on his laurels. On January 19, when the UFC debuts on ESPN+ in Brooklyn, New York, Neal will take a big step up in competition as he battles Belal Muhammad. Muhammad is currently 14-2 as a professional, and there is no question that this will be Neal’s toughest fight to date.

Tom Taylor - December 17, 2018

UFC welterweight star Colby Covington has long flirted with the idea of a move to the WWE ring, but these days, when he’s having an increasingly difficult time getting his long-desired title fight with Tyron Woodley, he’s finding a move to the pro wrestling world more appealing than ever. He’s spoken to his training partner Bobby Lashley, as well as other WWE stars like Ronda Rousey and Paul Heyman, and he’s heard that the organization treats its athletes with great respect.

Tom Taylor - December 17, 2018

Colby Covington and Tyron Woodley are the two halves of arguably the most heated rivalry in MMA today. The two top welterweights, who used to share a training space at American Top Team, are now sworn enemies. Yet there is one thing they can agree on: they want to fight each other next. Covington and Woodley’s mutual desire to be locked in the cage together is particularly pertinent lately, given that the UFC has recently moved to give Kamaru Usman the next shot at Woodley’s title. Usman has even received a bout agreement for the fight.

Thomas Taylor - December 14, 2018

On November 9, UFC veteran Isaac Vallie-Flagg stepped into the ring to battle Cory Simpson on the undercard of the debut event from World Bare Knuckle Fighting Federation (WBKFF). Vallie-Flagg won this fight by second-round TKO, and absolutely loved the experienced of fighting sans gloves.  Unfortunately, he still hasn’t been paid for his work.

Cole Shelton - December 14, 2018

When UFC veteran Damien Brown steps into the RIZIN ring with Daron Cruickshank at RIZIN 14 in Tokyo, Japan, on New Years Eve, he’ll be crossing an item off his bucket list. The Australian lightweight has long been interested in fighting for RIZIN in Japan, and on this card that also features massive names like Floyd Mayweather Jr., Tenshin Nasukawa, Kyoji Horiguchi, and Darrion Caldwell, the timing couldn’t be better.

Tom Taylor - December 14, 2018

Alberto Del Rio is perhaps best known for his stints in the WWE ring, but the former pro wrestler has also had quite a bit of success in the martial arts arena. Between 2001 and 2010, Del Rio carved out a solid 9-5 record in promotions like PRIDE and DEEP, battling reputable names like Brad Kohler, Kazuhiro Nakamura, and even Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic.

Cole Shelton - December 13, 2018

Sodiq Yusuff’s UFC debut was supposed to be an enjoyable time for him. He worked his entire life to get the pinnacle of the sport and was being flown out to Australia to fight at UFC Adelaide. However, Yusuff found out his brother had passed away a week before his UFC debut. Yet even in the midst of this heartbreaking news, Yusuff never thought about dropping out of the fight and going back home. Instead, he was focused on the fight and making his childhood dreams come true.

Mike Pendleton - December 12, 2018

After getting a UFC contract following his win on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series over Shawn Teed in July, heavyweight Juan Adams is finally ready to make his official UFC debut. Adams will face Chris De La Rocha at UFC on FOX 31 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin this Saturday and he has set some high goals for himself in his UFC debut. ‘The Kraken’ Juan Adams spoke about making his promotional debut, wanting to send his opponent into retirement, and extending a personal streak of his.

Cole Shelton - December 12, 2018

English MMA veteran Brad Pickett spent many years as a WEC and UFC bantamweight contender before retiring in 2017. During the height of his career, when the UFC was still owned by Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta, there was much less of a focus on the “money fights” and “super fights” we hear so much about today. Instead, fighters generally had to earn their title shots and big paydays the old fashioned way: with wins. That’s the way Brad Pickett liked it. He didn’t need to trash talk to gain fans or move up the rankings. All he needed to do was win.

Tom Taylor - December 12, 2018

Former UFC and Bellator lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez will be welcomed to ONE Championship in the most exciting way possible, as he’s set to compete in the promotion’s anticipated Lightweight Grand Prix in 2019. The details of this Lightweight Grand Prix are still somewhat scarce, yet Alvarez believes the first round of the tournament will occur in March 31, when ONE Championship makes its anticipated debut in Tokyo, Japan.

Cole Shelton - December 11, 2018

Ricky Bandejas has his next fight booked. The former CFFC interim bantamweight champion will return on January 26 at Bellator 214 against top contender Juan Archuleta. Bandejas confirmed the news with BJPENN.com after an initial report by FloCombat.

Cole Shelton - December 10, 2018

After a long career as a WEC and UFC bantamweight contender, Brad Pickett retired in 2017 and is now focusing on coaching and managing fighters. Picket always knew he would get into coaching. While he was a UFC fighter he loved helping out the younger fighters improve and show them what it takes to make it to the UFC. Although he was helping the fighters back then, he says it’s been different to focus exclusively on coaching.

Mike Straus - December 10, 2018

Originally not scheduled to compete this weekend, Milwaukee’s own Zak Ottow is beyond excited to be fighting on the historical UFC on FOX 31 card. The UFC is returning to Milwaukee for the first time since 2013. Despite lobbying for the Octagon to return, Ottow wasn’t apart of the UFC’s original fight night line up. However, it pays to stay ready as “The Barbarian” explains.