Spinning Back Clique LIVE (noon ET): Jon Jones retires, UFC 317 preview, more
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, Nolan King and Danny Segura will join host "Gorgeous" George Garcia live at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate the following topics:
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Jon Jones has hung up the gloves. That's right. In an unexpected manner, UFC CEO Dana White announced at Saturday's UFC on ABC 8 post-fight press conference that Jones decided to retire, promoting interim champion Tom Aspinall to undisputed. This put an end to a wait for a title unification bout that nearly lasted two years, leaving many fans frustrated with Jones. How does this affect Jones' legacy? What's next for Aspinall? We unpack it all.
Although the biggest news Saturday was Jones' retirement, there was a whole card full of decisions, and some finishes, that marked the UFC's first event in Azerbaijan. In the main event, Khalil Rountree put on a striking clinic against former champion Jamahal Hill. In the co-main event, veteran Rafael Fiziev got his first win since 2022, outpointing Ignacio Bahamondes. We react to these two bouts, plus other key results from the card.
To cap off the show, we take a look at the upcoming UFC 317 event – which features a title fight for the vacant lightweight belt between Charles Oliveira and Ilia Topuria in its main event, and a flyweight championship fight between titleholder Alexandre Pantoja and challenger Kai Kara-France in the co-main event. Who leaves the night as champions? What other fights stand out from the card? We preview this year's International Fight Week event.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Spinning Back Clique: Jon Jones retires, UFC 317 preview, more
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