Welcome to “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts. This week, Simon Head hosts and is joined by MMA Junkie Radio’s “Gorgeous” George and “Goze,” as well as MMA Junkie senior reporter Mike Bohn.

SHOW TOPICS

  • It all got a little heated cageside at UFC on ESPN 14 as Dan Hardy and Herb Dean exchanged views after Francisco Trinaldo’s third-round TKO finish of Jai Herbert. Hardy clearly was livid at what he thought was an egregious late stoppage, but Dean has since come out and defended his handling of the fight, saying there was no late stoppage. It’s sparked a lot of debate, so whose side are you on in this situation? Team Dean or Team Hardy?
  • Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker bounced back from his title defeat to Israel Adesanya as he returned from a nine-month layoff to outpoint Darren Till in Saturday night’s main event. Whittaker said afterward that he’s “championship-level,” but what did you make of his display, and do you think “Bobby Knuckles” will go on to eventually recapture the 185-pound strap?
  • Swedish grappling sensation Khamzat Chimaev was the talk of “Fight Island” this past week after registering two stoppage wins in 10 days. Now the super confident Chimaev wants to mix it up with some of the division’s best and has vowed to “smash them all.” He even called out Demian Maia and challenged the Brazilian to see whose grappling is best. Are you aboard the Chimaev hype train, or does everyone need to slow down?
  • Saturday night’s event saw a ton of callouts, but one of the most interesting came from Fabricio Werdum. The former UFC champion has beaten a who’s who of heavyweight greats, including Fedor Emelianenko. After his victory over Alexander Gustafsson, “Vai Cavalo” said he wanted to face “The Last Emperor” one more time. Does this mean the free agent is a lock to join Bellator, or do you think there’s a better landing spot for him elsewhere? And is the Fedor rematch one that you’d be excited to see 10 years later?
  • Speaking of Bellator, the promotion was back in action this weekend with Bellator 242 marking its long-awaited emergence from the COVID-19 lockdown. It was only a seven-fight card, but there were some important victories on the night. Whose performance excited you the most on Friday night at Mohegan Sun, and what did you make of Bellator’s first show back?

For answers to all of those questions, watch Episode 39 of “Spinning Back Clique” above.