Spinning Back Clique LIVE (noon ET): Bold predictions for 2024, Sean O’Malley’s lofty goal, Ngannou the boxer, more
January 8, 2024 8:00 am ET
Check out this weekâs âSpinning Back Clique,â MMA Junkieâs weekly live show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.
This weekâs panel of Farah Hannoun, Brian âGozeâ Garcia and Danny Segura will join host âGorgeousâ George Garcia live at 12 p.m. ET (9 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate:
Francis Ngannou, rather than return to MMA for his next fight, has signed on to box against Anthony Joshua in March in Saudi Arabia. On the heels of his impressive boxing debut against Tyson Fury, is this Ngannouâs best move? It may be financially, but what will be the implications of staying out of MMA even longer? And does he have a shot against Joshua?
Donât let it be said UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley isnât ambitious. He said he wants to finish this calendar year as not only the biggest name in MMA, not only the biggest in combat sports â but the biggest in all of sports, period. He said it. Weâll lay out a path for him to become a bigger name than someone like Conor McGregor, for starters, and then weâll see if thereâs a way he can surpass Lionel Messi, LeBron James, Cristiano Ronaldo, Roger Federer, Neymar, Stephen Curry, Tiger Woods ⊠you get the point. So what do we make of such a lofty goal, particularly one with such a short clock to make it the prediction come true?
Middleweight has been one of the UFCâs most interesting divisions over the past few years, without question. That doesnât seem like it will change any time soon. Champ Sean Strickland takes on Dricus Du Plessis next week in Toronto, and then weâll get a little clarity on the title picture after that. But ex-champ Israel Adesanya said a return may be sooner than everyone originally thought â and thereâs speculation he might want to move to light heavyweight. And then thereâs Khamzat Chimaev, whose struggles on the scale at welterweight have him at 185 now. But he also said a recent sickness has knocked him back a few stpes. Weâll look at the upcoming options and make some predictions.
Jim Miller and Andrei Arlovski are on the bill Saturday at UFC Fight Night 234 in Las Vegas, the promotionâs first event of the new year. Lightweight Miller and former heavyweight champ Arlovski have their names all over the UFCâs record books. Theyâre both at the top of the lists for total fights (42 and 40, respectively) and wins (25 and 23). Whoâs most likely to extend those records in 2024?
Weâll hit quick and split to close out with some predictions for 2024 about UFC champs, the weight classes most likely to see some champion turnover, whoâs ready to break into the next level, whoâs ready to call it quits and more.
âSpinning Back Cliqueâ is released each Monday LIVE on MMA Junkieâs YouTube channel at noon ET. You can also find each episode on your favorite podcast platforms â including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and more â on Tuesday mornings.
Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.
