Video: Buy or sell Conor McGregor making ‘greatest return in combat sports’?

Conor McGregor is confident about how his UFC return will unfold, but will it even happen?

[autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] is confident about how his UFC return will unfold, but will it even happen?

McGregor served as a coach on “The Ultimate Fighter 31” opposite Michael Chandler, with the expectation that they would fight each other inside the octagon as is customary for “TUF” coaches. Chandler is raring to go, but McGregor maybe not so much.

UFC president Dana White cast doubt last weekend about the promotion’s ability to get McGregor to sign on officially for the fight, which is made even more complicated by the fact that the former two-division champion remains out of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency drug-testing pool, which he’s required to be in for six months before he fights.

Still, in an interview just before the premiere of “TUF 31,” which airs weekly on ESPN until Aug. 15, McGregor told UFC reporter Megan Olivi that he’s prepared to make the “greatest return in combat sports.” His actions, however, say otherwise.

So are you buying or selling McGregor making good on his bold claim?

Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Farah Hannoun, Mike Bohn, and Danny Segura answer 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.

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Video: Was Kai Kara-France robbed of a win at UFC on ESPN 45 against Amir Albazi?

Our “Spinning Back Clique” debates the outcome of the UFC on ESPN 45 main event that saw Amir Albazi defeat Kai Kara-France.

The UFC on ESPN 45 main event was a close one, but the official result left a sour taste in the mouth of many.

[autotag]Kai Kara-France[/autotag] ended up on the wrong side of a split decision last Saturday against [autotag]Amir Albazi[/autotag] at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

After 25 minutes of back-and-forth action, Albazi emerged victorious with two judges issuing scores of 48-47 in his favor, while the third judge scored the fight for Kara-France. Upon closer inspection of the official scores, judge Chris Lee scored the fourth round for Albazi, which to many watching at home, felt like a round that Kara-France won. Had Lee scored the round like the other two official judges Sal D’Amato and Mike Bell, the New Zealand-based fighter would have won the decision.

But was there more to the scorecards than the fourth round? Other frames throughout the five-round bout were close, including the first.

Was this a robbery? Did Kara-France deserve to get his hand raised? Did Albazi really do enough to walk out of the cage as the winner? Was this simply a case of a very close fight that could have gone either way?

Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Farah Hannoun, Mike Bohn, and Danny Segura discuss the judges’ decision along 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: Did the first episode of ‘The Ultimate Fighter 31: Team McGregor vs. Team Chandler’ reel you in?

Our “Spinning Back Clique” discusses the first episode of the new season of TUF featuring Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler as coaches.

Did you watch the first episode of “The Ultimate Fighter 31” last week?

The new season of the UFC’s long-running reality series is underway, and we got our first look at [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] and [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] as coaches. This season runs from May 30 to Aug. 15, with teams of lightweights and bantamweights fighting their way to the final to earn a UFC contract.

In the first episode, the teams were set and the first fight took place, which only lasted eight seconds. Now that the season is rolling, are you in for the full ride to the end?

Is the dynamic between McGregor and Chandler enough to keep you coming back every week? Was there anything different that makes this season more interesting?

Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Farah Hannoun, Mike Bohn, and Danny Segura discuss the new season of TUF along 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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Spinning Back Clique: Tyson Fury vs. Jon Jones in UFC?, Conor McGregor’s uncertain future, more

Watch this week’s “Spinning Back Clique” reacting to Dana White’s grim update on Conor McGregor and much 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 Mike Bohn, Danny Segura and Farah Hannoun will join host “Gorgeous” George Garcia live at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate:

  • For weeks we’ve asked the question, “Will you tune in to ‘The Ultimate Fighter 31’? Well, the premiere episode featuring coaches [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] and [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] aired last Tuesday on ESPN. What did you think? And will you be tuning in for the entire season?
  • Focusing only on the biggest star in our sport, McGregor’s future remains unclear despite the expectation of a traditional ‘TUF’ coaches fight with Chandler. That much became clear this past Saturday when UFC president Dana White offered a grim update on getting the fight finalized. White’s assessment came on the heels of a Megan Olivi interview with McGregor in which he said he’s aiming to make “the greatest return in combat sports.” Are you buyng or selling? And if McGregor never fought in the UFC again, how would you feel about it?
  • Let’s talk about [autotag]Tyson Fury[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] in the UFC. Wait what? It’s a fight that White, who’s said before that he’s against “gimmicky-type fights,” is pushing for as he doubled down on his offer to Fury this past Saturday. Why is White suddenly into hyping up a fight between Fury and Jones, and is he serious about this?
  • The UFC on ESPN 45 headliner between [autotag]Kai Kara-France[/autotag] and [autotag]Amir Albazi[/autotag] was a solid fight that ended in controversy, with Albazi winning a close split decision despite a vast majority of media outlets (19-2) scoring it for Kara-France, who has claimed robbery. What did you think of the scores?
  • UFC 289 is top heavy, with just main and co-main events that stand out from the card. [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] returns to defend her women’s bantamweight title against [autotag]Irene Aldana[/autotag], while former champ [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] and streaking contender [autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] compete in a pivotal lightweight bout. We preview both fights ahead of Saturday night’s event in Vancouver.