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EXCLUSIVE | After war with Bryan Barberena, Vicente Luque has another opponent in mind
Trying to knock Bryan Barberena out is kind of like trying to chop down a tree with a golf club — it’s possible, but it’s absurdly difficult. Vicente Luque learned this the hard way when he met Barberena at UFC on ESPN 1 last month. Over the course of two and half rounds, Luque bombarded […]
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EXCLUSIVE | Montana De La Rosa looking to showcase all her skills in next fight
Montana De La Rosa is one of the more promising flyweight prospects in the UFC. The 24-year-old is undefeated in the Octagon, not counting exhibition bouts on The Ultimate Fighter. De La Rosa is coming off of an impressive submission win over the formerly undefeated Nadia Kassem at UFC 234. For De La Rosa, that […]
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EXCLUSIVE | Javier Mendez wants Daniel Cormier to fight Brock Lesnar then retire
Daniel Cormier was supposed to partake in the final fight of his career before his 40th birthday this March. Well, that is no longer going to happen. Both Cormier and his head coach Javier Mendez have said his retirement will be delayed. Now, the question is, how many fights does Cormier have left, and who […]
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EXCLUSIVE | Coach says a rematch between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor is unlikely
When Khabib Nurmagomedov took on Conor McGregor at UFC 229, it resulted in the biggest pay-per-view in promotional history. The event did well over two million PPV buys, and in the end, Nurmagomedov beat McGregor in the fourth round by submission. It was expected that former interim lightweight title holder, Tony Ferguson, would be the […]
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EXCLUSIVE | Coach Marc Montoya recounts journey to Anthony Smith’s title shot
Some fans have been surprised by the rise of Anthony Smith, which has carried him to a light heavyweight title showdown with Jon Jones. Yet is coach Mark Montoya isn’t surprised one bit. In fact, this has been the gameplan for Smith since before he made his debut in the light heavyweight division in 2018, […]
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EXCLUSIVE | Phil Daru expects “revived” Tecia Torres at UFC 235
Tecia Torres, who began her career down at American Top Team before moving to Colorado to be with her fiancee Raquel Pennington, found herself back at the Coconut Creek, Florida gym for her UFC 235 training camp. In her return home, Torres’ strength and conditioning coach Phil Daru has seen a difference in the strawweight […]
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EXCLUSIVE | Coach: ‘It just comes down to mindset’ for Jeremy Stephens against Zabit Magomedsharipov at UFC 235
UFC 235 takes place on Saturday night live from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. And to call the card stacked would be an understatement. The event features several big-time match-ups and fighters ranging from current champions to former ones, whether it be inside or outside of the UFC. There will be big debuts […]
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EXCLUSIVE | Pro fighters make their picks for Jon Jones vs Anthony Smith title fight
Jon Jones is returning to the Octagon not even three months after his last fight. In the main event of UFC 235 this Saturday, the light heavyweight champ will be taking on Anthony Smith, who has gone 3-0 in the division since moving up from middleweight. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several […]
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EXCLUSIVE | Montana De La Rosa says reports of Paige VanZant fight at UFC 236 are false
Reports came out today that Paige VanZant’s initial opponent at UFC 236 in Poliana Botelho was injured and off the card. Replacing her would be Montana De La Rosa who is fresh off of yet another submission win at UFC 234. However, De La Rosa has now confirmed that the fight is not happening and […]
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EXCLUSIVE | Coach Robert Meese hoping to see Cody Garbrandt of old return at UFC 235
UFC 235 will be headlined by a pair of title fights, as Jon Jones defends his title against Anthony Smith, and Tyron Woodley looks to fend off Kamaru Usman. But the fireworks kick off far earlier than that. In the first bout of the UFC 235 main card, former bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt returns to […]
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EXCLUSIVE | Cody Stamann hoping to fight Aljamain Sterling again after UFC 235 fight
Cody Stamann was preparing to fight in March before the UFC even called him. Then, about a month he was offered the chance to fight at UFC 235, where he is set to take on Alejandro Perez. Stamann, who is coming off of a submission loss to Aljamain Sterling in September is confident he was […]
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EXCLUSIVE | Pro fighters make their picks for Tyron Woodley vs. Kamaru Usman title fight
In the co-main event of UFC 235 this Saturday, Tyron Woodley will look to defend his welterweight title against Kamaru Usman. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the title fight. In this case, the majority are leaning toward one fighter. Here’s what they had to […]
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EXCLUSIVE | Pro fighters make their picks for Ben Askren vs. Robbie Lawler fight
UFC 235 is set to go down on Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The card is already in the lead for Card of the Year as it is absolutely stacked. On the card, and making his UFC debut, is former ONE and Bellator champ Ben Askren, who is taking on former […]
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EXCLUSIVE | Mike Winkeljohn says Jon Jones has learned ‘new things,’ and it’s scary
Jon Jones is set to defend his light heavyweight championship at UFC 235 this Saturday against Anthony Smith. There is no question Jones is the huge favorite, but that doesn’t mean Jones isn’t worried. After all, this is a fight and anything can happen. Furthermore, Jones claims he took Alexander Gustafsson lightly in their 2013 […]
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EXCLUSIVE | Liz Carmouche struggled to find willing opponent ahead of UFC Prague fight
Liz Carmouche last fought in July of 2018 and wanted to return sooner. She will finally get that chance on Saturday when the UFC makes its debut in the Czech Republic. “I’m ready to fight,” Carmouche said to BJPENN.com. “That’s what I’m looking forward to. I haven’t fought since July and I have been nagging […]
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EXCLUSIVE | Javier Mendez finds contradictions in Khabib Nurmagomedov’s NAC punishments
It took the UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov a few months after his massive title defending win over Conor McGregor at UFC 229 to finally receive his fine and suspension from the Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC). Of course, the punishments came in response to the post-fight scuffle that ensued following the fight between both Nurmagomedov […]
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EXCLUSIVE | At UFC Prague Diego Ferreira knows he has to go for the finish
Diego Ferreira is looking to continue his win streak and work his way up the UFC lightweight rankings. Ferreira is coming off of a second-round TKO win over Kyle Nelson at UFC 231 and will now be taking on Rustam Khabilov at UFC Prague. There is no question Khabilov will be a tougher test for […]
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EXCLUSIVE | Ev Ting plans to dominate the ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix, starting with finish of ‘Dagi’
From the moment it was announced that ONE Championship was promoting a Grand Prix tournament in its stacked lightweight division, there was no doubt that Ev Ting would be getting an invitation. The Malaysian-Kiwi is as experienced and dangerous as anybody in the division, and the tournament just wouldn’t feel complete if he wasn’t a […]
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EXCLUSIVE | ‘Honored’ Jared Cannonier says he will ‘knock out’ Anderson Silva
Anderson Silva has his next fight booked as he will return to Brazil to take on Jared Cannonier at UFC 237. “I never thought it was going to happen, I got the call today, but hell, the UFC has already announced it so I assume Silva has agreed to it as well,” Cannonier said to […]
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EXCLUSIVE | Jason Knight talks signing with BKFC and fighting Artem Lobov
Jason Knight wasn’t a free agent for long. The former UFC featherweight recently signed with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) on a one-fight basis to fight Artem Lobov in April. For Knight, this is exactly what he wanted as he wasn’t ready for another MMA fight yet. “One of the associates reached out to me […]
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EXCLUSIVE | Ariel Sexton hopes win over Amir Khan will carry him to showdowns with Alvarez, Aoki
Costa Rica’s Ariel Sexton has become a staple of the ONE Championship lightweight division. Given his status as one of the organization’s premier lightweights, it came as no surprise when he was invited to compete in the anticipated ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix. Sexton will compete in his first Grand Prix bout on Friday night […]
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EXCLUSIVE | Renato Moicano talks Aldo loss, targets Ortega rematch at UFC 237
Renato Moicano was very close to a featherweight title shot. All he needed to do was defeat former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo. Well, as we know, that is a lot easier said than done. The two met in the co-main event of UFC Fortaleza. Moicano had some success in the first round, however, Aldo […]
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EXCLUSIVE | Amir Khan ready to conquer the ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix starting with Ariel Sexton
On Friday night in Singapore (Friday morning in North America), at ONE: Call to Greatness, former ONE lightweight title challenger Amir Khan will attempt to advance to the second round of the ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix with a win over Costa Rican grappling ace Ariel Sexton. Now just days away from this fight, Amir […]
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EXCLUSIVE | Weili Zhang: Remember the name
In the modern era of mixed martial arts, there are many different reasons one could find themselves attracted to this sport that is the purest form of combat. For every different country, every different person, what it is that piques their interest compared to another might not be identical which just goes to show the […]
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EXCLUSIVE | Javier Mendez expects Cain Velasquez to smash dangerous Ngannou
With the highly anticipated return of former heavyweight kingpin Cain Velasquez just hours away, the question remains if we will see the dominant display of cardio and technique that Cain is known for against a very dangerous opponent in Francis Ngannou. Following a hiatus from combat sports for over two years, one individual who has […]
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EXCLUSIVE | Pro fighters make their picks for Francis Ngannou vs. Cain Velasquez
The UFC’s first ever event on ESPN is upon us. In the main event, former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez will be making his long awaited return to the Octagon to take on Francis Ngannou. Ahead of this heavyweight fight, which could have title implications, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their […]
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EXCLUSIVE | Bellator 215’s Mike Kimbel is ready for everything and fearing nothing
When you start your professional MMA career with two incredible first-round victories, it’s hard to imagine how things could get any more impressive. Yet for Connecticut’s Mike Kimbel, who earned a highlight-reel slam finish in his first fight and a six-second knockout in his second, things are just getting started. Kimbel has had both of […]
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EXCLUSIVE | Valerie Loureda ready to live up to the hype in Bellator debut
All the hype surrounding Bellator 216 is about Michael Page vs Paul Daley, and rightfully so. However, another name getting attention is Valerie Loureda, who is set to make her Bellator debut against Colby Fletcher. Loureda, who is just 20-years-old comes from a Taekwondo background and was a big signing for Bellator when it was […]