Writer vs. Fighter Archives - Cageside Press

Writer vs. Fighter: UFC Vegas 37

Daniel Vreeland — Fri, 17 Sep 2021 13:45:03 +0000

This week’s Writer vs. Fighter features Cageside Press’ own and UFC ranking panel member, Rodney James Edgar, and Bellator’s Christian Edwards making their picks for UFC Vegas 37.

It’s time for another battle for pick supremacy. We pit those who write about face punch with those who do the punching to see who knows more about what will go down at UFC Vegas 37. Here’s how each week has gone so far:

Joe McDonagh def. Randy Costa (3-2) – Fight Island 7
Doug Murray def. Bryan Barberena (2-1) – Fight Island 8
Shawn Bitter DRAW Mike Rodriguez (1-1) – UFC 257
Dalton Rosta def. Jay Anderson (7-2) – UFC Vegas 18
Austin Arnett def. Heath Harshman (2-1) – UFC 258
Sam Hughes def. Gumby Vreeland (3-0) – UFC Vegas 19
Mike McClory def. Orion Cosce (5-2) – UFC Vegas 20
Josh Evanoff def. Cortney Casey (2-1) – UFC 259
Aiemann Zahabi def. Alex Behunin (5-0) – UFC Vegas 21
Sergio Pineiro def. Kai Kamaka III (7-0) – UFC Vegas 22
Gabriel Gonzalez def. Vince Morales (7-4) – UFC 260
Jordan Leavitt def. Rodney James Edgar (4-2) – UFC Vegas 23
Ryan Fortune def. Rani Yahya (7-3) – UFC Vegas 24
Dakota Bush def. Dylan Bowker (6-5) – UFC 261
Bryson Hester def. Arlene Blencowe (3-0) – UFC Vegas 25
Nate Maness def. Justin Gibbons (4-3) – UFC Vegas 26
Gumby Vreeland def. Kyle Nelson (4-2) – UFC 262
Mike Lynch DRAW Christian Edwards (4-4) – UFC Vegas 27
Doug Murray DRAW Ramiz Brahimaj (6-6) – UFC Vegas 28
Joe McDonagh def. Domingo Pilarte (8-6) – UFC 263
Heath Harshman DRAW Steven Peterson (4-4) – UFC Vegas 29
Sergio Pinheiro def. Terrance McKinney (5-4) – UFC Vegas 30
Dave Tramonte def. Ike Villanueva (5-4) – UFC 264
Bryan Barberena def. Gabriel Gonzalez (8-5) – UFC Vegas 31
Carlos Mota def. Justin Gibbons (4-1) – UFC Vegas 32
Roque Martinez def. Jason Rees (5-1) – UFC Vegas 33
Alex Behunin def. Brok Weaver (8-2) – UFC 265
Bobby Moffett def. Dave Tramonte (5-3) – UFC Vegas 34
Austin Arnett def. Alex Behunin (4-2) – UFC Vegas 35
Mike Lynch def. Mo Miller (6-1) – UFC Vegas 36

A win for the writers expands their lead to 13-11. The fighters inched within a single point, but then fell when attempting to tie it again. They’ll look to get that one back this week.

Here’s how it works: both writer and fighter must pick the winner of the main event, co-main event, and featured main card bout. A correct pick will earn one point. Both must then pick a “lock” — the fighter they are most sure will win their fight — from the entire card. That’s two points. The “dog” comes next, and a correct underdog pick earns three points.

It’s that simple. Five picks: Main, co-main, and featured fight winners, lock, and underdog. To the winner go the spoils. Not actual spoils, but bragging rights anyway.

On this week’s edition, member of the UFC ranking panel, Rodney James Edgar looks to help out the writers. Meanwhile, before he steps into the cage himself on Saturday, Christian Edwards hits us with his knowledge. Let’s see what they picked.

A lot of the main slate runs similar for these two. They both like Devin Clark in the co-main event to beat Ion Cutelaba. They both also like Rocky Pennington to beat Pannie Kianzad in our featured contest of the card. They do disagree on the main event, which pits Anthony Smith and Ryan Spann. Edwards has the up and comer, Spann, while Edgar likes the veteran, Smith.

For underdogs, Edgar will go with Gustavo Lopez, who is just a slight dog to Heili Alateng. Meanwhile, Edwards will go with a much bigger dog in Antonio Arroyo, who faces Joaquin Buckley. For locks, Edgar has Montel Jackson over JP Buys, and Edwards has Sarah Alpar over newcomer Erin Blanchfield.

May the best writer/fighter win! Check back here to see the results following the conclusion of UFC Vegas 37.

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Writer vs. Fighter: UFC 261

Daniel Vreeland — Fri, 23 Apr 2021 20:58:51 +0000

The biggest fight card in some time, UFC 261, may be in Jacksonville, but the real battle takes place right here on Cageside Press. The battle for pick supremacy between those who punch faces and those who describe said face-punching. Each UFC event we pit their picks against one another to see whose predicting power is better.

Here’s how each week has gone so far:

With Ryan’s win last week, the writers extend their lead to 7-5 with one draw. We’ll see if the fighters can shorten that lead up a bit this week.

It’s that simple. Five picks: Main, co-main, and featured fight winners, lock, and underdog. To the winner go the spoils. Not actual spoils, but bragging rights anyway.

On this week’s edition, the writers have selected Dylan Bowker to defend the lead. Trying to cut into it will be recent UFC debutant, Dakota Bush, who had an exciting tilt with Austin Hubbard just last week. Let’s see what their picks look like.

There won’t be any separation when it comes to the three title fights, as both of our prognosticators have picked the same fighters. In the main event, both are going #AndStill and riding with Kamaru Usman to win the rematch. They also both like the belt to change hands in the co-main event with Rose Namajunas scoring a slight upset. Finally, they’re both in on Valentina Shevchenko to stop Jessica Andrade from becoming a two division champion.

With all the similarities at the top, the real winner will come out of the underdog and lock picks. For his lock, Bowker is going to go with Brendan Allen in his bout with Karl Roberson. “Hairy” Bush meanwhile likes the former champ Chris Weidman in his rematch with Uriah Hall. For underdogs, Bowker is taking the Canadian Tristan Connelly to upset newcomer Pat Sabatini. Bush, on the other hand, is going with Jeff Molina against Qileng Aori.

May the best writer/fighter win! We’ll have the results up after the event!

Results: Dakota Bush comes through in a very close contest! Bush sided with Jeff Molina as his dog, and that made all the difference. Both writer and fighter picked all three title fights correctly, and Dylan’s lock, Brendan Allen, paid off with two points. But Molina gave Bush three points, for a 6-5 total.

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Writer vs. Fighter: UFC Vegas 23

Daniel Vreeland — Fri, 09 Apr 2021 18:30:46 +0000

It’s time for another round of Writer vs Fighter. The only segment where we put professional fighters up against our staff of writers in a (virtual) showdown. Each UFC fight card, we bust out the picks and see who has better predicting prowess. This time up, The Monkey King joins us for UFC Vegas 23!

Here’s how each week has gone so far:

And with the victory last week, the writers have built themselves a little cushion. They now lead 6-4 with 1 draw.

It’s that simple. Five picks: Main, co-main, and featured fight winners, lock, and underdog. To the winner go the spoils. Not actual spoils, but bragging rights anyway.

On this week’s showdown, Jordan Leavitt joins us to drop his picks in. He’ll be looking to metaphorically bounce another head off the canvas. Trying to stop him with be staff writer and UFC rankings panel member, Rodney James Edgar. Let’s take a look at what they’ve thrown down this week.

No ground is going to be picked up with our top 3 fights, as both men agree across the board – they like all three favorites. In the main event, they’re taking the chalk with Marvin Vettori. Same with the co-main event, where Sodiq Yusuff is a much closer favorite. And they both think D-Rod will hang on to take our the always exciting Mike Perry.

However, it’s after those top fights that things get interesting. In a ‘Writer vs Fighter’ first, both men have picked underdogs as their locks. Leavitt will be riding with Mackenzie Dern, who enters her bout with Nina Nunes as a slight dog. Edgar, meanwhile, has Hunter Azure – who is an underdog in his bout with Jack Shore.

They, of course, bust out a second underdog for us in the final section (as it is mandatory). There, Leavitt will be taking Jim Miller, who looks to hold off the young up and comer Joe Solecki in what should be a fun grappling showdown. Edgar is taking fan favorite Sam Alvey as he looks to right his ship against Julien Marquez.

May the best writer/fighter win! We’ll have the results up after the event!

Results: The lock won this for The Money King, as Leavitt takes it 4-2!

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Writer vs Fighter: UFC Vegas 21

Daniel Vreeland — Sat, 13 Mar 2021 02:55:08 +0000

It’s that time again! Time to pit the picks of those who like to break limbs and the ones who then write vivid descriptions of said limb breaking. That’s right, Writer vs Fighter is back for another edition. This time out, Aiemann Zahabi joins us, fresh off a red-hot victory of his own!

Here’s how each week has gone so far:

So after eight events, the writers are just narrowly ahead at 4-3 with a draw.

It’s that simple. Five picks: Main, co-main, and featured fight winners, lock, and underdog. To the winner go the spoils. Not actual spoils, but bragging rights anyway.

This week Alex Behunin puts the writers’ lead on the line against TriStar standout Aiemann Zahabi. Fresh off of his performance of the night KO, Zahabi is looking to virtually pick up the KO here to even the score. Let’s see what they thought about UFC Vegas 21.

For the top three fights of the night, the two combatants were pretty similar. Both like Misha Cirkunov to pick up the win over Ryan Spann in the co-main event. They both are also backing Gavin Tucker in his bout against Dan Ige. The main event is the only place where we see a big difference, with Aiemann taking the underdog, Belal Muhammad, and Alex riding with the favorite, Leon Edwards.

Where there is lots of points to be won is where the big separation is. Behunin locked in with Jonathan Martinez in his bout against Davey Grant – clearly confident in that fight. However, Zahabi took Grant as his dog. There is going to be a big 5 point swing there, one way or another. Of course, the loser of that matchup can still come back with their other plays. Zahabi is rolling with Nasrat Haqparast as his lock for his fight against Rafa Garcia. Meanwhile, Behunin is taking last week’s fighter, Cortney Casey, as his dog over JJ Aldrich.

May the best writer/fighter win! We’ll have the results up after the event!

Results: Grant paid off for Zahabi! That pick, and Haqparast, gave him five points, while Alex was shut out this week.

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Writer vs. Fighter: UFC 259

Daniel Vreeland — Fri, 05 Mar 2021 18:36:43 +0000

It’s that time again, for us to pit those who scribe with those who punch in a match-up (of picks, we’re not insane!). Last week saw Cageside Press founder Mike McClory get one back for the writers when he bested the UFC’s Orion Cosce. This week, we determine if the pen beats the iron as Cortney Casey steps up for the fighters.

Here’s how each week has gone so far:

After seven events, we’re all tied up at three a piece with one fight going to draw.

It’s that simple. Five picks: Main, co-main, and featured fight winners, lock, and underdog. To the winner go the spoils. Not actual spoils, but bragging rights anyway.

This week, the writers have called upon Josh Evanoff on the biggest stage of the year. He’ll look to gain their advantage back against flyweight Cortney “Cast Iron” Casey. Here’s where they see eye-to-eye and here’s where the differ.

In each of the top two fights, the combatants agree. Both are going with the favorites Amanda Nunes and Israel Adesanya as they look to add to their incredible legacies. However, in our third title fight, Evanoff is taking the challenger Aljaimain Sterling to take the belt away. Meanwhile, Casey believes it’s going to be #AndStill.

More similarities kick around with the dogs and locks. Evanoff locked in Casey Kenney as his surefire win this week, whereas Casey also likes him, but stashed him in her dog spot (the odds have flip-flopped a bit on this match-up, with some sites favoring Kenney and others Cruz). If Kenney were to win, both would pick up points with Casey just snagging a bit of an edge.

To close out the picks, Evanoff rides with oft title challenger Joseph Benavidez as his dog. Benavidez faces off with Askar Askarov on the prelims. Meanwhile, Casey is going with training partner Mario Bautista as her lock when he squares off with Trevin Jones.

May the best writer/fighter win! We’ll have the results up after the event!

Results: A rough night for both writer and fighter, with few points awarded. No one’s dog or lock came through on Saturday. Both Casey and Josh took Amanda Nunes to win, with each earning a point. Both took Israel Adesanya, so both were shut out in the main event. It all came down to the Yan vs. Sterling fight, which Sterling won by DQ — giving Josh the edge! Not by much, as it was a 2-1 score.

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Writer vs Fighter: UFC Vegas 20

Daniel Vreeland — Fri, 26 Feb 2021 20:33:50 +0000

We’re back for another round of head-to-head showdowns between those who can fight and those who can write about those that can fight. Last week saw UFC strawweight Sam Hughes take it to Gumby Vreeland (yes, yours truly) and give the fighters the first lead of the year.

Here’s how each week has gone so far:

After six events, the fighters lead 3-2 with one fight going to draw.

It’s that simple. Five picks: Main, co-main, and featured fight winners, lock, and underdog. To the winner go the spoils. Not actual spoils, but bragging rights anyway.

This week, the writers had to dig deep to find someone to dig them out of the trenches and turn around their luck, which has seen them drop three straight. So why not turn to their founder, Mike McClory, to try to take out UFC welterweight, Orion Cosce? Here’s how the two picked.

There was quite a bit of agreement between the two this week. Despite the short notice nature of the fight, both of them locked in on Angela Hill in her rematch with Ashley Yoder. They feel like she can repeat the magic from their first contest. They also agreed on our featured fight of the night, which sees another rematch, this one between Jimmie Rivera and Pedro Munhoz. They both see that one going differently than the first, with Munhoz coming back and evening the score.

The score between Mike and Orion won’t be even in the main and co-main events though. McClory has gone with the underdog Jairzinho Rozenstruik in the main event, whereas Cosce is playing it safer with Cyril Gane. They flip-flop for the co-main though, were Cosce has the big underdog in Nikita Krylov and McClory has the big favorite in Magomed Ankalaev.

But the winner might come down to the underdog, which is where the real points are earned. Cosce is going with Kevin Croom, who won as underdog in his debut and will look to repeat the magic against Alex Caceres. McClory meanwhile is riding with Alexis Davis as she looks to stop the rise of prospect Sabina Mazo.

May the best writer/fighter win! We’ll have the results up after the event!

Results: Right off the bat, both writer and fighter lost their lock, as Angela Hill’s bout with Ashley Yoder was removed from the card. Luckily, both had chosen Hill, so that was a wash. What it came down to was the underdog pick. Alexis Davis came through, while Kevin Croom did not. Mike also chose correctly in the featured fight and co-main event, giving him a total of 5 points. Orion did get the featured bout right as well, plus the main event, for a total of 2 points.

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Writer vs. Fighter: UFC Vegas 19

Daniel Vreeland — Fri, 19 Feb 2021 22:33:42 +0000

Writer vs Fighter is back for another week of showdowns between those who can fight and those who choose to write about it. Last week’s figurative face-off saw former UFC featherweight Austin Arnett edge out our own Heath Harshman to even the score.

Here’s how things have gone this year:

Everything is tied 2-2 with 1 draw.

It’s that simple. Five picks: Main, co-main, and featured fight winners, lock, and underdog. To the winner go the spoils. Not actual spoils, but bragging rights anyway.

This week, I (Daniel Vreeland) will be stepping up for the writers to try to snag the lead back. My worthy adversary? UFC strawweight Sam Hughes, who will try to give the fighters their first lead of the year. Let’s see where we differed.

The top three fights are virtually identical with Hughes and I both agreeing that Ketlen Vieira and Charles Rosa will get it done in their respective bouts. The difference lies with the main event, where ‘Sampage’ feels that Derrick Lewis is prime to complete the upset while I’m sticking with the chalk pick at the top.

Of course, we can’t pick chalk all the way through, which is why we have the underdog pick. Hughes decided to go with heavyweight Alexei Oleinik to take out Chris Daukaus – and even offered that she expects a d’arce choke to get the job done. I’ll be riding with flyweight Shana Dobson, who I think has a great chance to beat another young up-and-comer in Casey O’Neill.

Finally, we have the locks, which is where things get particularly interesting. We both sided with different fighters in the same fight. Hughes will be taking Phil Hawes, whereas I’ll have Nassourdine Imavov – opposite sides of the same middleweight tilt.

May the best writer/fighter win! We’ll have the results up after the event!

Results: It wasn’t a good night for the writers. Sam made the right pick with Lewis, while both writer and fighter missed out on the Minner-Rosa and Kunitskaya-Vieira fight. Sam Hughes came through again with Phil Hawes, for a total of three points. Both Sam and Daniel saw their underdog pick fall through, meanwhile. Sam Hughes wins this one 3-0!

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Writer vs. Fighter: UFC 257

Staff — Fri, 22 Jan 2021 19:50:54 +0000

UFC 257 looms large, as the promotion’s first PPV event of the calendar year arrives Saturday. Topped by Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor 2, a lot of eyeballs will be on the event. A lot of bets will be placed. Picks made.

Including those by one pro fighter, and one writer, in a head-to-head competition we call Writer vs. Fighter.

Writer vs. Figther is just what it sounds like. Each event (we’re three for three on the consistency front so far!), we’ll pit one of our writers against a professional MMA fighter, in a series of five fight picks from that week’s card.

For UFC 257, we have our own MMA prospect guru, Shawn Bitter, up against UFC light heavyweight Mike Rodriguez. Mike’s nickname might be “Slow,” but he’s got some fast hands with nine KO/TKO finishes in his career. Of course, picking fights isn’t exactly a science, and so far in this series, the writers are up 2-0. We’ll know soon if Rodriguez can win one back for the fighters.

It’s that simple. Five picks: Main, co-main, and featured fight winners, lock, and underdog. To the winner go the spoils. Not actual spoils, but bragging rights anyway.

So who did Shawn and Mike side with at UFC 257?

Neither man was willing to bet against Conor McGregor in this one. Although Dustin Poirier is much improved, it’s hard to blame them, given McGregor’s track record. Things get a little more interesting as we go down the card. Shawn is siding with incoming Bellator star Michael Chandler in the co-main event, while Mike Rodriguez is sticking with the home team, UFC standout Dan Hooker.

They’re split on the featured fight as well. Shawn is leaning toward Jessica Eye, while Mike has Scotland’s Joanne Calderwood in that flyweight affair. The lock is a wash, as both have sided with Khalil Rountree Jr. However, the underdog spot gets really interesting: Shawn has chosen to run with Antonio Carlos Junior, while Mike selected Matt Frevola. These picks were made prior to this morning’s commotion, which saw Frevola lose one opponent (Ottman Azaitar) and pick up another (Arman Tsarukyan, who happened to miss weight).

May the best writer/fighter win! We’ll have the results up after the event!

Results: In a first for Writer vs. Fighter, we have a tie! McGregor lost, but Shawn picked Michael Chandler to win his debut. However, Mike took Joanne Calderwood in the featured fight, leaving them dead even. Khalil Rountree Jr. didn’t turn out to be a lock after all, and both Antonio Carlos Junior and Matt Frevola came up short.

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Writer vs. Fighter: UFC Fight Island 8

Staff — Tue, 19 Jan 2021 03:26:50 +0000

The UFC is back with a quick turnaround, hosting UFC Fight Island 8 on a Wednesday, just days out from their 2020 debut. And Writer vs. Fighter is back as well!

If you missed the concept the first time around, it’s pretty simple. We’ve opened up a new series: Writer vs. Fighter. You probably knew that much already, since you’re reading this. And it’s just what it sounds like. Each event (we promise we’ll try to stay consistent), we’ll pit one of our writers against a professional MMA fighter, in a series of five fight picks from that week’s card.

How did it go the first time around? Our own Joe McDonagh came out on top against fellow New England native Randy Costa. Which will likely be Joe’s only win over an MMA fighter, ever.

This week, we’ve got Doug Murray lined up against Bryan “Bam Bam” Barberena, who’s ready to lay the smack down outside the cage for a change.

Here’s how it works: writer and fighter must pick the winner of the main event, co-main event, and featured main card bout. A correct pick will earn one point. Both must then pick a “lock” — the fighter they are most sure will win their fight — from the entire card. That’s two points. The “dog” comes next, and a correct underdog pick earns three points.

That’s it. Easy as pie. Five picks: Main, co-main, and featured fight winners, lock, and underdog. To the winner go the spoils. Not actual spoils, but bragging rights anyway. Maybe we’ll come up with a little trophy at the end of the year or something. But it’s all in good fun!

So who did Doug and Bryan go with this week?

Both writer and figther are in agreement when it comes to the main and co-main events, with both Doug and Bryan siding with Neil Magny and Mounir Lazzez, over Michael Chiesa and Warlley Alves, respectively.

The featured fight is where it gets interesting. Doug has Tyson Nam, while Bryan is giving the nod to Matt Schnell. For a lock, Doug has Ricky Simon, who takes on newcomer Gaetano Pirrello. Bryan has Roxanne Modafferi, who fights Viviane Araujo, in the lock position.

Finally, for the most points on the board, Doug has Mason Jones as his underdog, while Bryan has selected Douglas Silva de Andrade.

We’ll have the results after the fights!

Results: Both underdogs came up short, but Doug’s lock, Ricky Simon, came through. Bryan picked the Nam vs. Schnell fight correctly, but with both his lock and the main/co-main losting, Doug takes it 2-1.

In the career series to date, the writers are up 2-0.

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Writer vs. Fighter: UFC Fight Island 7

Staff — Sat, 16 Jan 2021 04:50:47 +0000

It’s the fight before the fight — but thankfully, just with a keyboard, otherwise we’d lose badly.

To kick off 2021, we’re opening up a new series: Writer vs. Fighter. And it’s just what it sounds like. Each event (we’ll try to stay consistent), we’ll pit one of our writers against a professional MMA fighter, in a series of five fight picks from that week’s card.

For UFC Fight Island 7, we have a couple of Massachusetts natives going head-to-head: UFC bantamweight Randy Costa, against our very own Joe McDonagh! Costa should be no stranger to UFC fans, as he’s won both of his past two fights and is coming off a Performance of the Night award. Joe is no slouch either; while not a fighter, he was runner up in our 2020 staff picks pool.

It’s that simple. Five picks: Main, co-main, and featured fight winners, lock, and underdog. To the winner go the spoils. Not actual spoils, but bragging rights anyway.

So who did “The Zohan” and our own Joe McDonagh select for the UFC’s 2021 opener?

Both Joe and Randy had the same gut feeling when it came to the main event, and maybe that shouldn’t be a surprise. Calvin Kattar is a member of the New England Mafia, so of course, these Massachusetts natives are siding with him over Max Holloway.

In the co-main event, both writer and fighter are going with Matt Brown, who will take on Carlos Condit in a long-awaited welterweight scrap.

The featured fight saw both siding with the returning Santiago Ponzinibbio. While the Argentinian has been out over two years, he sits on a seven fight win streak, and opponent Li Jingliang is stepping up on short notice.

The lock and dog are where things get interesting: Joe sees Joaquin Buckley as a lock in his fight with Alessio Di Chirico. His underdog pick, meanwhile, is Punahele Soriano, who faces Dusko Todorovic in a battle of undefeated middleweights.

Randy, on the other hand, has Phil Hawes as his lock, while his underdog of choice is Justin Tafa, who goes up against Brazil’s Carlos Felipe.

Who will win the Battle of New England? Find out after the event!

Results: Costa’s lock, Phil Hawes, dropped off the card just prior to fight time. But it wouldn’t have made a difference in the end. Joe’s dog, Punahele Soriano, came through, earning him three points. Both men were shut out in the featured fight, co-main event, and main event, so it all came down to that one category. The writer takes this one.

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