Exclusive MMA Interviews News

Chris Taylor - March 12, 2017

Surging UFC welterweight contender Alan Jouban will face the toughest opponent of his young career when he takes on Gunnar Nelson in the co-main event of UFC London on March 18. Jouban recently sat down with BJPENN.com’s Chris Taylor where he discussed a number of different topics including the UFC 209 welterweight title fight rematch between Stephen Thompson and Tyron Woodley.

Chris Taylor - March 12, 2017

Surging UFC welterweight contender Alan Jouban will return to the octagon at next weekend’s UFC fight card in London where he will square off with the always dangerous Gunnar Nelson in the co-main event. Jouban, who is currently riding a three-fight win streak, is very excited about the opportunity to fight a guy like Gunnar Nelson, who is ranked in the top-10 of the UFC’s stacked welterweight division.

Chris Taylor - March 12, 2017

Former UFC welterweight kingpin Georges St-Pierre will make his highly anticipated octagon return later this year when he squares off with current UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping. In a recent interview on BJPENN.com’s Rapid Fire segment, host Chris Taylor spoke to surging welterweight contender Alan Jouban about the return of GSP.

Tom Taylor - March 12, 2017

When the UFC brass ironed out their differences with former welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, and pencilled him in for an immediate middleweight title shot against divisional king Michael Bisping, their hope was clearly for a positive reception. Unfortunately for them, this booking has been met with plenty in the way of backlash, as its been criticized by fighters like Yoel Romero and Kelvin Gastelum, MMA personalities like Joe Rogan, and of course, the sport’s ever-passionate fans. Not everyone, however, is bent out of shape over this booking. Streaking middleweight contender Robert Whittaker, for example, has adopted a laissez faire outlook on the whole ordeal. In a recent interview with BJPenn.com’s Tom Taylor, Whittaker explained that he’s not particularly bothered by the booking, and that he hopes it produces the massive payday both Bisping and St-Pierre are looking for.  He even admitted that he’s excited to watch the fight.

Tom Taylor - March 9, 2017

This weekend, Singapore’s ONE Championship will touch down in sun-soaked Bangkok, Thailand with their latest show, which is entitled Warrior Kingdom. This card, which is stacked with talent from Thailand, larger Southeast Asia, and even further afield, has got fans of Asian MMA very excited. Of all the features of this latest ONE Championship card, however, none are generating quite the same buzz as the main event, which will see 115-pound atomweight champion Angela Lee (6-0) attempt to defend her title against Jenny Huang (5-0). This fight is significant for a number of reasons. For one, it marks the latest efforts of Lee, who is quickly emerging as one of the brightest shining stars in women’s MMA. It’s also significant because it marks Huang’s opportunity to become the first Chinese fighter to win a major world championship.

Tom Taylor - March 9, 2017

Last weekend, in the main event of Bellator 174, Canada’s Julia Budd became the first-ever women’s featherweight champion with a fourth-round TKO of the veteran Marloes Coenen. With this win, Budd extended her win-streak to an extremely impressive eight-straight. Budd’s last loss occurred all the way back in 2011, when she became the fourth victim of Ronda Rousey‘s legendary professional MMA career. In more recent years, of course, Rousey’s career has endured a bit of a downward spiral, as she was first knocked senseless by a Holly Holm head-kick, then took more than a year off, only to return to the cage to be bludgeoned by reigning UFC bantamweight queen Amanda Nunes.

Tom Taylor - March 9, 2017

Seventh-ranked UFC lightweight Michael Chiesa has spent the last few weeks calling for a fight with former champion Eddie Alvarez. Unfortunately, Alvarez “dodged” a fight with Chiesa, and instead signed on for a fight with fellow lightweight talent Dustin Poirier. With this desired Alvarez fight off the table, Chiesa now has his sights set on an even bigger fight. The Ultimate Fighter 8 winner is hoping for a bout with Tony Ferguson.

Tom Taylor - March 9, 2017

Singapore’s One Championship is far and away the biggest mixed martial arts promotion in Asia. They broadcast in millions of homes in dozens of countries, and have taken their live product to relatively untapped markets like Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, China and even further afield. One Championship’s approach to MMA promotion is a little bit different than what we’re used to here in the West. Where organizations like Bellator and World Series of Fighting tend to squabble over jettisoned UFC talent to bolster their rosters with recognizable names, One Championship is dedicated to building their own Asian stars. And this strategy is working.

Tom Taylor - March 2, 2017

This weekend, the UFC will touch down in Las Vegas with UFC 209. While the card is headlined by a welterweight title rematch between champ Tyron Woodley and challenger Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson, it seems that the majority of the buzz for the event surrounds the co-main event. This co-main event will see the streaking Tony Ferguson battle the undefeated Khabib Nurmagomedov for UFC interim lightweight gold. In advance of this compelling showdown, Ferguson has been working hard in the gym – particularly on his grappling, as that is Nurmagomedov’s bread and butter. Much of Ferguson’s grappling work has occurred under the tutelage of 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu founder Eddie Bravo.

Tom Taylor - March 2, 2017

This weekend, the UFC will return to glimmering Las Vegas, Nevada with UFC 209. The card is stacked to the rim with top UFC talent, featuring names like Tyron Woodley, Stephen Thompson, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Tony Ferguson, Alistair Overeem and Mark Hunt. Long before any of these established superstars step into the cage, however, Rhode Island’s Andre Soukhamthath will make his UFC debut against Albert Morales. The former CES bantamweight champion, Soukhamthath has done much of his recent training with the Blackzilians in South Florida. Regrettably, the Blackzilians camp has been enduring a rather public split, as inner conflict has caused the team to splinter.

Tom Taylor - March 2, 2017

This weekend, 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu founder Eddie Bravo will watch one of his star pupils vie for UFC gold. That pupil is Tony Ferguson, who battles Dagestan’s Khabib Nurmagomedov for the interim lightweight title in the co-main event of Saturday night’s UFC 209. As one of Ferguson’s coaches and cornermen, Bravo’s allegiance heading into this anticipated lightweight showdown is obvious. Objectively, however, the Jiu-Jitsu icon finds this matchup absolutely fascinating.

Chris Taylor - February 26, 2017

Stephen Thompson will get his second crack at UFC gold this Saturday in the main event of UFC 209 in Las Vegas when he squares off with Tyron Woodley for the second time in less than five months. “Wonderboy” and “The Chosen One” battled to a majority draw in the co-main event of UFC 205 this past November in New York and following their “fight of the night” war an immediate rematch was set by UFC officials.

Tom Taylor - February 26, 2017

Robin Black is revered as one of the most insightful and engaging mixed martial arts analysts in the game today. His energetic breakdowns are a joy to watch, and they’ve become a highlight of the buildup to any big fight. Black’s latest fight breakdown shines a light on the co-main event of UFC 209, which will pit undefeated Dagestani grappler Khabib Nurmagomedov against the streaking Tony Ferguson in an interim lightweight title fight. If the reception on social media is any indication, this wonderfully well-researched fight breakdown is one of Black’s most popular to date. Unfortunately, however, not everyone seems to be a fan of it.

Tom Taylor - February 23, 2017

Ever since his thunderous, second round knockout of Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone back in January, Jorge Masvidal has had a difficult time finding a willing opponent for his next fight – and that’s not for lack of trying. Over the last few weeks, the Cuban contender has made several callouts on social media in attempt to get a fight booked. His latest callout was directed at Neil Magny. At first, Magny seemed to be down with the notion of this scrap. According to Masvidal, however, Magny refused to put pen to paper, citing an injury that will keep him on the shelf for some time.

Tom Taylor - February 23, 2017

After months of conflicting rumors and reports, Georges St-Pierre has finally agreed to the terms of a new contract with the UFC. That means we’re likely to see the former welterweight great and bona fide MMA legend back in the cage sometime before the end of the year. On Wednesday’s episode of BJ Penn Radio, Canadian middleweight Elias Theodorou weighed in on the return of St-Pierre with host Kinch. Apparently, he was initially unsure about the former champ’s comeback. His words:

Tom Taylor - February 23, 2017

Last month, on the main card of the UFC’s latest trip to Denver, Colorado, Jorge Masvidal dazzled with a second round knockout of the streaking Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone. With this emphatic win, Masvidal catapulted himself up the welterweight rankings, where fights with the division’s top dogs now await. He has been mentioned as a possible opponent for dangerous grappling specialist Demian Maia. He’s been discussed as an opponent for Neil Magny. He’s even been mentioned as a potential dance partner for Georges St-Pierre’s return. Perhaps the most intriguing of all Masvidal’s options, however, is a fight with Stockton’s Nick Diaz.

Tom Taylor - February 23, 2017

Back in January, a largely unheralded Jorge Masvidal stepped onto the canvas with the streaking Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone and delivered a blowout, knockout win. Given Cowboy’s reputation in the welterweight division, this emphatic win immediately looked like it could be a career-changer for Masvidal. Yet while it did earn him the number-five spot in the UFC welterweight rankings, it ultimately didn’t do much else for him, as he hasn’t been able to book a fight since. On Wednesday’s episode of BJ Penn Radio, Masvidal vented his frustration to host Kinch, blasting his fellow ranked welterweights for their reluctance to fight him.

Chris Taylor - February 22, 2017

Top UFC welterweight contender Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson will get his second shot at UFC gold in less than two weeks when he rematches current division champion Tyron Woodley in the main event of UFC 209. Prior to his highly anticipated rematch with “The Chosen One”, Thompson took the time to speak with BJPENN.com’s Chris Taylor on today’s episode of Rapid Fire.