Spinning Back Clique: 2022 in review for UFC, Bellator, PFL, ONE, plus judging, betting and Cain Velasquez

Join us for this week’s stream of “Spinning Back Clique” looking at the biggest news and topics in MMA.

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, Mike Bohn and Nolan King joined host “Gorgeous” George Garcia.

  • 2022 year in review: We dive into the UFC, Bellator, PFL and ONE Championship, in particular and wonder if there’s a new pecking order after the UFC’s spot at the top of the heap.
  • Changing of the guard: Each of the four major promotions got plenty of new champions this year. The UFC had eight new titleholders in 2022. There were four new champs in Bellator, five in ONE, and in the PFL, every 2022 season winner was a new $1 million champ with no repeats from previous seasons. Does that make MMA more fun, or is there something to be said for dynasty champions?
  • Judging in MMA: When even the UFC’s lead play-by-play voice, Jon Anik, says judging in MMA never has been worse, that could be the sign of a problem. The fallout from Doug Crosby’s back-to-back nights of odd scoring in Bellator and the UFC continues. What do we want to see improve for judging in 2023?
  • Gambling in MMA: Speaking of fallout, the story about betting on MMA is far from over. Former UFC fighter and highly regarded coach [autotag]James Krause[/autotag] and others in his circle are under investigation at the federal level for possible fight fixing. Given what we know so far, what are our takeaways?
  • The Cain Velasquez saga: Former UFC heavyweight champion [autotag]Cain Velasquez[/autotag] was arrested earlier this year on charges that included attempted murder. After more than 250 days in jail, he finally had a judge grant him bail, and he is free pending the outcome of his trial. He even got to take part in a lucha libre event in Arizona earlier this month. It’s a polarizing topic, but how do we feel about it so far?

“Spinning Back Clique” is released each Monday LIVE on MMA Junkie’s YouTube channel. You can watch this week’s episode in the video above. Normally live, this week’s episode was pre-recorded.

[listicle id=2606920]