Spinning Back Clique: UFC 274 recap, Conor McGregor sweepstakes and more

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.

Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Nolan King, Mike Bohn and Brian “Goze” Garcia discuss five topics with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia.

• Charles Oliveira is no longer champion lightweight after UFC 274, and it’s all because he missed weight by 0.5 pounds ahead of his main event clash with Justin Gaethje, which he won by first-round submission. The weigh-in controversy was a big storyline with multiple layers, so who was at fault?
• Oliveira is now slated to be one-half of a vacant 155-pound title fight later this year. UFC president Dana White was undecided on who will be the other half, so who should it be?
• Reaction to Michael Chandler’s shocking front kick knockout of Tony Ferguson at UFC 274 and a debate on whether the former Bellator champion should get the matchup he asked for against Conor McGregor.
• Carla Esparza’s strawweight title win over Rose Namajunas in the UFC 274 is one of the most heavily-criticized championship bouts in UFC history. Who deserves the lion’s share of the blame for the way it played out?
• PFL had its biggest event of the season with 2022 PFL 3, and the promotion’s biggest star Kayla Harrison opened her season with a unanimous decision over Marina Mokhnatkina. She wasn’t thrilled with the performance ini her first fight since a high-profile free agency, but does it change the perception around her talent?

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