Category: Spinning Back Clique

UFC Fight Night 249 preview: Can Mackenzie Dern beat Amanda Ribas in rematch?

On “Spinning Back Clique,” the panel breaks down the UFC Fight Night 249 main event rematch between Mackenzie Dern and Amanda Ribas.

[autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag] and [autotag]Amanda Ribas[/autotag] are running this back this weekend.

The two UFC strawweight contenders meet in the main event of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 249 at the UFC Apex. It’s a rematch that’s been five years in the making. The two first met in October 2019, and Ribas was able to hand Dern her first professional defeat.

How much have these two fighters evolved since their first fight? Can Dern even out the score against Ribas?

MMA Junkie’s Brian “Goze” Garcia, Nolan King, Danny Segura and host “Gorgeous” George Garcia break down Saturday’s UFC main event, along with some other highlighted bouts on the card.

Watch their discussion in the video above, and don’t miss this week’s complete episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below on YouTube or in podcast form.

https://youtube.com/live/qi0kZ8xt43U


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Q&A video: Can Colby Covington shine at 185? Are Israel Adesanya’s UFC title days over?

The panel on “Spinning Back Clique” answers your questions, including Colby Covington’s comments on a middleweight move and more.

There’s always a lot happening in MMA, and with all the chaos comes a lot of questions.

That’s why on the first “Spinning Back Clique” episode of 2025, the panel dedicated an entire segment to answering your questions on recent headlines in MMA.

What should we make of [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag]’s comments on a potential move to middleweight, and could he find success at 185 pounds? How likely is for [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] to regain his UFC title? If unsuccessful, how long could GFL last in this landscape?

MMA Junkie’s Brian “Goze” Garcia, Nolan King, Danny Segura, and host Gorgeous George tackled all these topics and more on the latest SBC episode.

Watch their discussion in the video above, and don’t miss this week’s complete episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below on YouTube or in podcast form.

https://youtube.com/live/qi0kZ8xt43U


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Video: MMA Junkie’s 2024 Year End Awards review: KO, Submission, Fight of the Year, & more

On the latest episode of “Spinning Back Clique,” we review our 2024 awards, including Knockout, Submission and Fight of the Year.

2024 is over, and with it, some great moments in MMA that should not be forgotten.

Last week, on the final episode of 2024 of “Spinning Back Clique,” we reviewed our MMA Junkie awards for Male and Female Fighter of the Year. Although those are considered by many the two biggest awards, there were other notable winners and moments that were also recognized and awarded on the site.

On the latest episode of SBC, the first of 2025, MMA Junkie’s Brian “Goze” Garcia, Nolan King, Danny Segura, and host Gorgeous George tackled the rest of our 2024 awards, including Breakout Fighter of the Year, Newcomer of the Year, Knockout, Submission and Fight of the Year, and many more. Did we make the right picks? Who else and what other moments were in the running?

Watch their discussion in the video above, and don’t miss this week’s complete episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below on YouTube.

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Spinning Back Clique REPLAY: 2024 awards review, Mackenzie Dern vs. Amanda Ribas 2 preview, fan Q&A

On “Spinning Back Clique,” our panel reviews MMA Junkie’s year-end awards, previews Mackenzie Dern vs. Amanda Ribas 2 and more.

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

This week’s panel of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Nolan King and Danny Segura will join host “Gorgeous” George Garcia live at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate the following topics:

  • We’ll review our 2024 year-end awards! Last episode, we reviewed Male and Female Fighters of the Year. We’ll tackle the rest, including Breakout Fighter of the Year, Newcomer of the Year,  Upset of the Year and many more.
  • The first UFC of 2025 goes down Saturday. After three weeks off, the promotion returns with UFC Fight Night 249 and a rematch between [autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag] and [autotag]Amanda Ribas[/autotag]. We discuss the Dern-Ribas main event, along with other highlights from the card.
  • To welcome the first episode of Spinning Back Clique in 2025, we’ll be doing a fan Q&A in which you’ll get a chance to ask the panel anything about the MMA world. You can submit questions via the YouTube live chat on the Spinning Back Clique stream.

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Video: MMA bold predictions, fighters to follow and new year wish list

Will an unexpected challenger win a UFC title? Can PFL and Bellator correct course? Here’s some bold predictions and wishes for 2025.

The landscape of the MMA world will change dramatically throughout 2025.

New champions will be crowned in the UFC, a new promotion in Global Fight League seeks to begin its journey, and along the way, some fighters will make a name for themselves with fantastic campaigns.

MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn, Matthew Wells, Dan Tom, and host Danny Segura discuss their bold predictions, fighters to follow, and their wish list for the year to come.

Watch their discussion in the video above, and don’t miss this week’s complete episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below on YouTube.

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Video: Which UFC fighters will end 2025 as champion?

According to oddsmakers, there will be multiple new UFC champs by the end of 2025. Our “Spinning Back Clique” discusses who they could be.

A new year is upon us, which means multiple UFC title fights are on the horizon over the next 12 months.

Every year, titles change hands in multiple divisions, but the question is, who will hear “and still” or “and the new” by the end of 2025?

In 2024, seven new champions were crowned. How many will there be this year? According to oddsmakers, we could see at least five, as top contenders in multiple divisions are favored to dethrone the current champion.

MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn, Matthew Wells, Dan Tom, and host Danny Segura discuss their picks for who will close out 2025 with gold around their waist.

Watch their discussion in the video above, and don’t miss this week’s complete episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below on YouTube.

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Video: Was Dakota Ditcheva the correct pick for Female Fighter of the Year?

Dakota Ditcheva dominated the PFL season in a star-making year, but was there someone else worthy of Female Fighter of the Year?

The choice for MMA Junkie’s Female Fighter of the Year was [autotag]Dakota Ditcheva[/autotag], and it wasn’t really close.

Ditcheva had a star-making 2024 as she dominated the PFL season, standing out in a year when no UFC women’s champion defended their title more than once.

After claiming the PFL Europe championship in December, Ditcheva entered the big PFL regular season, on the hunt for more gold and the big $1 million prize.

Ditcheva stopped Lisa Mauldin, Chelsea Hackett, Jena Bishop, then got the matchup everyone hoped for in the championship against former UFC title challenger Taila Santos, and she stopped her too.

MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn, Matthew Wells, Dan Tom, and host Danny Segura discuss the Female Fighter of the Year, and if anyone else was deserving of the award.

Watch their discussion in the video above, and don’t miss this week’s complete episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below on YouTube.

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Video: Was Ilia Topuria the correct pick for Male Fighter of the Year?

It seemed Male Fighter of the Year was a two-horse race between UFC champions Ilia Topuria and Alex Pereira. Who was the right choice?

Two male fighters stood out above the rest in 2024, but the final choice for MMA Junkie’s Male Fighter of the Year was [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag].

The UFC featherweight champion had a year for the ages. Topuria began his year by knocking out Alexander Volkanovski in February at UFC 298 to claim the title. Then, in October at UFC 308, he knocked out Max Holloway to record his first title defense.

Finishing two GOATs in a calendar year is a tough feat to beat.

However, the year of the UFC light heavyweight champ [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] was just as impressive.

“Poatan” recorded three title defenses in 2024. He stopped every opponent, finishing a pair of former champs in Jamahal Hill and Jiri Prochazka, and took out a hungry contender in Khalil Rountree Jr.

Which fighter deserved the award more?

MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn, Matthew Wells, Dan Tom, and host Danny Segura discuss their picks for Male Fighter of the Year.

Watch their discussion in the video above, and don’t miss this week’s complete episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below on YouTube.

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Spinning Back Clique LIVE (noon ET): Fighter of the Year awards review, 2025 MMA predictions, interview with Eddie Alvarez

On “Spinning Back Clique,” our panel discusses our Fighter of the Year awards, 2025 MMA predictions, plus we interview Eddie Alvarez.

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

This week’s panel of Dan Tom, Matt Wells, Mike Bohn will join host Danny Segura live at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate the following topics:

  • We chat with former UFC and Bellator champion [autotag]Eddie Alvarez[/autotag], who returns to the ring on Jan. 25 to headline BKFC Knucklemania 5 against fellow veteran Jeremy Stephens. We discuss his return fight and career, along with some of the recent things happening in MMA.
  • Last week, we announced the winners of MMA Junkie’s 2024 Male and Female Fighter of the Year. We reflect on the winners’ years, who were UFC champion [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] and PFL’s [autotag]Dakota Ditcheva[/autotag], and discuss what could be in store for them in 2025.
  • Keeping the 2025 theme. The panel gives their bold predictions and wishes for MMA in 2025. We also discuss each chance of the current UFC champions being able to hold onto their belt till the end of the year.
  • Lastly, to end the show, we go over some of the recent headlines in MMA, including [autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag] returning to the UFC’s testing pool in hopes to make a comeback from retirement, [autotag]Mike Perry[/autotag]’s callout of [autotag]Robbie Lawler[/autotag] for BKFC fight, [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag]’s comments on a potential move to light heavyweight, and much more.

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Video: Is MMA’s newest player, the Global Fight League, set to fail or succeed?

Global Fight League has announced its launch. Will it work in MMA? We discuss on the latest episode of “Spinning Back Clique.”

There appears to be a new player in town.

That’s right, a new MMA promotion has emerged, and it’s looking to put on fights at the top level. Global Fight League announced its launch last week, revealing that it will begin operations in early 2025 and will feature numerous notable names in the sport.

GFL’s roster includes names such as: [autotag]Tyron Woodley[/autotag], [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag], [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag], [autotag]Gegard Mousasi[/autotag], [autotag]Wanderlei Silva[/autotag], Frank Mir, [autotag]Andrei Arlovski[/autotag], [autotag]Kevin Lee[/autotag], [autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag], and [autotag]Junior Dos Santos[/autotag] and many others.

How strong is GFL’s roster? What names stand out? Could this promotion find success in a very difficult MMA industry?

MMA Junkie’s Brian “Goze” Garcia, Mike Bohn, Danny Segura and host “Gorgeous” George discuss the announcement of the GFL launch, along with its initial roster.

Watch their discussion in the video above, and don’t miss this week’s complete episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below on YouTube.

https://youtube.com/live/QvKtS8RXBbs

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