Exclusive MMA Interviews News

Mike Pendleton - September 14, 2018

Chicago is known for some pretty famous athletes. Names like Michael Jordan, Walter Payton, Frank Thomas, Paul Konerko, Sammy Sosa, Anthony Rizzo, and so many others have been engraved in the city’s sports history, but what about the female athletes? What about MMA fighters from Chicago? While there are a few climbing up the ranks like Curtis Blaydes, Jose Shorty Torres, and Ricardo Lamas, there has yet to be a female athlete, let alone a female fighter, to put Chicago on her back and show what she is all about. Pearl Gonzalez has been in the UFC before and although her first run in the promotion didn’t work out the way she hoped, like many from “The Windy City” she stayed fighting and is making the most of her second opportunity. Gonzalez’s mindset and attitude that makes her the woman and fighter she is today can all trace back to her Chicago roots, she told BJPENN.COM in an exclusive interview.

Cole Shelton - September 14, 2018

One of the big headlines in the MMA world this morning was that Antonio Carlos Junior is out of his UFC 231 matchup against Elias Theodorou. The first replacement matchup that comes to mind with Carlos Junior on the bench is Eryk Anders vs. Theodorou, given that Anders called out Theodorou after his UFC Fight Night 135 knockout win over Tim Williams. Why Anders wants to fight Theodorou so badly is for one reason and one reason only.

Tom Taylor - September 14, 2018

Former UFC lightweight and welterweight champion BJ Penn is going to fight again. The UFC Hall of Famer is set to return to the cage at UFC 232 on December 29 in Las Vegas, where he will battle BJJ whiz Ryan Hall. For Penn, who is known for his world class grappling, this is a very interesting matchup, and one that he hopes will excite his legions of dedicated fans.

Drake Riggs - September 13, 2018

Two of the MMA world’s biggest personalities reside in the welterweight division and it was only a matter of time until they got on each other’s minds.

Tom Taylor - September 6, 2018

On October 6, on the main card of the blockbuster UFC 229 card, surging light heavyweight contender Dominick Reyes will take on the biggest test of his career in former interim title challenge Ovince Saint Preux. While Dominick Reyes harbors no ill will against his opponent, he’s hoping to make a real statement in this fight and propel himself into the uppermost reaches of the light heavyweight rankings.

Tom Taylor - September 6, 2018

By now you’ve surely heard that UFC welterweight contender Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone has parted ways with his former gym, JacksonWink MMA. Cerrone announced his departure from the gym — which has been anything but amicable — on a recent episode of the Joe Rogan Experience MMA Show. He cited a growing distaste for JacksonWink coach Mike Winkeljohn and the gym’s choice to train his upcoming opponent Mike Perry as reasons. Speaking on the latest episode of BJPENN.COM Radio, long-time JacksonWink fighter Leonard Garcia, who also happens to be a close friend of Donald Cerrone, gave his take on this very public falling out.

Tom Taylor - September 6, 2018

Last week, former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones stated that he hopes to fight his arch rival Daniel Cormier twice more before they both hang up the gloves for good. In the opinion of Daniel Cormier’s head coach Javier Mendez, however, Cormier does not need to fight Jones again. Having captured the light heavyweight and heavyweight titles, his legacy is already secure — even without settling his score with Jones.

Tom Taylor - September 6, 2018

Leonard Garcia, a veteran of the UFC and WEC featherweight divisions, is planning to end his retirement. The all-action veteran is plotting a move to the growing sport of bareknuckle fighting, where he will compete under the Bareknuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) banner. Spoke to @badboygarcia on @bjpennradio last night and he told me that he's coming out of retirement to compete in @bareknucklefc early next year!! More coming to @bjpenndotcom soon. #TheFightersVoicehttps://t.co/HQVRFz43lu

Tom Taylor - September 3, 2018

As the home of current and former champions like Daniel Cormier, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Cain Velasquez and Luke Rockhold, American Kickboxing Academy is one of the very best MMA gyms in the world. It might even be the best in the world outright. If there has ever been a reason to knock the gym, however, it’s that, for a time, their fighters just couldn’t seem to stay healthy. On multiple occasions in the past, AKA’s top stars have been forced out of massive fights with injuries — oftentimes at the very last minute. This trend, unsurprisingly, did not go over well with fight fans, who understandably wanted to see AKA’s top dogs in action.

Tom Taylor - September 3, 2018

For many years, Luke Rockhold was one of the most visible and successful fighters training out of American Kickboxing Academy, and a crucial training partner to both Daniel Cormier and Cain Velasquez. Over the last year or so, however, Rockhold has done much of his training elsewhere. The former middleweight champion even did some training at Combat Club in Florida at a time when Volkan Oezdemir was using the gym to prepare for a fight with Cormier. All the same, you will not be hearing of any drama between Luke Rockhold and American Kickboxing Academy.

Tom Taylor - September 3, 2018

On the main card of UFC 229, which goes down on October 6 in Las Vegas, Nevada, surging UFC light heavyweight contender Dominick Reyes will take on the biggest test of his impressive career thus far as he battles former interim title challenger Ovince Saint Preux. Later on the same card, former UFC lightweight and featherweight champion Conor McGregor will make his long-awaited return to the cage as he attempts to reclaim the lightweight belt from reigning champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. If there is one thing Conor McGregor is known for, it’s his thunderous left hand. The Irish MMA star has put countless men down with this punch, and will seek to do the same against Nurmagomedov.

Tom Taylor - September 3, 2018

On November 24, in the main event of UFC Beijing, surging UFC heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes will attempt to avenge the only loss his career, as he battles former title challenger Francis Ngannou. Since their first fight, which went down in April of 2013, both Curtis Blaydes and Francis Ngannou have realized mountainous success in the perilous UFC heavyweight division. More recently, however, Blaydes has emerged as a bona fide title contender, while Ngannou has slipped into a bit of a rough patch.

Chris Taylor - September 1, 2018

UFC welterweight standout Stephen Thompson is in the midst of recovering from recent knee surgery. The former two-time UFC welterweight title challenger was recently rumored to be fighting former division champion Robbie Lawler this January on ESPN. However, according to “Wonderboy” a fight with “Ruthless” is far from a done deal.

Chris Taylor - September 1, 2018

Former two-time UFC welterweight title challenger Stephen Thompson has been eyeing a fight with former division champion Robbie Lawler for quite some time. Unfortunately for “Wonderboy” and fight fans alike, the promotion has yet to book a scrap between himself and the “Ruthless One”.

Chris Taylor - September 1, 2018

Former two-time UFC welterweight title challenger Stephen Thompson suffered a controversial decision loss to Darren Till this past May in Liverpool. The loss did not sit well with “Wonderboy”, especially due to the fact that Darren Till missed weight by a large margin (3.5 pounds) for their marquee fight.

Tom Taylor - August 24, 2018

On November 10, on the main card of UFC Denver, “Platinum” Mike Perry will collide with Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone in a welterweight matchup that has fight fans drooling. Interestingly, the pair were briefly linked to a fight back in July. At the time, Perry was booked for a UFC 226 fight with Yancy Medeiros. When Medeiros withdrew from the fight with an injury, Cowboy was briefly discussed as a replacement opponent. 

Tom Taylor - August 23, 2018

For a time, it looked as though Mike Perry and Darren Till would become arch rivals in the UFC welterweight division. After their initial trash talk and callouts, however, the pair developed a mutual respect for one another. In the buildup to UFC 227 in early August, both Mike Perry and Darren Till were in Los Angeles for the UFC’s 25th Anniversary press conference. While in Los Angeles, the two welterweights were able to get some face time in. It was during this time that Perry famously asked Till to spar. Till initially agreed, thinking that Perry had invited him to the spa, but was no less on board when he realized that Perry had actually invited him to a sparring session.

Drake Riggs - August 22, 2018

When two fighters train under the same roof are set to fight each other, there can often be some drama to follow. And this isn’t the first time we’ve seen that.