Spinning Back Clique: Is Anderson Silva really retired? And is Khabib coming back?

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 the panel of MMA Junkie Radio hosts “Gorgeous” George and “Goze,” as well as MMA Junkie’s lead staff reporter John Morgan. Let’s get after it!

SHOW TOPICS

• Anderson Silva brought the curtain down on his UFC career after his defeat to Uriah Hall at UFC on ESPN+ 39 in Las Vegas. But the Brazilian was very careful to not completely shut the door on his fighting career as a whole. Does this mean we haven’t seen the last of “The Spider” inside a combat sports setting?
• While Khabib Nurmagomedov’s retirement announcement after UFC 254 certainly seemed genuine at the time, there’s a suggestion that “The Eagle” could still be tempted back for at least one more fight, with Dana White saying he felt “pretty good” about the still-UFC lightweight champion making a return to action. If Khabib really is set to return, who should he face in his quest to get to 30-0?
• The post-fight press conference in Vegas also revealed that middleweight champion Israel Adesanya’s next fight will likely see him move up to 205 pounds to challenge Jan Blachowicz for the UFC light heavyweight title. It’s a fight with a huge potential upside for both fighters, but looking at the landscape at 185 and 205 pounds as a whole, is it really the right fight to make?
• Saturday night was a big night for heavyweight Greg Hardy, who showed his continued development in his finish of Maurice Greene in their main card bout. It means “The Prince of War” is knocking on the door of the division’s big names, but is Hardy ready to face ranked opposition, or does he still need a little more seasoning before making that jump up in class?
• And finally, aside from the UFC show in Vegas, last week saw a packed slate of events for MMA fans, with Bellator 250 on Thursday in Uncasville, ONE Championship 118 in Singapore on Friday and a double-header of Cage Fury Fighting Championship events in Philadelphia on Thursday and Friday. We asked the panel to share their favorite moments from the best of the non-UFC action on offer last weekend.

For answers to all of those questions, watch Episode 51 of “Spinning Back Clique” above.