Spinning Back Clique: UFC-Bellator bantamweight supremacy, Paul-Woodley 2, UFC 269

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

This week, we look back at the UFC on ESPN 31 and Bellator 272 bantamweight headliners, as well as look ahead to the unexpected Jake Paul-Tyron Woodley rematch and this weekend’s UFC 269.

Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Nolan King, Matthew Wells and “Gorgeous” George Garcia discuss these topics with host John Morgan.

• This past weekend saw a couple of incredible bantamweight main events, starting Sergio Pettis, who had a tough time with Kyoji Horiguchi but ultimately delivered a “Knockout of the Year” contender to retain his bantamweight title at Bellator 272. That belt is going up for grabs next year in a bantamweight grand prix, so let’s ask: Is Pettis the odds on favorite to retain the belt all the way through the tournament?
• Meanwhile, over at UFC on ESPN 31, Jose Aldo proved he’s still very relevant at 135 pounds with a clear-cut decision win over Rob Font. After the fight, Aldo said a matchup with T.J. Dillashaw appeals to him next while they wait on the title unification bout between Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan. Lot of great names at the top of that division, but Bellator president Scott Coker said his grand prix will determine the best 135 pounder in the world. The question: Is he right? Does Bellator have a better bantamweight division than the UFC right now?
• Well, Jake Paul was set to box Tommy Fury later this month in a fight that we wouldn’t have to care much about here at MMA Junkie, but now Fury is out, and former UFC champion Tyron Woodley is getting the rematch he had been campaigning for since their first meeting. That’s right, just when we thought we were out, they pulled us back in. Now that it’s a reality, how excited are you? And is there any way it goes differently than the first time?
• The UFC’s final pay-per-view event of the year takes place this week with UFC 269, and two veterans top the bill, with Charles Oliveira defending his lightweight title against Dustin Poirier. Both of these guys are so deserving of the spotlight given their journeys in the sport, but who has more on the line here? Who might really be feeling the pressure Saturday night?
• Outside of the main event, we have a stacked UFC 269 card, so which fight are you looking forward to most outside of the headliner and why?

“Spinning Back Clique” is released each Tuesday on MMA Junkie’s YouTube channel. You can watch the full episode in the video above.

      

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