Spinning Back Clique LIVE (noon ET): Fighter of the Year awards review, 2025 MMA predictions, interview with Eddie Alvarez

On “Spinning Back Clique,” our panel discusses our Fighter of the Year awards, 2025 MMA predictions, plus we interview Eddie Alvarez.

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 Dan Tom, Matt Wells, Mike Bohn will join host Danny Segura live at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate the following topics:

  • We chat with former UFC and Bellator champion [autotag]Eddie Alvarez[/autotag], who returns to the ring on Jan. 25 to headline BKFC Knucklemania 5 against fellow veteran Jeremy Stephens. We discuss his return fight and career, along with some of the recent things happening in MMA.
  • Last week, we announced the winners of MMA Junkie’s 2024 Male and Female Fighter of the Year. We reflect on the winners’ years, who were UFC champion [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] and PFL’s [autotag]Dakota Ditcheva[/autotag], and discuss what could be in store for them in 2025.
  • Keeping the 2025 theme. The panel gives their bold predictions and wishes for MMA in 2025. We also discuss each chance of the current UFC champions being able to hold onto their belt till the end of the year.
  • Lastly, to end the show, we go over some of the recent headlines in MMA, including [autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag] returning to the UFC’s testing pool in hopes to make a comeback from retirement, [autotag]Mike Perry[/autotag]’s callout of [autotag]Robbie Lawler[/autotag] for BKFC fight, [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag]’s comments on a potential move to light heavyweight, and much more.

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Chael Sonnen ‘so completely for’ Robert Whittaker move to light heavyweight

Robert Whittaker has been thinking about moving up in weight. Chael Sonnen loves that idea.

Former UFC middleweight champion [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] is contemplating a move to light heavyweight, which is something [autotag]Chael Sonnen[/autotag] would love to see.

Sonnen can speak from experience because he challenged for the UFC middleweight and light heavyweight titles – in back-to-back fights, no less.

With Whittaker’s career in an interesting place, Sonnen would love to see the former champ make the move up to 205 pounds because he believes there are advantages, and returning to 170 pounds where he began his UFC career is not an option.

“Let’s encourage that,” Sonnen said on his YouTube channel. “I am so completely for that idea, and I don’t totally know what would happen. I just know I’ve never seen Robert Whittaker quit ever. And I also know another thing: The old expression ‘father time catches everyone,’ that’s not what’s happening with Whittaker.”

While Sonnen acknowledges Whittaker, 34, is approaching the tail end of his career, he doesn’t believe it’s a major concern just yet. Sonnen credits Whittaker’s recent loss to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 308 as a result of simply being caught against a tough, undefeated opponent.

With age, comes a drop off in speed and slower reaction time. Sonnen believes as those days get closer, Whittaker can take advantage of still being a speedy fighter by taking on larger fighters now.

“A great way to mask it is to go up in weight, because those guys are slower,” Sonnen said. “There has always been the misconception that size is better. It doesn’t matter how many times it gets shown to the audience that size is a detractor. It got shown to the world Saturday in (Tyson) Fury vs. (Oleksandr) Usyk. The whole world saw it. There is no such thing as a reach advantage, a height advantage, or a size advantage.

“The word advantage just means more. In the world of fighting when they say he has a reach advantage, they’ve used the wrong word. They’ve used the wrong word from the history of time, but it’s reprogrammed people. It just means he more reach. Height advantage, it just means he’s got more height, but statistically speaking, they’re not going to show me a time when that’s actually been an advantage.”

Considering the logjam at the top of the middleweight division, the shorter path to a UFC title may be in the light heavyweight division. Sonnen believes the title picture is so convoluted at the moment, and Whittaker doesn’t embrace the entertainment side of the business to jump the line.

Despite believing Whittaker still possesses the skills to caputre gold in the division, Sonnen thinks his best move is to change weight classes.

“I love the idea of him going to 205 pounds,” Sonnen said. “… Robert Whittaker vs. Anthony Smith is very interesting to me. … Right off the bat, I can see meaningful matches for Robert Whittaker at 205 pounds, and you know what I can’t do? He would be a top draw, and I would not disrespect Robert Whittaker, but I don’t have a match that’s jumping off the page for me at 185.

“Robert Whittaker vs. Khalil Rountree is a main event, right now. I just like the idea of 205.”

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Robert Whittaker shares Israel Adesanya vs. Nassourdine Imavov prediction

Robert Whittaker is not ready to write off fellow former UFC middleweight champ Israel Adesanya just yet.

[autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] is not ready to write off fellow former UFC middleweight champion [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] just yet.

Adesanya (24-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC) will look to snap a two-fight losing skid when he takes on Nassourdine Imavov (15-4 MMA, 7-2 UFC) on Feb. 1 in the UFC Fight Night 250 headliner at ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Adesanya’s two losses came in title fights against Sean Strickland and most recently current UFC middleweight champ Dricus Du Plessis. Whittaker (27-8 MMA, 17-6 UFC) rates Imavov’s skills highly but isn’t sure he has the style to beat Adesanya.

“I’d have to lean into Izzy being the the favorite,” Whittaker said on his MMArcade Podcast. “Like he’s so good at what he does, but Imavov’s a bit of a dog. He can go the distance. His striking is good. I can see him pushing the pace, pushing the pressure to try to make Adesanya make errors much like how Dricus (Du Plessis) fought him. I can’t say better standup because Dricus’ standup is just a different type of standup, a different approach.

“Is Imavov as tanky as Dricus? Because I think Dricus made like a really good blueprint on how to beat Adesanya, make him uncomfortable and go at him. Make him stress, don’t give him space to play. I think Imavov’s got the skillset to do that, but I’d still lean on Izzy being the favorite. He can fight that counter style so well and if you don’t fall into his baits, into his traps, he’ll pick you apart.”

According to DraftKings, Adesanya is a moderate -185 favorite over Imavov, who’s a +154 underdog. Whittaker agrees with the betting odds.

“Izzy looked so good against Dricus until he didn’t,” Whittaker said. “I don’t know, I think that Izzy beats Imavov.”

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

Robert Whittaker backs Khamzat Chimaev to beat UFC champ Alex Pereira

Robert Whittaker sees Khamzat Chimaev’s grappling being too much for UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira.

[autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] sees [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag]’s grappling being too much for UFC light heavyweight champion [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag].

Whittaker experienced Chimaev’s grappling prowess first hand when he was quickly submitted by the undefeated star in their middleweight matchup this past October at UFC 308.

After Pereira (12-2 MMA, 9-1 UFC) teased that his next fight could be a curveball, Whittaker assessed how a hypothetical matchup between Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) and “Poatan” would go at 205 pounds.

“I saw a rumor that Chimaev might go up and fight Pereira,” Whittaker said on his MMArcade Podcast. “Imagine that. Chimeav (will win). Not easily, Chimaev though. Unless the heavyweight strength changes the dynamic. Chimaev will get the takedown and it’s just that he’s good at what he does, he plays into his strengths.”

However, if Chimaev can’t keep up his intense pace throughout, Whittaker thinks Pereira will heavily make him pay on the feet.

“But let’s say hypothetically, Chimaev slows down, gasses a little bit, Pereira won’t,” Whittaker said. “He can strike asleep, dead tired, dude’s been doing it his whole life. He’ll kill Chimaev in a standup.

“It won’t be like that (Kamaru) Usman-Chimaev fight where Usman was kind of outboxing him a little bit at that period when Chimaev got tired. It will be a slaughter. But does it go that far?”

Whittaker (27-8 MMA, 17-6 UFC) had his teeth crushed in his first-round submission loss to Chimaev, requiring him to undergo dental surgery.

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Robert Whittaker rules out one future move, but ex-UFC champ might try 205

It’s been more than a decade since Robert Whittaker dipped down to 170 pounds.

It’s been more than a decade since [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] dipped down to 170 pounds, and best believe he doesn’t have designs on heading back there again.

Whittaker won “The Smashes” season (UK vs. Australia) of “The Ultimate Fighter” in 2012 at 170 pounds and stayed there through his first five fights in the UFC for a ho-hum 3-2 record. But the Aussie turned up the heat when he moved to 185 pounds in 2014.

After six straight wins at middleweight, he beat Yoel Romero to win the interim middleweight title, then beat him again in a rematch. Whittaker lost the title in 2019, but has gone 6-3 since then and stayed constantly in the hunt in title fights and title eliminators.

One thing Whittaker says he doesn’t like about recent MMA trends is champions putting their divisions on hold for other contenders while they chase second titles either up a weight class or down.

And Whittaker said if he was a titleholder right now, his attitude probably would be different. But at the very least, he knows there’s only one direction he would go if he did change weight classes.

“When champs go up or down, it stalls the division out so hard – so hard. Don’t get me wrong – I’d be doing the same thing. I’m no saint here. I care about my own agenda, as well,” Whittaker told the MMArcade Podcast.

“I wouldn’t go down – I can’t go down. I’m still playing with the idea of going up to light heavy(weight). I’m a big dude – much bigger than people think I am.”

The 34-year-old Whittaker (26-8 MMA, 17-6 UFC) in October was submitted in the first round by Khamzat Chimaev with a brutal face crank at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi. He posted graphic details of a post-fight surgery that was required in the wake of the loss.

That loss came on the heels of back-to-back wins over Paulo Costa and Ikram Aliskerov earlier this year, which had him back in the hunt after two losses in three fights to rival Israel Adesanya in a title shot and current champ Dricus Du Plessis in a title eliminator.

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Robert Whittaker: Khamzat Chimaev beats UFC 312 headliners Dricus Du Plessis, Sean Strickland

Robert Whittaker doesn’t see how Dricus Du Plessis or Sean Strickland could stop Khamzat Chimaev’s grappling.

[autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] doesn’t see how [autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag] or [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] can stop [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag]’s grappling.

Middleweight champion Du Plessis (22-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC) will rematch Strickland (29-6 MMA, 16-6 UFC) in the UFC 312 main event Feb. 8 at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney.

Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC), who ran through Whittaker for a first-round submission at UFC 308 in October, is expected to face the winner.

Whittaker had his teeth crushed by Chimaev’s face crank when they clashed, and the former champ doesn’t see Du Plessis or Strickland being able to stop Chimaev’s first explosive takedown.

“I think he just takes them down and does the same thing, like not necessarily to me but how he beat (Kamaru) Usman or how he beat Gilbert Burns,” Whittaker said on his “MMArcade Podcast.” “I can see those sort of fights.

“I think he’d have more success with Strickland than Du Plessis just because Du Plessis is like a big dude. Stopping that first takedown is so crazy. The way he shoots that first shot is crazy. How do you stop that dude? Jump over him?”

Du Plessis edged Strickland by split decision in their first meeting at UFC 297. Despite it being a close contest, Whittaker doesn’t think Strickland can make the adjustments to avenge his loss.

“In my opinion, I don’t see the fight going any different,” Whittaker said. “Du Plessis is such a dog in there. He’s going to come with the same aggressiveness and game plan. What could Sean do differently to change the outcome than last time?”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 312.

Robert Whittaker admits to being outmatched by Khamzat Chimaev: ‘How do you stop that takedown?’

Robert Whittaker acknowledges that there wasn’t much he could do to stop Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 308.

[autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] acknowledges that there wasn’t much he could do to stop [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] from taking him down.

Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) ran through Whittaker (26-8 MMA, 17-6 UFC) for a first-round submission in their middleweight bout at UFC 308. The face-crank win resulted in Whittaker needing dental surgery. Whittaker broke down how the fight went down and rated Chimaev’s strength.

“Within seconds of the fight starting, I felt real comfortable standing with him, like real comfortable,” Whittaker said on his “MMArcade Podcast.” “Then the dude drops to like a millimeter. How do you stop that takedown? We did a lot of wrestling, we did a lot of wall work, but it’s so hard to replicate that sort of takedown, that sort of commitment. Props to him. Guy knows his strength and played into them to a tee and is willing to burn it all there for it.

“Takedown goes in, ankle picks me off the fence, it was a great takedown. It was a beautiful takedown. But then we get to the wall work, and I felt good. Like, he has really heavy sag. He’s not ridiculously strong or anything like that, but he had really heavy sag, and he was really good at making me work. He was really good and making sure he was active. He was always reaching for under-hooks, reaching for ankle picks, trying to get a hook in. Making me work, staying active.”

Whittaker was prepared for Chimaev’s explosive start but didn’t expect the face crank to cause so much damage.

“Even then, I knew that the squeeze that he was pushing on was going to be very hard to sustain that throughout the rounds,” Whittaker said. “We had five rounds, right? And I could feel some of the space opening up later on.

“Obviously it happens, we transition, then he puts his forearm across my face for the face crank. It was just picture perfect, landed square between my chin and my lip. It hits right there and instantly my teeth gave out. Obviously the squeezing after didn’t help, but they just gave out.”

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Robert Whittaker reveals shocking discovery from post-UFC 308 dental surgery

Robert Whittaker has opened up on the extent of the damage he suffered in his loss to Khamzat Chimaev.

[autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] opened up on the extent of the damage he suffered in his loss to Khamzat Chimaev.

Whittaker (26-8 MMA, 17-6 UFC) was submitted by Chimaev in the first round of their middleweight bout at UFC 308. As soon as Chimaev secured a face crank on Whittaker, the former champion immediately tapped. Whittaker’s quick reaction was due to getting his bottom teeth moved out of place, an injury which required dental surgery.

“Well, I’ve always kind of had bad bottom teeth, because I’ve had missing teeth (at the top) for like 10 years plus,” Whittaker said on his “MMArcade Podcast”. “So, they’ve always kind of been shot because they’re not stable. They’re not a full circuit. They’re like half. Over the years, trauma, whatever, it’s something that kind of needed to be addressed.

“But every dentist and their friend were saying always try and keep your real teeth. I should’ve gotten rid of them years ago. The Dricus (Du Plessis) fight, they got pushed in a little bit. I had a cast in there, let them settle, yada yada yada, move on. Then when I fought Ikram (Aliskerov), I had all the infections, had to get four root canals, and I think the teeth had just had it, mate.”

Upon undergoing surgery, Whittaker said doctors discovered something that likely played a big factor in all the dental problems he’s had over the years.

“I haven’t been able to bite down on an apple since I was 19,” Whittaker said. “They (teeth) have always been bad, and I should’ve dealt with them much sooner. They’re just gone, don’t need them. My life is better without them.

“Fun fact, though: When they took them out, they found a massive cyst in my jaw, and they think that might have been where the infections were coming from for the teeth. So, everything happens for a reason.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.

Overreaction Time: Ilia Topuria era upon us, Khamzat Chimaev the boogeyman, Dana White goes too far, more!

Check out the latest episode of “Overreaction Time” as host Simon Samano and Nolan King cover the fallout from UFC 308 and much more.

The time for overreacting is here!

Check out the latest episode of “Overreaction Time” at noon ET/9 a.m. PT as host Simon Samano and MMA Junkie reporter Nolan King debate these “overreactions” on the following topics in mixed martial arts:

  • [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] will STILL be UFC featherweight champion at the end of 2025.
  • [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] is unstoppable and therefore his UFC title reign is inevitable.
  • Forget about [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] and [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] ever reclaiming UFC titles.
  • [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] is COMPLETELY out of bounds and full of sh*t when it comes to [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag].
  • The antitrust settlement approval feels like a bigger win for the UFC than the fighters.
  • Monday’s headline will read: ‘[autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag], [autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag] primed for UFC title shots’

Watch the full episode in the video above.

UFC 308 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Ilia Topuria’s $42,000 leads card

Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway combined for $74,000 of the Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay for UFC 308.

ABU DHABI – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 308 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $252,000.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC 308 took place at Etihad Arena on Yas Island. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN+

The full UFC 308 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag]: $42,000
def. [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag]: $32,000

[autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Magomed Ankalaev[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Aleksandar Rakic[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Lerone Murphy[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Dan Ige[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Shara Magomedov[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Armen Petrosyan[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Ibo Aslan[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Rafael Cerqueira[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Geoff Neal[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Rafael dos Anjos[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Mateusz Rebecki[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Myktybek Orolbai[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Abus Magomedov[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Brunno Ferreira[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Kennedy Nzechukwu[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Chris Barnett[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Farid Basharat[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Victor Hugo[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Ismail Naurdiev[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Bruno Silva[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Rinat Fakhretdinov[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Carlos Leal[/autotag]: $4,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $6,896,000
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $29,633,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.