Spinning Back Clique: Francis Ngannou’s UFC exit opens door for Jones vs. Gane, more

Join us for this week’s “Spinning Back Clique” discussing a big past week of news and developments in the UFC and Bellator.

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 Nolan King, Farah Hannoun and Brian “Goze” Garcia will join host “Gorgeous” George Garcia live at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate:

  • [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag]: With heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou moving on, the UFC has booked a vacant title fight between Jones and Gane to headline UFC 285 on March 4 in Las Vegas. What do we think of the matchup as Jones’ heavyweight debut following a more than three-year absence?
  • [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] departing the UFC: Promotional brass and Ngannou negotiated on a new contract for two years, which ultimately failed to materialize. What’s next for Ngannou and what does this mean for the UFC?
  • [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] addressing the media about his domestic violence: For the first time since his TMZ interview, White spoke with reporters last week about the New Year’s Eve incident in which he was caught on camera slapping his wife. What do we think of how he handled it and the fact that he’ll be left unpunished for what he did?
  • The Bellator lightweight grand prix: The promotion announced last week that a $1 million tournament at 155 pounds is taking place, beginning March 10 with the first two quarterfinal matchups at Bellator 290: champion Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Benson Henderson, and Tofiq Musayev vs. Alexander Shabliy. Mansour Barnaoui vs. Sidney Outlaw also was booked for Bellator Paris on May 12, leaving A.J. McKee to fight Patricky Freire at an event to be determined. Do we love the field and pairings?
  • UFC 286 main and co-main events: Two big bouts atop UFC 286 in London are official. As expected, [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] will defend the welterweight title in a trilogy bout with [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] in the headliner, while the co-main event will feature a lightweight showdown between [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] and [autotag]Rafael Fiziev[/autotag]. What are our initial thoughts on these to matchups?

“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.