Exclusive MMA Interviews News
Billy Quarantillo eyes "viral" knockout over "legend" Edson Barboza at UFC Kansas City: "I'm not going in there to milk out a decision"
Cole Shelton - April 11, 2023
Billy Quarantillo is pumped to fight Edson Barboza in the co-main event of UFC Kansas City. After Quarantillo scored a TKO win over Alexander Hernandez back in December, he called out Barboza to be his next opponent. Although the callout garnered a lot of interest from fight fans, he wasn’t sure if the Brazilian veteran would actually accept. But when he found out that the fight was set, he was absolutely pumped.
Brandon Royval expects to "drown" Matheus Nicolau at UFC Kansas City, hopes to serve as backup for flyweight title fight
Cole Shelton - April 11, 2023
Brandon Royval was confident he would be fighting Matheus Nicolau next. After Royval was cleared from his hand injury, he called out both Nicolau and Kai Kara-France as he wanted a top-five opponent. But, once Kara-France told him he was still injured, he turned all of his focus to Nicolau.
Loopy Godinez says UFC 287 fight against Cynthia Calvillo is "just going to be dominating"
Cole Shelton - April 6, 2023
Loopy Godinez is confident she will return to the win column at UFC 287. Godinez is coming off a disappointing decision loss to Angela Hill back in August at UFC San Diego. Since then, Godinez has been waiting to get a fight but admits the time off has been beneficial for her as she was able to really work on holes in her game and improve.
UFC 287 | Pro fighters make their picks for Gilbert Burns vs. Jorge Masvidal
Cole Shelton - April 6, 2023
In the co-main event of UFC 287, an intriguing welterweight scrap goes down as Gilbert Burns takes on Jorge Masvidal. Heading into the fight, Burns is a sizeable -530 favorite while ‘Gamebred’ is a +360 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. To no surprise, the pros believe Burns will get it done by using his wrestling and grappling, but some think Masvidal will be able to get the KO win.
UFC 287 | Pro fighters make their picks for Alex Pereira vs. Israel Adesanya 2 title fight
Cole Shelton - April 5, 2023
In the main event of UFC 287, the middleweight title is up for grabs as Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya have their rematch in MMA. Heading into the fight, Pereira is a +114 underdog while the challenger is a -146 favorite on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The pros have a slight lean towards Adesanya getting the belt back but many think Pereira’s power will be too much for the former champ.
Rob Font plans to "mix it up" and submit Adrian Yanez at UFC 287 to silence his doubters: "I want to get him down and get him out of there"
Cole Shelton - April 4, 2023
Rob Font is excited to remind everyone just how good he is at UFC 287. Font will be making his return to the Octagon for the first time in a year after losing a decision to Marlon Vera. The 35-year-old knew he needed to take some time off absorbing a lot of damage in back-to-back fights with ‘Chito’ and Jose Aldo.
Michelle Waterson-Gomez plans to be "the dominant fighter" against Luana Pinheiro at UFC 287: "I wouldn't say she is a well-rounded fighter"
Cole Shelton - April 4, 2023
Michelle Waterson-Gomez is excited to stay with the UFC. ‘The Karate Hottie’ fought out her previous UFC contract last July, suffering a submission loss to Amanda Lemos. Despite the disappointing setback, the UFC re-signed her to a new eight-fight deal which Waterson-Gomez was obviously excited about.
Daniel Pineda says he will retire from MMA "unless the money is right" after fighting out deal at UFC San Antonio
Cole Shelton - March 31, 2023
Daniel Pineda expected his fight at UFC San Antonio against Tucker Lutz to be his last. Pineda was fighting out his UFC contract last weekend and at 37 years old, he thought retirement was the likely move after the bout. Yet, in the fight, Pineda says it was the best he has felt in quite some time and put on a great performance as he submitted Lutz as a sizeable underdog.
Brendan Loughnane expecting "a high-level technical kickboxing match" against Marlon Moraes at PFL 1: "My pressure will be too much for him"
Cole Shelton - March 30, 2023
Brendan Loughnane was excited when he found out he would be fighting Marlon Moraes in the 2023 PFL season opener. Loughnane is the reigning PFL featherweight champion and is back for season 2023 as he looks to repeat as champion. When Loughnane won the title last year, he said it was surreal as years of hard work had finally paid off.
Marlon Moraes expects to finish Brendan Loughnane at PFL 1 and prove he's still "one of the best in the world"
Cole Shelton - March 29, 2023
Marlon Moraes still believes he can be a world champion. After Moraes lost his fourth fight in a row to Song Yadong, he announced his retirement from MMA. Yet, not even a year later, he unretired and signed with PFL to face Sheymon Moraes last November where he ultimately suffered a third-round knockout loss.
Thiago Santos expecting "fireworks" against Rob Wilkinson at PFL 1 but confident he will finish him: "I can finish anyone, so it's what I'm going to do"
Cole Shelton - March 28, 2023
Thiago Santos is set to make his PFL debut on Saturday against the reigning champion Rob Wilkinson. Santos asked for his UFC release and was granted it so he could sign with the PFL. The news caught many by surprise but at 39 years old, the Brazilian said he wanted a new challenge given he doesn’t have much time left.
Jack Shore "really happy" with his UFC 286 submission win over Makwan Amirkhani, eyes return at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi
Cole Shelton - March 24, 2023
Jack Shore knew he had a ton of pressure on him heading into his fight at UFC 286. Shore was moving up to featherweight after suffering his first career loss to Ricky Simon at bantamweight. After that loss and a knee injury, Shore decided the time was right to make the move to featherweight.
Daniel Pineda frustrated he was suspended for taking Adderall, vows to finish Tucker Lutz on final fight of his deal at UFC San Antonio
Cole Shelton - March 23, 2023
Daniel Pineda doesn’t understand why he was suspended for taking Adderall which was prescribed by his doctor. After Pineda fought Andre Fili at UFC Vegas 30 in June of 2021, he was notified he was flagged for a positive drug test and would be suspended. Yet, Pineda wasn’t sure why he was getting suspended as he told the commission that he took Adderall which is prescribed to him, and the commission didn’t say anything about it.
Pro fighters make their picks for Marlon Vera vs. Cory Sandhagen
Cole Shelton - March 22, 2023
In the main event of UFC San Antonio, a banger of a bantamweight bout goes down as Marlon Vera takes on Cory Sandhagen. Heading into the fight, Vera is a +145 underdog while the American is a -175 favorite. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The pros slightly lean towards Sandhagen winning as he will be more active on the feet to get a decision.
Steven Peterson explains why he didn't want to fight in Texas, vows to finish Lucas Alexander in the first round at UFC San Antonio
Cole Shelton - March 21, 2023
Steven Peterson didn’t think he would ever fight in Texas again. After Peterson had a controversial decision loss to Alex Caceres in San Antonio in 2019, he vowed he would never fight in his home state of Texas again. The Fortis MMA fighter felt as if he was robbed by the commission but after not fighting since February of last year, he took an offer to fight in Texas because he wanted to be active.
Mario Bautista wants "firefight" with Cody Garbrandt after submission win over Guido Cannetti: "I think I could bring his wild style out"
Cole Shelton - March 17, 2023
Mario Bautista knew he would be able to finish Guido Cannetti early at UFC Las Vegas. After Bautista submitted Benito Lopez in the first round, he wasn’t sure what would be next for him but was surprised when he was offered Cannetti. Although it wasn’t the fight he was hoping for, Bautista knew he had to make a statement and finish Cannetti early.
UFC 286 | Pro fighters make their picks for Justin Gaethje vs. Rafael Fiziev
Cole Shelton - March 16, 2023
In the co-main event of UFC 286, a banger of a lightweight bout takes place as Justin Gaethje takes on Rafael Fiziev. Heading into the fight, Gaethje is a +190 underdog while Fiziev is a -225 favorite. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The pros slightly lean towards the underdog in Gaethje getting his hand raised. But, all the fighters are expecting it to be a very entertaining scrap for however long it lasts.
Davey Grant believes ref standing him and Raphael Assuncao up was fair but understands why his team was mad: "I was just squeezing for dear life"
Cole Shelton - March 15, 2023
Davey Grant knew Raphael Assuncao would be a tough out at UFC Las Vegas but admits it was a harder fight than he thought. Grant knew Assuncao was a good wrestler but the Brit was confident he would have his way on the feet and eventually get the KO. But, after ten minutes that wasn’t the case as Assuncao had won both rounds.