Spinning Back Clique: Agree with Dana White? Was UFC 248 main event letdown Yoel Romero’s fault?
Welcome to “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts. In this week’s episode, “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” are joined by guest Eric Nicksick of Xtreme Couture to unpack the fallout from an eventful – and uneventful – UFC 248 and more.
SHOW RUNDOWN:
- The UFC 248 headliner between middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and Yoel Romero was anything but the war we all expected, with Adesanya winning a bizarre snooze-fest by unanimous decision to retain his title. Afterward, UFC president Dana White placed all of the blame on Romero, who, at 42, received this title shot despite a two-fight losing streak. The way White sees it, it was on him to go all out and win the title. Do we agree?
- On the complete opposite spectrum of the UFC 248 headliner was the co-main event, an instant classic that saw strawweight champion Zhang Weili retain her title by winning a split decision against Joanna Jedrzejczyk. What did we learn about both women after such an incredible and brutal title fight?
- With UFC 248 out of the way, UFC 249 is the next pay-per-view, and you know what that means: Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson finally will attempt to meet inside the octagon after four failed bookings. Before they do, though, they came face to face at the first UFC 249 news conference in Las Vegas, and it was quite the intense experience. We share our takeaways.
- Sean O’Malley and Neil Magny returned to the octagon at UFC 248 after dealing with lengthy ordeals involving the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, which ultimately resulted in their exoneration. And both men looked good in claiming victories. What do we think is next as they try to get their career back on track?
- In a story from out of left field, UFC featherweight Brian Ortega allegedly attacked Jay Park, rapper and friend of “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung, while sitting cageside at UFC 248. The incident, which was caught on video, is so unlike anything we’d expect from Ortega given the character he’s shown through the years. We react to what transpired.
For answers to all of those questions, watch Episode 19 of “Spinning Back Clique” above.
Spinning Back Clique: Agree with Dana White? Was UFC 248 main event letdown Yoel Romero's fault?