Category: Radio Highlight

Spinning Back Clique: On Kamaru Usman’s welterweight GOAT status after UFC 268, more

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

This week, we look back on the UFC 268 and Bellator 270 headliners, look ahead to this weekend’s action, and talk a little Jon Jones.

Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Mike Bohn, Danny Segura and “Gorgeous” George Garcia discuss these topics with host John Morgan.

  • At UFC 268, [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] defended the welterweight title for the fifth time with a unanimous decision win over Colby Covington, and UFC president Dana White said he believes “The Nigerian Nightmare” has supplanted Georges St-Pierre as the welterweight GOAT. Is he right? If not, what is Usman lacking to earn that recognition?
  • Meanwhile, [autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag] also scored the first defense of her second UFC title reign with a hard-fought decision win over former titleholder Zhang Weili. Namajunas said she thinks Carla Esparza is probably the next logical challenger, but White wasn’t committed to booking that rematch. So put yourself in the matchmaker’s room and book the next fight for Namajunas. Is there another fight that makes more sense?
  • This past weekend also saw [autotag]Patricky Freire[/autotag] claim the Bellator lightweight belt that was vacated by his brother, Patricio Freire. The two Brazilians have been longtime stalwarts of the Bellator roster, so we’ll ask this: Are the “Pitbull” brothers the best sibling duo to ever compete in MMA?
  • This weekend is a Bellator-UFC weekend, with Bellator 271 on Friday night in South Florida and UFC Fight Night 197 on Saturday in Las Vegas. Max Holloway vs. Yair Rodriguez is a stellar UFC main event, and Cris Cyborg, one of the greatest to ever do it, is in action against Sinead Kavanagh for Bellator. Outside of those headliners, what fight do you think is appointment viewing?
  • To close it out, let’s have a little fun: [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] says the garage won’t be enough for him moving forward, and he’s going to take a look around at some options for training as he prepares for his UFC heavyweight debut. Let’s say Jon calls you up and says, “Where should I go to train?” What would you tell him?

“Spinning Back Clique” is released each Tuesday on MMA Junkie’s YouTube channel. You can watch the full episode in the video above.

[vertical-gallery id=1577711]

Spinning Back Clique: Diaz vs. Luque, strawweight title picture, domestic violence in MMA, more

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique” where our panel discusses the hottest topics in MMA.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

This week, we cover the UFC’s strawweight title picture, a potential matchup between Nate Diaz and Vicente Luque, and the recent domestic violence incidents involving MMA fighters.

Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Danny Segura, Matthew Wells, and “Gorgeous” George Garcia discuss these topics along with host John Morgan.

  • This past weekend saw [autotag]Marina Rodriguez[/autotag] announce herself as a contender in the UFC’s strawweight division with an impressive win over Mackenzie Dern at UFC Fight Night 194. [autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag] and [autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag] will fight on Nov. 6, and [autotag]Carla Esparza[/autotag] is currently waiting to take on the winner – unless, of course, the UFC goes the trilogy route with Namajunas and Weili. So if you’re Rodriguez right now, what do you do? How should the UFC handle this division right now?
  • [autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag] remains all-in on a potential fight with [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag]. For his part, Diaz has taken to social media to express interest in this fight. It’s a big name for Luque, especially with Leon Edwards and Jorge Masvidal now booked for UFC 269. The fight doesn’t really make sense in terms of rankings for Luque who sits at No. 6 in the latest MMA Junkie welterweight rankings. Is this the fight to make, or should Luque set his sights elsewhere?
  • We’ve had quite a few headlines lately that are unfortunately focused on domestic violence incidents. Chuck Liddell was the latest, but we’ve also seen Luis Pena and Jon Jones in the news in just the past few weeks. Do we have a domestic violence problem in MMA? If so, what can be done about it?
  • UFC Fight Night 195 features [autotag]Aspen Ladd[/autotag] stepping on short notice to headline an event just two weeks after missing weight for a fight with Macy Chiasson that was ultimately scrapped. She is moving up a division for this one, but should Ladd receive a main event slot after failing to make it to the cage for her previously scheduled bout? Is this a bad look for the UFC, or is it the right call with Ladd clearly needing to move up a division?
  • Bellator 268 takes place this Saturday in Arizona, which includes the semifinals of the promotion’s ongoing light heavyweight grand prix. [autotag]Vadim Nemkov[/autotag] faces [autotag]Julius Anglickas[/autotag], and [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag] meets [autotag]Corey Anderson[/autotag], with the winners meeting in the finals. There have been some hurdles along the way in this tournament, but now that it’s getting down toward the end, what are the overall thoughts on the success of this grand prix?

“Spinning Back Clique” is released each Tuesday on MMA Junkie’s YouTube channel. You can watch the full episode in the video above.

Benson Henderson baffled by Bellator leaving him out of lightweight title picture

With Patricio Freire relinquishing his Bellator lightweight title, Benson Henderson thinks he should have been fighting for the vacant title.

With Patricio Freire relinquishing his Bellator lightweight title, [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag] thinks he should have been the one fighting for the vacant belt.

The promotion opted to make the Patricky Freire (23-10 MMA, 14-8 BMMA) vs. Peter Queally (13-5-1 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) headliner at Bellator 270 on Nov. 5 the crowning fight and No. 3-ranked Henderson (28-10 MMA, 5-5 BMMA) thinks he was snubbed from the opportunity.

Instead, he will take on former champion Brent Primus at Bellator 268 on Saturday and expects to emerge as the No. 1 contender with a win as he looks to close out the final chapter of his career.

“I certainly hope so,” Henderson told MMA Junkie Radio. “I’m going to go do my job and make sure I go out there and beat up the former champion, Mr. Primus, and make my statement for: Why in the world would you have a title fight and not have me in it? But whatever. That’s cool. I’ve got to make my case if that’s the way it is. By all means, let’s do it.

“(I have to) go beat him up, go have an emphatic finish. I want an emphatic finish. I want some highlight. I want people to talk about it Monday morning: ‘Oh my God, did you check out that last Bellator card?’ I want something that people are going to talk about. The fight after that, I’m going to fight for the belt, I’m going to win the belt and get my hand raised, and after that, I might be done. I might do a couple more. Who knows. But I would say what chapter is this? It’s getting close to that epilogue.”

Henderson, a former WEC and UFC lightweight champion, has one of the most decorated careers in the division’s history. But despite his accolades and star-studded resume, the 37-year-old says winning the Bellator title would mean the most.

“This Bellator one, it’s going to be something special,” Henderson said. “Third time is the charm. I lost against (Andrey) Koreshkov – he beat my butt. I lost bad against Koreshkov. They gave the decision to (Michael) Chandler for my second one. This next one, third time’s the charm. It’s going to mean a lot to me and everything to me – more so than anything else.

“Going out there, the perseverance it takes, the dedication it takes, coming over two ACL surgeries, having kids – all that stuff plays into it. This third one for Bellator, it’s everything – biggest one to date. I’ve got to get there first. I’ve got to get another title shot. I’ve got to earn another title shot, and I’ve got to earn to get my hand raised and get that belt around my waist – and I will do that.”

[vertical-gallery id=311914]

Spinning Back Clique: Jon Jones’ future, UFC’s bantamweight title shake-up, more

Check out this week’s episode of “Spinning Back Clique” covering the biggest topics in MMA.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

This week, we cover Jon Jones’ future after his most recent legal issues and look ahead to Mackenzie Dern’s return at UFC Fight Night 194.

Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Mike Bohn and Matthew Wells discuss these topics along with panelist/host John Morgan:

  • Former UFC light heavyweight champion [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] is once again in the news for all the wrong reasons. Based on a couple of recent posts to his social media accounts, he and his fiancee are publicly expressing their commitment to each other following their domestic incident in Las Vegas. Jones says he is swearing off alcohol, but he still needs to face the legal repercussions of what occurred just hours after being inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. As details start to become clear, how does it make you feel about Jones’ future in the UFC? Was the UFC’s response to the situation satisfactory?
  • At UFC Fight Night 193, [autotag]Aspen Ladd[/autotag]’s issues with the scale prevented her from competing again. She was scheduled to face Macy Chiasson, but the bout was scrapped after a scary-looking weight miss that saw Ladd shaking behind the privacy box as her weight was recorded. Ladd has owned up to the miss, but there has been bickering in the fallout with former UFC champ, Miesha Tate. What does the UFC need to do with Ladd going forward?
  • The UFC’s bantamweight division is one of the deepest in the company, but it’s also providing us with some controversy as of late. [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] was announced to compete at UFC 267 before we found out he wasn’t even medically cleared. Now we’re doing an interim title fight with [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] and [autotag]Cory Sandhagen[/autotag], who are amazing fighters but coming off losses. Was there a better way to handle things here, or is the UFC doing the best it can given the circumstances?
  • [autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag] returns to action this weekend in the main event of UFC Fight Night 194. Her career has been incredibly interesting to the point, and she seems to be one of the more polarizing figures in women’s MMA, but right now, she’s on a four-fight winning streak and currently sits at No. 5 in the latest MMA Junkie strawweight rankings. If she beats [autotag]Marina Rodriguez[/autotag] at No. 6, can we finally say she is a legitimate title contender? What is her ceiling?
  • We wrap up this week’s episode with a little game of “Foolish or Fantastic,” where the panel gives their quick take on a few recent hot topics.

“Spinning Back Clique” is released each Tuesday on MMA Junkie’s YouTube channel. You can watch the full episode in the video above.

UFC’s Adrian Yanez: I starch Davey Grant, ‘it’s inevitable’ that I get big-name opponents

Adrian Yanez knows he’s on the cusp of reaching the next level in his career if he can finish Davey Grant.

[autotag]Adrian Yanez[/autotag] knows he’s on the cusp of reaching the next level in his career if he can finish [autotag]Davey Grant[/autotag].

Unbeaten in his UFC career so far, Yanez (14-3 MMA, 3-0 UFC) has finished all three of his octagon wins, most recently scoring a second-round TKO of fellow prospect Randy Costa in July.

He meets “The Ultimate Fighter 18” finalist Grant (14-5 MMA, 4-3 UFC) on Nov. 20, and if he’s able to notch another impressive finish, Yanez expects to start drawing some of the marquee names in the division.

“Davey Grant, he’s a veteran,” Yanez told MMA Junkie Radio. “He’s been in the game for a very, very long time, and then also somebody like ‘Chito’ (Vera) who’s had like – he’s had a lot of fights in the UFC, so he deserves that ranked fight like Frankie (Edgar), but the performances I’ve been putting on, and I’ve been stopping these guys in pretty good, traumatic fashion, it’s inevitable for me to only start getting these bigger, better names – top names anyway.

“Coming in, I stop Davey Grant, people are going to start looking at me a lot differently because Davey Grant has never been stopped. He’s only gone to decisions, so if I’m the first man to stop Davey Grant, that only makes the options for me so much bigger, and I’m pretty sure a lot of people are going to look at that and be like, ‘If he finishes Davey Grant, then how high is his ceiling?’ That only puts my ceiling super, super high, so I’m excited for this matchup, and if it brings me into the range where I’m able to fight a Frankie Edgar, Urijah Faber, Dominick Cruz, I would completely love that.”

A rising star in the UFC, 27-year-old Yanez is on a seven-fight winning streak. But Yanez isn’t too sure if some of the legends in the division would be willing to face him and hopes a finish of Grant gets their attention.

“My trajectory is high; I just need to go out there and starch Davey Grant and get another 50 Gs, so I think that’ll be great,” Yanez said. “I need that stoppage because at the end of the day, big names on my resume, that’s what I want.”

He continued, “I’m not on their radar yet. I’m not a big enough name where they can be like ‘Oh, yeah, we want to fight that Yanez kid.’ I try and keep myself grounded. I don’t try to overshoot where I’m at or anything like that, so if I go out there and stop Davey Grant, then yes, that puts 100 percent like, yeah, those guys should be looking at me, but will they fight me? I don’t think so.”

To see the full interview with Yanez, check out the video below.

[listicle id=597558]

Spinning Back Clique: Yoel Romero’s Bellator debut reaction, an MMA Sophie’s choice, and more

Check out this week’s episode of “Spinning Back Clique” covering the biggest topics in MMA.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

This week, we cover the aftermath of Bellator 266 and UFC Fight Night 192, the retirements of two UFC legends, an unexpected fight announcement, and finally look ahead to UFC 266 on Saturday.

Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Mike Bohn, Danny Segura and Brian “Goze” Garcia debates and discusses these topics with host John Morgan:

  • It was a busy weekend in MMA with both the UFC and Bellator holding events, but it seemed a majority of eyes were on [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag], who ended up losing a decision to Phil Davis in his promotional debut at Bellator 266. After the result, we’re kind of left to wonder, at age 44, did Romero finally show his age? Or are there still big wins ahead for him? What does he have left in the tank?
  • We had 26 bouts to take in on Saturday between the UFC and Bellator, so that’s a lot of athletes who got their hand raised. Even though no new champions were crowned or future title fights secured, who walked away as the star of the night?
  • A couple of UFC and WEC legends called it a career this past week, with both [autotag]Joseph Benavidez[/autotag] and [autotag]Carlos Condit[/autotag] electing to retire. So here’s a Sophie’s choice scenario, but the timing is perfect with the UFC Hall of Fame getting a few new members this week: If you could only place one of them in the Hall of Fame, is it Benavidez or Condit?
  • Speaking of UFC and WEC greats, how about the news from ONE Championship that Demetrious Johnson will have a mixed rules fight with muay Thai legend Rodtang Jitmuangnon? Sounds kind of fun, doesn’t it? What are we thinking here? Should organizations like the UFC be more open to wild ideas like this, or does someone need to be protecting the sanctity of MMA?
  • Finally, it’s a big week for the UFC – International Fight Week, in fact. UFC 266 features a couple of big title fights, the long-awaited return of Nick Diaz, multiple top contenders in action, and more. With all that is going on, what’s the most intriguing storyline of the week?

“Spinning Back Clique” is released each Tuesday on MMA Junkie’s YouTube channel.

[vertical-gallery id=1047707]

[vertical-gallery id=1027824]

Spinning Back Clique: Triller fallout, DWCS contract frenzy, Romero’s Bellator title prospects, more

Check out this week’s episode of “Spinning Back Clique” covering the biggest topics in MMA.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

This week, we cover the aftermath of [autotag]Evander Holyfield[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Vitor Belfort[/autotag] and [autotag]Anderson Silva[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Tito Ortiz[/autotag], as well as talk Dana White’s Contender Series’ apparently new approach and more.

Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Mike Bohn, Danny Segura and George Garcia debates and discusses these topics with host John Morgan:

  • Triller Fight Club held center stage this past Saturday, and in the main event, we saw Vitor Belfort score a first-round TKO of a 58-year-old Evander Holyfield. Obviously, Holyfield was not the originally intended opponent for Belfort, but the fight did take place – and we might be lucky nothing bad happened. Was this a bridge too far in this era of novelty boxing events?
  • Anderson Silva also knocked out Tito Ortiz at Triller Fight Club, and “The Spider” seems to really be enjoying a successful run at boxing. After his win, the calls for Jake Paul immediately came forward. But Belfort seems to want Paul, as well, with Triller offering up an insane purse of $30 million. So what’s the fight to make here: Paul vs. Belfort or Paul vs. Silva?
  • Back in the world of MMA, the UFC has been handing out contracts with increasing regularity on this season of Dana White’s Contender Series, with 10 fighters getting deals after just 9 fights on the show. It seems the standard for earning a deal has dropped this year. Should that be concerning?
  • It’s a dual-event Saturday this weekend, with both the UFC and Bellator going head to head, but the most intriguing name on both cards may very well be [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag]. At 44 years old, Romero is ready to make his Bellator debut, and he’s got a top contender right off the bat in Phil Davis. Romero was never quite able to claim UFC gold, but will he be able to capture the Bellator belt before he’s done? What’s the projection for Romero at Bellator?
  • Speaking of Bellator, they made a major announcement this week in the signing of [autotag]Kyoji Horiguchi[/autotag]. Love it, hate it or simply lukewarm?
  • Lastly this week, Olympic wrestling gold medalist [autotag]Gable Steveson[/autotag] announced that he is taking his talents to the world of professional wrestling, signing with the WWE rather than pursuing an MMA career. Think he made the right call?

“Spinning Back Clique” is released each Tuesday on MMA Junkie’s YouTube channel.

[listicle id=979682]

Alejandra Lara plans a less radical, more focused approach at Bellator 266

It’s been an up-and-down ride for Alejandra Lara, but she’s hoping she may have hit on some key details to get back on the upswing.

It’s been an up-and-down ride for [autotag]Alejandra Lara[/autotag] the past few years, but she’s hoping she may have hit on some key details to get back on the upswing.

Lara (9-4 MMA, 3-3 BMMA) takes on DeAnna Bennett (10-7-1 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) next week at Bellator 266. She’ll be looking to bounce back from a loss in April that she thinks was avoidable if only she hadn’t had issues with her weight cut.

After 16 months on the sidelines with a two-fight winning streak from 2019, Colombia native Lara returned at Bellator 255 and dropped a split decision to Kana Watanabe.

“My last fight was very frustrating because of mistakes made in my weight cut,” Lara told MMA Junkie Radio. “I was dehydrated at the time of the fight. By the second round, I didn’t have arms or legs – I was completely out of gas. But it wasn’t because of lack of training or something like that. It was because of those (weight-cutting) details.

“That made me realize I’m not a beginner anymore – I can’t make those mistakes. I have to take everything here and take control of the situation. I feel I have a lot that you didn’t see from me yet. I feel ready for this fight.”

Lara started her career 7-1, including a submission win in her promotional debut at Bellator 190 in December 2017. In just her second fight for the promotion, she was in the cage with Ilima-Lei Macfarlane fighting for the women’s flyweight title.

Lara was submitted by Macfarlane in the third round, and six months later dropped a split call to Juliana Velasquez, who went on to take the title from Macfarlane two years later.

But Lara found a way to bounce back in 2019 with wins over Taylor Turner and Veta Arteaga, which made the Watanabe loss likely all the more frustrating.

Against Bennett, she has an opponent who is known to one of her teammates in Mexico, which she thinks might pay off come fight night – even if she now says she has to take a more patient and concerted approach to her fights.

“You can’t have a radical plan because you don’t know what’s going to happen at the end of the day,” Lara said. “But it’s very, very important to have a strategy, and it’s very good for us that as a team we know Deanna well. She fought two times with my training partner Karina Rodriguez, who is (flyweight) champion in Invicta. I was training with Karina this past month and consulting with her, and we know what to expect.

“I think I’m pretty weird, and that’s part of my surprise (in the cage). I think no one has seen what I have for this (fight).”

Lara said the lessons learned from the Watanabe loss are what she’ll try to take into the fight with Bennett, who is approaching 10 years as a pro fighter.

Bennett fought for Invicta’s strawweight title in 2016, but her loss to Livia Renata Souza was the first of her career after an 8-0 start. It’s been rough sledding since then with a 2-7-1 record starting with the Souza setback, including three straight.

But Lara doesn’t seem to be overlooking Bennett at Bellator 266, which takes place Sept. 18 at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif.

“My goal right now is to keep my mind in (check),” Lara said. “Last time, I felt so disconnected. I know I have to hold my horses. Sometimes, it’s about patience and choosing the punches and everything I’m doing. That’s what I’m planning for this fight – to be more mature and focused.”

[vertical-gallery id=957448]

Spinning Back Clique: Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley reaction, Giga Chikadze’s next move, more

Check out this week’s episode of “Spinning Back Clique” covering the biggest topics in MMA.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

This week, we cover the aftermath of Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley, UFC on ESPN 30, the future of the “The Ultimate Fighter,” and more.

Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Nolan King, Danny Segura and Brian “Goze” Garcia debates and discusses these topics with host John Morgan:

  • Well, [autotag]Jake Paul[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Tyron Woodley[/autotag] was a thing that happened. It was certainly a spectacle and had big fight feels, but the action failed to deliver much in terms of entertainment value. So with the event (and another Paul victory) in the rearview, is there room for this sort of thing on the combat sports landscape, or are we better off getting rid of these nonsensical sort of fights as soon as possible?
  • With the type of money and hype he’s generating, it’s hard to believe we won’t see at least one more of these Jake Paul extravaganzas. So if we’ve got no choice, who should he fight next?
  • It didn’t get quite the media love, but UFC on ESPN 30 saw [autotag]Giga Chikadze[/autotag] earn an impressive win over Edson Barboza, and now he wants to either serve as a backup for the upcoming UFC 266 title fight between Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega or a fight former champion Max Holloway. Which of those paths would you recommend, or is there something better out there?
  • We also saw the final fights of “The Ultimate Fighter 29,” which crowned two new champions. What impression are you walking away with after this season, and what do you think of the idea that this show, according to UFC president Dana White, is never going away.
  • This week, the biggest fight on the MMA calendar is [autotag]Derek Brunson[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Darren Till[/autotag] headlining UFC Fight Night 191. It’s a big one in the middleweight division, but 185 pounds is in a little bit of a holding pattern as we wait for the scheduling of Israel Adesanya vs. Robert Whittaker 2. So what is actually at stake here?

“Spinning Back Clique” is released each Tuesday on MMA Junkie’s YouTube channel.

Alyse Anderson on why she left Invicta FC for ONE: ‘I feel like I personally outgrew the promotion’ 

Alyse Anderson sees more weight in being a ONE Championship title holder than an Invicta FC one.

[autotag]Alyse Anderson[/autotag] sees more weight in being a ONE Championship title holder than an Invicta FC one.

Anderson (5-1), who asked for her release from Invicta FC with one fight left on her contract, has signed with the Asian-based promotion after three fights under the Invicta FC banner.

While she appreciates her time there, the 25-year-old was having a hard time getting up for a fight and wanted to take her career to the next level.

“I’m not interested in going back to Invicta,” Anderson told MMA Junkie Radio. “I don’t want to hate on their promotion or anything, they’re a great promotion. But I just for me feel like I’d rather fight exclusively for ONE and just being the atomweight champion for Invicta doesn’t get me pumped up and excited. That’s another reason why I wanted this change so bad because when I felt like they were trying to find me a matchup with Invicta, I didn’t have that same excitement to get back to camp.

“I didn’t even want to take time off work, a leave of absence for fight camp, because I just feel like I personally outgrew the promotion and was just ready for, like, the next thing. But I still think it’s a great promotion, and they did so much for me, but I just don’t care to be the atomweight champion for them.”

Anderson will take part in the ONE Championship atomweight grand prix, where the winner of the tournament will get a shot at reigning champion Angela Lee. Anderson meets Itsuki Hirata in the opening round at “ONE Championship: Empower,” which takes place Sept. 3 and streams on B/R Live.

To see the full interview with Anderson, check out the video below.