Discussing Dana White, Jake Paul, Phil Baroni, And All Of The Insane MMA News Of 2023

The Spinnin Backfist MMA Show is back for our first episode of the new year, breaking down this weekend's Strickland vs Imavov card and discussing the insane headlines that have already hit this year - including the Dana White shit, Jake Paul signing to the PFL, Phil Baroni being charged with murder down in Mexico, the potential of Suga/Cejudo or Suga/Chito 2 for an Interim Bantamweight Championship, and more.

I thought there were plenty of good conversations had between me, Ev, and JackMac in this episode, and feel like it's a great episode to jump in and check out if you've never given us a shot before.

I know everyone hates the short blogs that just throw to videos/podcasts, so let's talk about the Bantamweight Title picture for a bit.

For a while we heard that Aljamain Sterling vs a returning Henry Cejudo was a real possibility for March of this year, but this week, Aljo came out and revealed that he has a torn bicep, which will obviously delay his next trip to the octagon. 

Bantamweight is stacked to the gills and there are certainly a few contenders you could make the case for, but "Suga" Sean O'Malley was promised the next title shot after defeating Petr Yan in a controversial decision, so you'd have to imagine any interim title fight would have to include him. 

You COULD do "Suga" vs Henry Cejudo, as they've had a little back and forth recently….

….but personally, I'd pull Marlon "Chito" Vera from his February 18th matchup against Cory Sandhagen (I'm sorry Cory - nothing personal) and do O'Malley/Chito 2 for the Interim Championship.

Sean O'Malley and Chito Vera have a very real, legitimate beef going back since before they fought in August 2020 - and considering the first fight ended in such anticlimactic fashion (O'Malley's leg nerves giving out, leading to a quick TKO in the first round) - I think people want to see this one again. Suga's fans claim the loss was a fluke and Chito's fans want another opportunity to shut his big mouth….and BOTH fighters have only improved since their first meeting. It's a match made in heaven.

Sure, more people may know the name Henry Cejudo than Chito Vera right now, but I don't think that translates to more interest and more PPV buys. Who even knows how much of a draw Henry's name is anymore! He's been away for years now and this sport has a massive influx of pandemic era fans who might not even give a fuck! I for one would rather watch a true grudge feud than The King of Cringe's prop show at weigh-ins, and I think many would agree. 

Even as a matchup, I'd much rather watch this striker vs striker contest with hate behind it than Cejudo grapplefucking O'Malley and putting on his Party City crown.

What do you guys think?