Spinning Back Clique – Page 28

Video: What do we think of the odds for a Sean O’Malley vs. Marlon Vera rematch?

Should UFC champ Sean O’Malley be the favorite against Marlon Vera given their past result?

If it’s up to new UFC bantamweight champion [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag], his first title defense will be a rematch against [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag] in December.

Back in August 2016, Vera defeated O’Malley by first-round TKO, and now “Suga” is looking for revenge and to make a point by retaining his title.

Despite their past result, which O’Malley has contested only happened because of an injured foot, the oddsmakers at DraftKings have opened O’Malley as the favorite at -198 with “Chito” coming back as a +164 underdog. Are these odds spot on?

Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Danny Segura and Farah Hannoun answer that with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia.

You can watch their discussion in the video above and check out this week’s full episode below.

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Video: Is Ilia Topuria the clear-cut next best option for UFC champ Alexander Volkanovski?

Had Aljamain Sterling beaten Sean O’Malley earlier this month, the options for Alexander Volkanovski might have looked a lot different.

Had Aljamain Sterling beaten Sean O’Malley earlier this month, the options for [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] might have looked a lot different.

A win for Sterling may have had him ready to leave the bantamweight division for a move to featherweight – and historically, the UFC loves those champ-vs.-champ matchups, so Volkanovski may have been set to put his featherweight title on the line against Sterling.

Sterling still might move up to featherweight after his loss to O’Malley, but he no longer would be an automatic contender for a fight with the 145-pound champ. Instead, Volkanovski (26-2 MMA, 13-1 UFC) still likely is looking at either a fight with unbeaten top contender [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] (14-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC), who hasn’t been shy with his thoughts about the Australian, or a rematch with lightweight titleholder [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag] (24-1 MMA, 13-1 UFC), who handed Volkanovski his only octagon loss at UFC 284 in February.

Volkanovski beat interim champ Yair Rodriguez to unify the featherweight belts in July. Topuria is coming off a dominant win over Josh Emmett. But Makhachev’s win over Volkanovski in February was close enough that there’s still an argument to be made for a rematch, even if it keeps the featherweight title on hold. At one point, Volkanovski seemed to be leaning toward Makhachev. But what’s the latest, and what makes most sense?

Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Farah Hannoun, Brian “Goze” Garcia and Danny Segura break all that down with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia. Watch their discussion in the video above, and don’t miss this week’s full episode below.

Video: Why ‘The Korean Zombie’ was so cool and such a beloved UFC fighter

“The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung was an all-action fighter who will certainly be missed after retiring at UFC Singapore.

“The Korean Zombie” went out in a blaze of glory – just as you might expect.

After an entertaining first 10 minutes of action, Max Holloway scored a brutal third-round knockout of [autotag]Chan Sung Jung[/autotag] this past Saturday in the UFC Fight Night 225 headliner, a finish that may not have been made possible without “The Korean Zombie” relentlessly bringing the fight to Holloway at the onset of Round 3.

Afterward, Jung laid down his gloves and announced his retirement, making the fight a fitting way to conclude his career that was all about action. He never won a UFC title, but what made him so cool and so beloved? Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Danny Segura and Farah Hannoun answer that with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia.

You can watch their discussion in the video above or check out this week’s full episode below.

Video: Who are the standouts in this year’s $1 million PFL finals?

Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel dives into the fighters in the PFL’s 2023 playoff finals. Who will walk away with $1 million in November?

In a few months, the PFL will make six fighters instant millionaires – though some already have had that experience.

The day after the Thanksgiving holiday in the U.S., the PFL’s 2023 playoff finals take place in Washington, D.C. Of the 12 finalists, two are trying to become repeat winners. Larissa Pacheco upset Kayla Harrison in 2022 to win the women’s lightweight season. This year, she’s at featherweight. And Olivier Aubin-Mercier won the lightweight season and is back in the final again.

Who are the standouts in this year’s field? And who did we expect to be fighting for $1 million, but is staying home, instead?

Video: Does Max Holloway have a path to another UFC title shot? And if so, what is it?

Max Holloway is still at the top of his game, but he’s in a less-than-ideal scenario for a title shot coming out of UFC Singapore.

As long as former UFC featherweight champion [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] isn’t fighting Alexander Volkanovski, he apparently can’t be beat.

After an entertaining first 10 minutes of action, Holloway scored a brutal third-round knockout of Chan Sung Jung this past Saturday in the UFC Fight Night 225 headliner to reaffirm his spot as the No. 1 contender at 145.

Understandably, Holloway would like another crack at champ Volkanovski. Thing is, we’ve seen that fight play out three times already, with Holloway on the losing end of a decision all three times, including when he lost his belt to Volkanovski back in December 2019, which means the Hawaiian finds himself in a less-than-ideal scenario in his career at just 31.

Does Holloway have a path to another UFC title shot? And if so, what is it? Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Danny Segura and Farah Hannoun answer that with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia.

You can watch their discussion in the video above or check out this week’s full episode below.

Spinning Back Clique LIVE: UFC Singapore fallout, from Holloway to ‘Zombie,’ plus six $1 million PFL finals

This week’s “Spinning Back Clique” panel discusses and debates Max Holloway, the PFL finals 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, with a new special start time of 11 a.m. ET, which will lead straight into our live-streamed coverage of the Dana White’s Contender Series 60 weigh-ins in Las Vegas.

This week’s panel of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Farah Hannoun and Danny Segura will join host “Gorgeous” George Garcia live at 11 a.m. ET (8 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate:

Max Holloway’s main event KO in Singapore and his future title aspirations
“The Korean Zombie” hung up his gloves. What’s his legacy?
The PFL’s six $1 million finals are set. How’s the format working?
UFC featherweight champ Volkanovski has had some interesting thoughts
New UFC champ Sean O’Malley’s opening odds vs. Marlon Vera
Plus, the panel members will discuss the Tommy Fury press conference melee and their favorite fight of the year so far.

Video: Dana White’s Contender Series has produced two UFC champs, but who did it best?

Dana White’s Contender Series has produced a second UFC champion, but who did it best between Sean O’Malley and Jamahal Hill?

Dana White’s Contender Series began as a new entry for regional prospects to make it to the big stage, but it has now become a serious contender pipeline that has produced more than one UFC champion.

[autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] was the first DWCS veteran to become a UFC champ by defeating Glover Teixeira in a gutsy unanimous decision win at UFC 283. “Sweet Dreams” displayed a cool, confident demeanor as he took out the world’s best light heavyweights on the way to the title.

The second was none other than “Sugar” [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag], who always believed he would become one of the sport’s biggest stars, way before the colorful hair and vibrant wardrobe. At UFC 292, he achieved his crowning moment by stopping Aljamain Sterling.

With two DWCS veterans etching their names in the history books, it raises the question: Which fighter did it better?

Was it O’Malley, who captured gold in his ninth UFC victory or Hill who only needed six wins to reach champion status? Furthermore, which fighter has a brighter future from this point forward?

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MMA Junkie’s “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Brian Garcia, Nolan King and Mike Bohn joined host “Gorgeous” George Garcia and debated which DWCS veteran did it best.

Watch the segment above, and Monday’s complete episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below.

Video: Will Ian Machado Garry’s rise to UFC gold unfold as he’s predicted?

Ian Machado Garry predicts that in four fights he’ll be 17-0 in MMA and have the UFC welterweight title around his waist.

[autotag]Ian Machado Garry[/autotag] has the utmost confidence UFC welterweight gold will eventually be wrapped around his waist, and he thinks there’s only four more fights between now and that moment happening.

Garry (13-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) breezed through what was supposed to be the toughest test of his career so far this past Saturday when he earned a lopsided unanimous decision win over divisional wins leader Neil Magny at UFC 292 in Boston.

After the fight, the 25-year-old Irishman said he’s not rushing to get to the belt, and has no intention of skipping steps. He wants someone in the top 10, the top five then the top three before moving into a title fight, but is that too ambitious?

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MMA Junkie’s “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Brian Garcia, Nolan King and Mike Bohn joined host “Gorgeous” George Garcia and debated what the future holds for Garry.

Watch the segment above, and Monday’s complete episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below.

Video: Would you rather see Zhang Weili fight Tatiana Suarez or Yan Xiaonan after UFC 292?

Zhang Weili had her way at UFC 292 and now has a choice between two worthy challengers for her next strawweight title defense.

UFC strawweight champion [autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag] had her way in the first defense of her second title reign.

This past Saturday at UFC 292, Weili dominated Amanda Lemos for 25 minutes as she won a unanimous decision by scores of 50-43, 50-44 and 49-45. Afterward, she said she was open to defending her belt next against either [autotag]Tatiana Suarez[/autotag] or fellow Chinese fighter [autotag]Yan Xiaonan[/autotag], who are ranked Nos. 4 and 3, respectively, in the UFC’s official rankings.

Maybe there isn’t a wrong answer here, but would you rather see Weili fight Suarez or Xiaonan next? Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Mike Bohn, Nolan King and Brian “Goze” Garcia answered that question with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia.

You can watch their discussion in the video above and check out this week’s full episode below.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 292.

Video: Answering the complicated ‘what’s next’ for Aljamain Sterling after UFC 292 title loss

Aljamain Sterling finds himself in a tough position coming out of UFC 292.

[autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] finds himself in a tough position coming out of UFC 292.

Sterling lost the bantamweight championship this past Saturday in Boston where Sean O’Malley caught him with a counter right hand and won by second-round TKO to end his title reign after more than two years.

Heading into UFC 292, Sterling talked about leaving the division and moving up to featherweight to challenge Alexander Volkanovski for a second UFC belt, which would clear the way for good friend and teammate Merab Dvalishvili to fight for 135-pound gold. But after the loss, Sterling questioned moving up considering how O’Malley dropped him.

It’s a complicated question given the circumstances, but what’s next for Sterling after the loss? Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Mike Bohn, Nolan King and Brian “Goze” Garcia answered that question with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia.

You can watch their discussion in the video above and check out this week’s full episode below.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 292.