Exclusive MMA Interviews News
Colby Covington plans to embarrass Dong Hyun Kim, then take on a top-5 foe
Tom Taylor - May 18, 2017
On June 17, Colby Covington will step into the Octagon in far-off Singapore, where he will battle South Korean star Dong Hyun Kim in the starkest test of his career thus far. Despite the scale of this test, the American Top Team staple is confident he can beat Kim decisively. Covington broke down this high-stakes showdown on the latest episode of BJ Penn Radio:
James Vick: "I would murder Eddie Alvarez, I don't think that fight would even be close"
Tom Taylor - May 18, 2017
Last weekend, on the undercard of UFC 211, dangerous lightweight talent James Vick picked up a gorgeous first-round TKO win over the durable Polo Reyes. With this win, he built on the momentum of a recent D’Arce choke defeat of Abel Trujillo, further separated himself from a loss to Beneil Dariush, and reestablished himself as a definite fighter to watch in the perilous UFC lightweight division. In the wake of this impressive defeat of Reyes, Vick made a clever callout of Kevin Less and Michael Chiesa, who will fight in the main event of the UFC’s upcoming trip to Oklahoma City. Naturally, Vick would love to fight the winner of this contest, but he also suggested he’d be willing to step into the fight on short notice, should one party get injured.
Volkan Oezdemir discusses his rapid rise from relative unknown to top-5 light heavyweight
Tom Taylor - May 18, 2017
Volkan Oezdemir’s story is a wild one. At the end of 2016, the Swiss light heavyweight was a relative unknown, flying under the radar of all but the most hardcore MMA fans. In early February of 2017, he defeated recent interim title challenger Ovince St. Preux by split decision in a short notice fight, usurping the number-five spot in the UFC light heavyweight rankings as a result. His was an unprecedented leap from relative obscurity into UFC light heavyweight title contention.
Barring injury, there's only one thing that would stop Jorge Masvidal from fighting Tyron Woodley this July
Tom Taylor - May 11, 2017
This Saturday, on the main card of a blockbuster UFC 211, Jorge Masvidal will battle Demian Maia in what appears to be a welterweight number one contender fight. If Masvidal wins this fight and earns a title shot, of course, his title shot would pit him against an old friend and training partner in Tyron Woodley. On a recent interview on BJ Penn Radio, Masvidal explained that, while fighting a former teammate for the title is not ideal, he’s prepared to do so if that’s what it comes to. During his segment on the show, Masvidal was also asked if he’d be willing to fight Woodley as soon as July. The champ, after all, been calling for a July title defense, but has had a difficult time finding a suitable opponent.
Jorge Masvidal is not a fan of Bisping, will "break his face" if he feels disrespected in person
Tom Taylor - May 11, 2017
Earlier this month, headlines began to surface surrounding a small beef between streaking welterweight contender Jorge Masvidal and UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping. This beef stemmed from Masvidal’s reluctance to appear on Bisping’s podcast, Believe You Me. On Wednesday’s edition of BJ Penn Radio, Masvidal explained that this beef was a bit overblown, but that he does have a hard time respecting the middleweight champ. He also said that he’d have no problem getting physical with Bisping if he ever felt he was being disrespected in person.
Jorge Masvidal on Demian Maia: I think I'm better than him in MMA grappling
Tom Taylor - May 11, 2017
This weekend, on the main card of the stacked UFC 211, welterweight star Jorge Masvidal will face one of the trickiest tests of his career in Demian Maia, a man widely considered the welterweight division’s number one contender. Maia’s strengths, of course, are no secret. The Brazilian is one of the best grapplers in MMA, if not the best outright. Despite Maia’s incredible skill on the mat, however, Masvidal is not particularly panicked about any prospective grappling exchanges with him. In fact, he believes he’s the better MMA grappler overall. The Cuban-American contender made this claim on Wednesday’s edition of BJ Penn Radio.
Yoel Romero reacts to Georges St-Pierre's announcement, says he is ready to fight under the right conditions
Chris Taylor - May 8, 2017
Last week former UFC welterweight kingpin Georges St-Pierre took to Twitter where he announced that he would be ready to fight Michael Bisping for the UFC middleweight championship any time after October. The news was not well received by most fellow fighters on the UFC’s middleweight roster, or fans and media for that matter, as the planned “super-fight” was initially slated to occur at this summer’s UFC 213 event on July 8 in Las Vegas.
Michael Johnson says his lightweight peers are avoiding tough fights, too focused on 'money fights'
Tom Taylor - May 7, 2017
Top-10 UFC lightweight Michael Johnson has not been seen in the Octagon since November of 2016, when he succumbed to a third-round submission dealt by undefeated Dagestani star Khabib Nurmagomedov. This, however, is not for lack of trying. Having recovered from his loss to Nurmagomedov, Johnson has been eager for a return to the cage for some time. Unfortunately, he’s had a very difficult time finding a willing dance partner. On the latest edition of BJ Penn Radio, Johnson explained that he believes this is because many of the UFC’s top lightweights are reluctant to take tough fights.
Michael Johnson discusses the absences of Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov
Tom Taylor - May 4, 2017
The lightweight division is one of the most stacked divisions in the UFC. That said, things are a little chaotic in the division at the moment, as champ Conor McGregor is pursuing a boxing match with Floyd Mayweather, top contender Khabib Nurmagomedov has been sidelined with illness and religious obligations, and the fan favorite Nate Diaz has no plans to fight. On Wednesday’s edition of BJ Penn Radio, dangerous lightweight contender Michael Johnson weighed in on the situation at lightweight – particularly on the absences of McGregor and Nurmagomedov.
"Poor Man's Machida" Elias Theodorou explains why he'll beat Brad Tavares
Tom Taylor - May 4, 2017
On July 7, Canadian middleweight Elias Theodorou will face a tough test in Hawaii’s Brad Tavares. The two will meet at the finale of the latest season of The Ultimate Fighter, in Las Vegas, Nevada. On the latest edition of BJ Penn Radio, Theodorou discussed this looming scrap with Tavares, and was quite complimentary of the Hawaiian’s skill and potential.
Michael Johnson questions Tony Ferguson's contender status, is no longer willing to give him a rematch
Tom Taylor - May 4, 2017
Back in May of 2012, long-time lightweight contender Michael Johnson scored an impressive decision defeat over the highly regarded Tony Ferguson. Almost five years later, when Ferguson found himself without an opponent after Khabib Nurmagomedov’s last-minute withdrawal from UFC 209, Johnson offered him a shot at revenge. Unfortunately, Ferguson was unwilling to accept this fight with the dangerous Johnson on such short notice, and ultimately went without a fight.
Yair Rodriguez believes that "disrespectful" Frankie Edgar is the toughest fight in the featherweight division
Chris Taylor - April 29, 2017
Yair Rodriguez believes that “disrespectful” Frankie Edgar is the toughest fight in the featherweight division Surging UFC featherweight contender Yair “El Pantera” Rodriguez will return to the octagon at next month’s UFC 211 pay-per-view event in Dallas, Texas where he will square off with former UFC lightweight champion Frankie “The Answer” Edgar.
Rory MacDonald doesn't believe it will be "a bad thing" if his fight with Paul Daley stays standing
Chris Taylor - April 29, 2017
Rory MacDonald doesn’t believe it will be “a bad thing” if his fight with Paul Daley stays standing Former UFC welterweight title challenger Rory MacDonald will make his Bellator MMA debut at next month’s Bellator 179 event London, England when he squares off with knockout artist Paul Daley in the evenings main event.
Yair Rodriguez details his post-fight conversation with BJ Penn, expects "The Prodigy" to defeat Dennis Siver
Chris Taylor - April 29, 2017
Yair Rodriguez details his post-fight conversation with BJ Penn, expects “The Prodigy” to defeat Dennis Siver Surging UFC featherweight contender Yair Rodriguez will take on former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar on the main card of next month’s stacked UFC 211 pay-per-view card in Dallas, Texas.
Eddie Alvarez explains why he picked Dustin Poirier to fight at UFC 211
Chris Taylor - April 29, 2017
Eddie Alvarez explains why he picked Dustin Poirier to fight at UFC 211 One of the most exciting fighters in the history of mixed martial arts, Eddie Alvarez, will return to the octagon at next month’s highly anticipated UFC 211 event in Dallas, Texas.
Eddie Alvarez: "Frankie Edgar is nobody to be f*cked with man!"
Chris Taylor - April 29, 2017
Former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez will return to the octagon at UFC 211 on May 13 in Dallas, Texas where he will square off with Dustin “The Diamond” Poirier. Alvarez, who trains with fellow former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar, recently sat down with Chris Taylor on BJPENN.com’s Rapid Fire segment.
Jimi Manuwa hopes to be on Cormier-Jones card, will be ready to replace either man
Tom Taylor - April 27, 2017
When Jimi Manuwa knocked out Corey Anderson in their March light heavyweight showdown, he established himself as one of the top contenders at light heavyweight. In fact, were it not for the looming return of former champion Jon Jones, Manuwa could well be looking at a shot at reigning champ Daniel Cormier right now. Given that Jones is likely to return to the cage to an immediate title shot against Cormier at UFC 214, however, Manuwa has confirmed to BJPenn.com that he’s got another fight in the works, and that he hopes it occurs on the same card as this Cormier-Jones fight. The reason Manuwa wants to be on this card is that it gives him the opportunity to replace either man, should one be forced to withdraw from the fight.
Mike Perry breaks down his "master plan to take over the world"
Tom Taylor - April 27, 2017
Mike Perry entered mainstream MMA consciousness in a rather strange way. Though diehard fans had been aware of him for some time, his first steps into the limelight occurred at the UFC 202 weigh ins, when he faked a handshake with his opponent Hyun Gyu Lim, then pulled his hand away at the last minute, and screamed in Lim’s face. While this move certainly served to get the attention of the MMA community, it did so in a rather negative way, as Perry was immediately branded by many as a bit of a hot-head.