Category: Spinning Back Clique

Video: What’s the excitement level for Season 7 of Dana White’s Contender Series?

Season 7 of Dana White’s Contender Series kicks off Tuesday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, but does this year have as much hype as the past?

It’s that time of year again. Season 7 of Dana White’s Contender Series kicks off Tuesday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, and the series that has produced a plethora of UFC notables will look to do it again.

Notable prospects from around the globe are set to step in the cage and have their performances assessed by UFC president [autotag]Dana White[/autotag]. Are they worthy of a UFC contract? Are they special? Or is more work needed before officially stepping in the octagon?

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The season does not lack the potential star power of some past years, but should that matter? Is there still interest there?

That’s what the “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Mike Bohn, Nolan King and Farah Hannoun discussed with host George Garcia ahead of DWCS 57 tonight, which begins at 7 p.m. ET and streams on ESPN+.

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

Video: Was Dana White wrong to reportedly walk out on Cory Sandhagen’s UFC on ESPN 50 win?

Cory Sandhagen has received all sorts of backlash for his dominant performance over Rob Font, but is it justified given his injury?

[autotag]Cory Sandhagen[/autotag] has received all sorts of backlash for his dominant performance over Rob Font in the UFC on ESPN 50, despite the fact he suffered a torn tricep in the opening round.

Sandhagen (17-4 MMA, 10-3 UFC) was showered with boos inside Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., on Saturday, when he used his superior grappling game to overwhelm Font on the mat en route to a unanimous decision win in the 140-pound catchweight fight.

UFC president Dana White reportedly walked away from cageside in the middle of the contest, and fellow fighters have trashed Sandhagen for the dull performance.

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Does Sandhagen deserve heat for how the fight unfolded, or should he get a mulligan given the severity of his injury, which will require surgery later this week.

MMA Junkie’s “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Mike Bohn, Farah Hannoun, Nolan King and host George Garcia discussed that and more on the latest edition of the show.

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

Video: Reaction to Nate Diaz’s loss to Jake Paul and Conor McGregor’s criticism

There are all sorts of storylines stemming from Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz, including a possible rematch, Conor McGregor’s criticism and more.

[autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag]’s came up short in his first professional boxing venture on Saturday when he lost a unanimous decision to [autotag]Jake Paul[/autotag] in Dallas.

There are all sorts of storylines stemming from the fallout of the contest, from the possibility of a Diaz vs. Paul rematch in MMA, Conor McGregor’s harsh words for Diaz’s performance and more.

MMA Junkie’s “Spinning Back Clique” panel with Farah Hannoun, Nolan King, Mike Bohn and host George Garcia examined the fallout of the fight and what’s going to happen with all involved going forward.

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

Bellator 298: Make your predictions for Logan Storley vs. Brennan Ward, Valentin Moldavsky vs. Steve Mowry

We want your predictions for Friday’s Bellator 298 event in South Dakota.

We want your predictions for Friday’s Bellator 298 event in South Dakota.

Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET (6 p.m. PT).

Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the Bellator 298 main card staff predictions we release Thursday ahead of the event. Bellator 298 takes place Friday at Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Make your picks for the main card fights below.

 

Dana White’s Contender Series 57 weigh-in results: Perfect session in Las Vegas for season premiere

Check out results and a live video stream from the official Dana White’s Contender Series 57 fighter weigh-ins in Las Vegs.

LAS VEGAS – MMA Junkie was on scene and reporting live from Monday’s official Dana White’s Contender Series 57 weigh-ins, where all 10 fighters on the card hit their marks for the season premiere.

Ten fighters will vie for UFC contracts in their fights, including Brazilian middleweights Cesar Almeida (3-0) and Lucas Fernando (9-1), who headline the show. Fernando came in at 186 pounds. His fellow Brazilian Almeida was 185.5.

The weigh-ins took place at the UFC host hotel in Las Vegas. The UFC Apex hosts Tuesday’s card, which streams on ESPN+.

The full Dana White’s Contender Series 57 weigh-in results included:

MAIN CARD (ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET)

  • Cesar Almeida (185.5) vs. Lucas Fernando (186)
  • Bogdan Grad (156) vs. Tom Nolan (155)
  • Caio Machado (256) vs. Kevin Szaflarski (260.5)
  • Junior Cortez (135.5) vs. Payton Talbott (135.5)
  • Kevin Borjas (125.5) vs. Victor Dias (126)

Spinning Back Clique LIVE: Paul vs. Diaz fallout, UFC Nashville reaction, DWCS return, more

This week’s “Spinning Back Clique” discusses and debates the big winners and fallout from Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz, UFC Nashville 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 weigh-ins in Las Vegas.

This week’s panel of Farah Hannoun, 2022 MMA Journalist of the Year nominee Mike Bohn and 2023 MMA Journalist of the Year nominee Nolan King will join host “Gorgeous” George Garcia live at 11 a.m. ET (8 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate:

  • Reaction to Jake Paul’s victory over Nate Diaz, potential MMA rematch
  • Does Cory Sandhagen deserve criticism for UFC on ESPN 50 win?
  • Is Tatiana Suarez deserving of title shot after UFC on ESPN 50?
  • Other standout performances from UFC on ESPN 50
  • Excitement level for Tuesday’s return of Dana White’s Contender Series
  • Plus, the panel members will discuss their interest in Nick Diaz vs. one of the Paul Brothers and whether or not boxing came out ahead of MMA and the UFC this past Saturday.

Video: Discussing the fallout of Stephen Thompson’s decision to not fight at UFC 291

Our “Spinning Back Clique” debates Stephen Thompson’s decision to not fight Michel Pereira at UFC 291 after he missed weight.

Stephen Thompson did everything right leading up to UFC 291, and yet he didn’t compete.

Thompson’s opponent, Michel Pereira, missed weight at the official weigh-ins the day before the event, which led to the cancellation of their main card welterweight bout.

“Wonderboy” released a statement explaining his decision to not accept the fight with Pereira, pointing to past experiences with opponents missing weight, and more. While his reasons for passing on the fight made sense to many, the promotion decided Thompson would not be compensated for showing up and making weight.

Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Danny Segura, Farah Hannoun and Brian “Goze” Garcia discuss the fallout of Thompson’s decision with “Gorgeous” George Garcia.

You can watch their segment in the video above and check out the full episode below.

 

Video: Should Derrick Lewis re-sign with UFC or pursue other options?

Our “Spinning Back Clique” debates if entertaining heavyweight Derrick Lewis should stay with the UFC or look at moving to a new promotion.

Former UFC heavyweight title challenger [autotag]Derrick Lewis[/autotag] has completed his contract and could explore free agency.

At UFC 291, Lewis fought the final fight on his contract, and reminded everyone watching why he’s a must-have talent on the roster. “The Black Beast” needed just 33 seconds to finish Marcos Rogerio de Lima after darting across the cage at the start with a flying knee ala Jorge Masvidal vs. Ben Askren.

Since 2014, Lewis has been a mainstay in big spots on UFC cards. But is it time for both parties to go their separate ways? Could a massive payday be right around the corner if Lewis were to go to the PFL for a potential massive rematch against Francis Ngannou? Lewis has said he wants to stay put for one more run at the title, but is that his best option?

Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Danny Segura, Farah Hannoun and Brian “Goze” Garcia discuss potential options in Lewis’ future with “Gorgeous” George Garcia.

You can watch their segment in the video above and check out the full episode below.

Video: Should Alex Pereira be one half of vacant UFC light heavyweight title fight?

It may not be long before Alex Pereira is fighting for UFC gold once again.

After [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] lost the middleweight title back to Israel Adesanya, he moved up to light heavyweight for the first time this past Saturday at UFC 291 and had a victorious divisional debut with a split decision against former 205-pound champion Jan Blachowicz.

It may not have been the splash performance Pereira was hoping for, but he beat a recent former champion nonetheless.

The UFC title is vacant – again – at light heavyweight, so the question is simple: Should Pereira be one of the two who eventually fights for the belt?

Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Danny Segura, Farah Hannoun and Brian “Goze” Garcia tried to lay out a roadmap for Poirier’s future with “Gorgeous” George Garcia.

You can watch their segment in the video above and check out the full episode below.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 291.

Video: How can Dustin Poirier rebound from UFC 291 knockout loss to Justin Gaethje?

Dustin Poirier finds himself at a career crossroads after his knockout loss to Justin Gaethje at UFC 291.

Unfortunately for [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag], he’s all too familiar with losses in title fights.

Just as impressive as Justin Gaethje’s knockout was in their “BMF” title fight at UFC 291, it was just as devastating for Poirier, although the former interim lightweight champ seemingly took it in stride.

Poirier, who’s come up short in two undisputed title fights, has often expressed just how badly he wants to be undisputed champion at 155 pounds, but he’ll be set back in the title picture for now –and may consider retirement.

How can he rebound? Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Danny Segura, Farah Hannoun and Brian “Goze” Garcia tried to lay out a roadmap for Poirier’s future with “Gorgeous” George Garcia.

You can watch their segment in the video above and check out the full episode below.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 291.