Exclusive MMA Interviews News
Davey Grant eyes KO win over Raphael Assuncao at UFC Las Vegas to earn a spot in the rankings: "I'm here for exciting fights"
Cole Shelton - March 7, 2023
Davey Grant thought he would’ve been fighting a lot sooner. After Grant scored a third-round KO win over Louis Smolka last May, he thought he would get at least another two fights in 2022. Yet, for whatever reason, Grant did not get another fight offer until he was called to step in on short notice against Raphael Assuncao at UFC Las Vegas.
Bruce Buffer admits Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler coaching TUF will make him a viewer again: "It's going to be exciting"
Cole Shelton - March 3, 2023
Bruce Buffer was ecstatic when he heard that Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler would be the coaches of TUF 31. McGregor and Chandler are set to coach TUF 31 and fight later this year in a massive fight for the sport. It will also bring new eyeballs to TUF, including Buffer who admits he hasn’t watched TUF in a bit but will be tuned into every episode to see what happens.
David Kozma aims to regain his OKTAGON MMA welterweight strap in the Tipsport Gamechanger tournament
Zain Bando - March 2, 2023
David Kozma aims to regain his OKTAGON MMA welterweight strap starting Saturday night, as he will be competing in the Tipsport Gamechanger tournament on March 4. The 30-12 Czech Republican is looking to bounce back from his one-thousand-plus day reign as champion, as he’ll take on Łukasz Siwiec (8-1) in his first bout of 2023. Ahead of his fight, BJPenn.com‘s Zain Bando spoke with “Pink Panther” about his future goals and a potential dream fight later in his career.
Mana Martinez confident he will be "too quick and too strong" for Cameron Saaiman at UFC 285: "Come March 4, we can call it a derailing of a hype train"
Cole Shelton - March 2, 2023
Mana Martinez was happy when he was offered to fight Cameron Saaiman at UFC 285. When Saaiman won on the Contender Series, Dana White declared him the future of the division. Then, the South African cruised to a stoppage win in his debut and will now take on Martinez at UFC 285 who expects to be too much of a veteran for him.
Bruce Buffer explains what happened when the New York State Athletic Commission was changing the scorecard in the Octagon at UFC 281: "That is probably a mistake on their part"
Cole Shelton - March 1, 2023
Bruce Buffer didn’t know what to think when the New York State Athletic Commission was changing the scorecard in the Octagon at UFC 281. Before the scorecard between Karolina Kowalkiewicz and Silvana Gomez Juarez was read, the commission came into the Octagon to change the score in front of everybody. According to Buffer, he says he couldn’t read the score so told the commission to write it better, but instead of writing it in private, they changed it while inside the Octagon cage.
Bruce Buffer excited to see Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane at UFC 285, believes 'Bones' is the "GOAT"
Cole Shelton - March 1, 2023
Bruce Buffer always thought Jon Jones would fight again. After Jones vacated his light heavyweight title after his win over Dominick Reyes in February 2020, he said the plan was to make his heavyweight debut. However, three years went by without him fighting, but Buffer always expected him back.
UFC 285 | Pro fighters make their picks for Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane title fight
Cole Shelton - March 1, 2023
In the main event of UFC 285, Jon Jones is set to end his three-year-long layoff against Ciryl Gane for the vacant heavyweight title. Heading into the fight, Jones is a -166 favorite while the Frenchman is a +130 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The pros are nearly unanimous in thinking Jones uses his wrestling to win the fight and become the heavyweight champ.
Jalin Turner expects Mateusz Gamrot to try and wrestle him "a lot more now than he ever has" at UFC 285: "I see myself finishing him"
Cole Shelton - February 28, 2023
Jalin Turner thought he was going to have to fight an unranked opponent at UFC 285. Turner was supposed to take on Dan Hooker but about a month out, the Kiwi was forced to withdraw from the scrap due to a broken hand. After Hooker was forced out, Turner thought he was going to have to fight someone unranked and was surprised when seventh-ranked Mateusz Gamrot stepped up on short notice.
Bruce Buffer believes he has another 10 years of being the voice of the Octagon, but explains when he knows it will be time to retire
Cole Shelton - February 28, 2023
Bruce Buffer doesn’t plan to retire anytime soon. Buffer first worked for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, at UFC 8 in 1996, and 27 years later, he is still the voice of the Octagon. Although in 1996, the UFC was not as big as it is now, he says he pushed to get the job as he had a feeling the UFC could become the biggest thing in sports.
Tyron Woodley shares what he thinks is the best performance of his career
Cole Shelton - February 27, 2023
Tyron Woodley thinks two fights stand out as the best performances of his career, but one more than the other. Woodley is the former UFC welterweight champion and defended his title three times and had great wins over Darren Till and Robbie Lawler to win the belt. Woodley says those two performances were the best of his career, but he says the win over Till was his best because it was clear the UFC wanted the Brit to win.
Alexander Hernandez plans to return to featherweight after win over Jim Miller, says he needed to figure out "why" he was fighting
Cole Shelton - February 24, 2023
Alexander Hernandez had to figure out why he was fighting. Hernandez broke into the UFC with an upset KO win over Beneil Dariush on short-notice. After the win, Hernandez was thrown into the deep end and has since had many ups and downs. Yet, after losing two in a row in 2022, he said he needed self-redemption, so he decided to step up on short notice to face Jim Miller at UFC Vegas 69.
Josh Watson doubts Greg Hardy will fight in BKFC again, expects to face Ben Rothwell after KO win
Cole Shelton - February 24, 2023
Josh Watson figured Greg Hardy would overlook him at KnuckleMania 3. Hardy was making his BKFC debut against Watson who was 1-1 in the sans gloves promotion. When Watson was offered Hardy he was surprised, but was excited about the matchup. Yet, he knew he was likely picked because BKFC thought he would lose to Hardy.
Jasmine Jasudavicius hopes to rebook Cortney Casey fight after UFC Vegas 70, focused on just beating Gabriella Fernandes not a 50k bonus
Cole Shelton - February 23, 2023
Jasmine Jasudavicius was disappointed when Cortney Casey withdrew from their UFC Vegas 70 fight. Jasudavicius was set to face Casey this Saturday, but the veteran was forced to withdraw from the contest and was replaced by UFC newcomer Gabriella Fernandes. The news though was disappointing as the Canadian was eager to fight a well-known veteran.
Tyron Woodley claims Tommy Fury is comparable to Nate Robinson in terms of difficulty for Jake Paul: "Every other fighter, in my opinion, is tougher than Tommy"
Cole Shelton - February 23, 2023
Tyron Woodley doesn’t think Jake Paul vs. Tommy Fury will be competitive. Paul and Fury are set to headline an ESPN Top Rank pay-per-view on Sunday in Saudi Arabia. It’s a fight both men have wanted and after it was booked twice previously but both times Fury pulled out but it will finally happen on Sunday.
Austin Trout responds to Diego Sanchez claims he cheated, eyes BKFC title shot: "I went and looked into BKFC's rules on vaseline and there is nothing"
Cole Shelton - February 23, 2023
Austin Trout wasn’t too surprised by how easily he was able to defeat Diego Sanchez at KnuckleMania 3. Trout is the former WBA super middleweight boxing champion and is currently a fight or two away from fighting for the belt again. Yet, he surprised many when he signed with BKFC and made his debut against Diego Sanchez at KnuckleMania 3.
Jordan Leavitt expects to "surprise a lot of people" at UFC Vegas 70 against Victor Martinez: "I think this fight will be a little bit more gritty than I would prefer"
Cole Shelton - February 22, 2023
Jordan Leavitt thought he would be fighting a lot sooner. Leavitt last competed back in July at UFC London as he took on Paddy Pimblett. It was a big opportunity for Leavitt but he suffered a submission loss. Yet, even though he lost, he says he learned a lot from that fight.
Alan Belcher expects to KO Arnold Adams "early" to win BKFC heavyweight title, believes Ben Rothwell could be his first title defense
Cole Shelton - February 22, 2023
Alan Belcher is confident he will become the BKFC heavyweight champion on Friday in Louisiana at BKFC 36. Belcher is set to take on Arnold Adams for the heavyweight title in an intriguing matchup. Since signing with BKFC, Belcher is 3-0 and coming off a first-round knockout win over Frank Tate. After the win, he thought a title shot would be next, but was okay if he had to fight again.
Tyron Woodley interested in facing Jake Paul in PFL, blasts people for saying he took a dive: "If you stand still and let someone punch you as hard as they can, you can die!"
Cole Shelton - February 21, 2023
Tyron Woodley believes he and Jake Paul could fight again, but this time in MMA. Woodley made his boxing debut against Paul in August of 2021, with Jake winning a split decision in a fight the former UFC champion thought he won. The two then rematched a few months later in December but this time around, it was Paul winning by KO.