Spinning Back Clique LIVE (noon ET): Blanchfield-Barber canceled, UFC 316 preview, more
Spinning Back Clique LIVE (noon ET): Blanchfield-Barber canceled, UFC 316 preview, more Our expert panelists react and discuss the biggest headlines in MMA today.
Check out this week's "Spinning Back Clique," MMA Junkie's weekly live show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.
This week's panel of Brian "Goze" Garcia, Mike Bohn and Danny Segura will join host "Gorgeous" George Garcia live at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate the following topics:
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
22 minutes ago
- USA Today
President Trump set to attend UFC 316 in New Jersey this weekend
President Trump set to attend UFC 316 in New Jersey this weekend Show Caption Hide Caption Donald Trump attends UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden President-elect Donald Trump walked into Madison Square Garden alongside UFC CEO Dana White, Elon Musk and Kid Rock for UFC 309. As his feud with tech billionaire and former MAGA darling Elon Musk exploded into public view this week, the White House says President Donald Trump is planning to attend a UFC event in New Jersey this weekend. The event, UFC 316, is slated for Saturday, June 7 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The president is scheduled to depart the White House for his golf club in New Jersey Friday afternoon, according to his official schedule, and return to the White House Sunday night. Musk has been high-profile guest for some of Trump's previous visits to the octagon, but the pair had a public falling-out this week after Musk's departure from the Trump administration. 'Siri, play Bad Blood': Internet reacts to Elon Musk and Trump 'breakup' The Trump-Musk fight took off this week when Musk called for Republicans to kill the House-passed tax bill that is a signature part of the second-term president's legislative agenda, calling it a 'disgusting abomination.' Two days later, Trump told reporters at the Oval Office on June 5 that he was 'very disappointed' with Musk and suggested their 'great relationship' was over. In response, Musk took to social media shortly afterward to blast the president, saying Trump wouldn't have won a second term and Republicans would have fared worse in elections in both chambers of the U.S. Congress were it not for his efforts on the 2024 campaign trail, where he poured a quarter of a million dollars into Trump's campaign. The tussle escalated in a back-and-forth between the two men, with Trump suggested going after Musk's companies and their federal contracts, and Musk alleging that Trump's name was in the Justice Department's files related to the late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The pair's most recent fight appearance was in April, when Trump and Musk sat ringside at UFC 314 in Miami. The president has long attended UFC events, as CEO Dana White was a prominent supporter of Trump during his 2024 presidential campaign. When is UFC 316? UFC 316, which is headlined by Sean O'Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili, is set to take place at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The main card is available for pay-per-view on ESPN. More: Sean O'Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili 2 predictions; full card, odds, picks for UFC 316 Contributing: Riley Beggin, Sudiksha Kochi and Cydney Henderson, USA TODAY. Kathryn Palmer is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at kapalmer@ and on X @KathrynPlmr.
Yahoo
30 minutes ago
- Yahoo
UFC 316: The face of women's MMA is being debated again — but is that even a thing?
The first true face of women's MMA might've been its last. That was of course Ronda Rousey, who crashed the ol' boy's party a dozen years ago by rolling a red carpet straight into the Octagon. She brought sophisticated media outlets up close to the sport that wouldn't have touched it with tongs before her arrival. When she broke news of her fight with Holly Holm, she did so on Good Morning America. It was Holm, of course, who ruined it all by knocking out Rousey at UFC 193. And it was Amanda Nunes who made damn sure Rousey would never come back after UFC 207. Advertisement Cut forward nearly nine years to UFC 316 and it feels like we're still wondering who the next face of women's MMA will be. This weekend Kayla Harrison challenges Julianna Peña for the women's bantamweight title, that glam accessory that once-upon-a-time carried so much weight. The two have been arguing over who will become the next face of women's MMA, which feels like it should be a big deal. Problem is, they seem to be the only people arguing about it. Fans aren't. Media isn't. The broader national media doesn't even know it's happening. It's doubtful that Ring Magazine, the 'Bible of Boxing,' will put the winner on its next cover as it did Rousey, or that Clay Travis will insist Harrison, should she win, fight Gervonta Davis in her next bout, as he insisted that Rousey should fight Floyd Mayweather. Saturday's fight seems to be a kind of Amanda Nunes sweepstakes more than anything else, which these days is stakes enough. The winner will almost certainly get to fight the consensus women's GOAT, who has vowed to come back after retiring in 2023. Before that happens, Nunes will get inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in a ceremony that takes place during International Fight Week later this month. Advertisement It's a win-win for the UFC. Nunes' only loss in the past decade came against Peña at UFC 269, a defeat she avenged less than a year later. That trilogy seems to be circled in sacred blood on Peña's bucket list. She has been vying for that chance for a long, long time. And should Harrison win, you have perhaps one of the most anticipated women's title fights of the past 10 years, given that both Harrison and Nunes are tanks with an intwined backstory dating to their days training together at ATT. One way or another, there's a big fight hanging in the balance of UFC 316, even if it has nothing to do with unveiling the next face of women's MMA. Maybe the trouble is that we've set the bar too high on this concept in the first place. When Rousey came in, she made everything that followed possible. In that way, she began her UFC career as God, which, you have to admit, is a super tough act to follow. Her presence brought it all into being. Nobody can replicate that kind of flex. It helped that she treated whoever the UFC booked her against like crash test dummies, submitting most of them in the opening seconds with savage armbars. She came in and ruled what was traditionally a man's game from the start. That's why young girls were crying when they met her wherever she went. UFC is still searching for its next Ronda Rousey. (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) (Jeff Bottari via Getty Images) She was a symbol of something far greater than her actual status — a testament of possibility. The way she left the sport turned people against her, but that initial boom holds on as an impossible standard. Advertisement We've seen a lot of great fighters come and go in her stead. There have been moments where, if you were to squint, it looked like we might be looking at the 'next' one. Rose Namajunas was designated the next Ronda Rousey as far back as her appearances on "The Ultimate Fighter" in 2014. She's had her moments. Big moments. So has Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Weili Zhang, Valentina Shevchenko, as well as Holly Holm, Miesha Tate and Nunes herself. They've all had great careers, and some of them are still going strong. Including Nunes. Thing is, as dominant as she's been, she never wanted to embrace being the face of the sport. She was happy to win titles in two weight classes and to beat the living hell out of people, but not all the rest that comes with it. When she abruptly retired after beating Irene Aldana at UFC 289, it came with a few sad trumpet noises from the peanut gallery, but next to no real fanfare, other than the requisite tributes. Yet if she can solidify her standing as the women's GOAT by coming back and beating either Peña or Harrison? She'll take that. Really, that's all that matters. The closest thing to a 'superstar' in the making right now in the women's ranks might be the young Dakota Ditcheva, who's blowing up everyone she faces in the PFL. She's the nearest thing to the 'R' word we've seen in a while, yet it would be unfair to launch her into the sun like that, either. Which is fine. On Saturday night, Peña's the champion, and Harrison is the two-time Olympic gold medalist coming to take her belt. Take all comparisons away, and there's nothing wrong with simply being the best in women's MMA. From there, the public will see what it wants to.
Yahoo
35 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Serghei Spivac vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta prediction, odds, pick for UFC 316
The post Serghei Spivac vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta prediction, odds, pick for UFC 316 appeared first on ClutchPoints. We're back for another betting prediction and pick for UFC 316: Dvalishvili vs. O'Malley 2 as we head to the Heavyweight Division for this next bout. Ranked contenders will get their shot at each other as No. 7 Serghei Spivac of Moldova will take on No. 11 Waldo Cortes-Acosta of the Dominican Republic. Check the UFC odds series for our Spivac-Cortes-Acosta prediction and pick. Advertisement Serghei Spivac (17-5) has gone 8-5 since joining the UFC in 2019. Following a three-fight winning streak that saw him notch three finishes, he's gone 1-2 over his three most recent bouts. After two cancellations against would-be opponent Shamil Gaziev, he'll look to put away another contender waiting in the wings. Spivac stands 6-foot-3 with a 78-inch reach. Waldo Cortes-Acosta (13-1) has gone 6-1 inside the UFC since 2022. After dropping the only bout of his UFC tenure, he's notched four consecutive victories ahead of this one, with his latest win coming against Ryan Spann in impressive fashion. He'll hope to jump the rankings as he searches for five straight. Cortes-Acosta stands 6-foot-4 with a 70-inch reach. Here are the UFC 316 Odds, courtesy of DraftKings. UFC 316 Odds: Serghei Spivac-Waldo Cortes-Acosta Odds Serghei Spivac: -142 Advertisement Waldo Cortes-Acosta: +120 Over 2.5 rounds: +120 Under 2.5 rounds: -154 *Watch sports LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)* Why Serghei Spivac Will Win Last Fight: (L) Jailton Almeida – TKO (punches, R1) Last 5: 3-2 Finishes: 7 KO/TKO, 8 SUB Serghei Spivac comes into this bout following a loss to a motivated Jailton Almeida, and it certainly wasn't his best showing, but the gap in athleticism and grappling could be to blame for the defeat. During this bout, he'll be much more in control when it comes to the grappling, as his opponent has shown signs of weakness when being taken down. From top position, Spivac can make himself very heavy and is likely to steal some rounds if he's able to land his takedowns effectively. Advertisement Spivac will also be working with a significant eight-inch reach advantage, and although his opponent is a much stronger boxer, Spivac has shown improvements with his stand-up game over the last few fights. Still, he hasn't been nearly as aggressive in engaging opponents over the last few bouts, so it's certainly something he'll have to improve ahead of this fight. To be successful here, look for Spivac to engage and go to the clinch much more often, where he's most powerful. He has a knack for throwing opponents off their balance, and it ties into his ground game very well. From there, he has a chance to dominate with his strength while negating the pressure boxing style from Cortes-Acosta. Why Waldo Cortes-Acosta Will Win Last Fight: (W) Ryan Spann – KO (left hook, R2) Last 5: 4-1 Finishes: 6 KO/TKO, 1 SUB Waldo Cortes-Acosta comes into this bout following four-straight wins for the longest streak of his UFC tenure. He's often praised for his fluid boxing as a heavyweight and he certainly has the combinations to show for it. He does a great job of maintaining a safe distance while rifling combinations off, but he'll have to work at a reach disadvantage where he should be more focused on countering and being defensive than trying to knock Spivac out right away. Advertisement Two of his last four wins have come by way of unanimous decision, so Waldo Cortes-Acosta is slowly proving he's capable of winning the bout in a multitude of ways. His takedown defense is a solid 66% up to this point, but he'll certainly want to avoid mixing things up on the ground against someone like Spivac. In order to win this bout, Cortes-Acosta will have to remain diligent in staying on his feet while breaking away from the clinch of his opponent. If he's able to do so, it opens the door for another dominant striking performance as he'll certainly have the more fluid boxing throughout this fight. Final Serghei Spivac-Waldo Cortes-Acosta Prediction & Pick This should be another entertaining clash between talented heavyweights as they boast differing styles heading into this fight. Waldo Cortes-Acosta has made a name for himself as one of the more fluid boxers in the division, while Spivac will be looking to maul his opponent on the ground and create a significant discrepancy in the grappling department. Advertisement Still, Waldo Cortes-Acosta has shown great ability to force wrestlers to stand and strike with him due to his sheer size, so I don't expect Spivac to have his way throughout much of this fight. Either way, we should see most of this fight take place on the feet, where Cortes-Acosta will sport a significant advantage. For our final prediction, we'll roll with Waldo Cortes-Acosta to get the win as he picks-and-pops his way to a close decision. Final Serghei Spivac-Waldo Cortes-Acosta Prediction & Pick: Waldo Cortes-Acosta (+120) Related: Azamat Murzakanov vs. Brendson Ribeiro prediction, odds, pick for UFC 316 Related: Khaos Williams vs. Andreas Gustafsson prediction, odds, pick for UFC 316
