It’s that time again where MMAFix.com writers, Ryan “Fight Freek” Poli and Josh Leduc compete against one another to see who will come out as the top MMA analyst. Only one fight separated them for UFC’s on Fuel TV 9 fight card, but this time there’s dissension in four of the event’s bouts.
Now we look into the thought process of each analyst, as we wait and see who will earn bragging rights when the all is said and done.
– Justin Lawrence vs. Daniel Pineda
Ryan’s thoughts : Lawrence is a great striker, but we’ve seen him fall at the hands of superior grapplers. If he couldn’t finish Michael Chiesa, who is a striking novice, I don’t see him running right through the Muay Thai striking of Pineda. I find it much more likely that Pineda locks up a submission.
Pick : Daniel Pineda
Josh’s thoughts : It’s true that Lawrence has a lot to learn in the grappling department, but his expert striking has gotten him through talented wrestlers/Jiu-Jitsu practitioners like John Cofer and Cristiano Marcello. Pineda’s striking is good, but not enough to prevent him from coming up short.
Pick : Justin Lawrence
– Clint Hester vs. Bristol Marunde
Ryan’s thoughts : As Jon Jones’ number one pick, Hester didn’t exactly wow anyone. All I’ve learned from him is that a good wrestler can control him, which is what I expect Marunde to do.
Pick : Bristol Marunde
Josh’s thoughts : Even when Jimmy Quinlan was controlling the ground game, Hester lit him up with numerous strikes, and may have won the first round because of it. Applying the same strategy against Marunde should get him the victory seeing his submission skills are not on Quinlan’s level.
Pick : Clint Hester
– Dylan Andrews vs. Jimmy Quinlan
Ryan’s thoughts : Quinlan has the wrestling of Andrews with the Jiu-Jitsu of Kevin Casey, so the grappling advantage should lay with Quinlan. Andrews will probably have the striking advantage, but I seriously doubt that the two will stand and trade.
Pick : Jimmy Quinlan
Josh’s thoughts : Andrews took out Chael Sonnen’s number one and number three pick, and was only defeated by Uriah Hall, the biggest prospect we’ve ever seen. Between his Muay Thai and wrestling, he should edge out this fight.
Pick : Dylan Andrews
– Cole Miller vs. Bart Palaszewski
Ryan’s thoughts : Miller should be used to his featherweight cut by now, seeing that his conditioning has improved each fight. His last fight was a razor close split decision against Nam Phan. Now Nam Phan is a black belt in Karate, Judo, BJJ, and a 2nd degree black belt in Quyen Dao; so there’s no shaming in just coming up short. Palaszewski was dominated in his last two fights, and appreared weak on the ground. As a BJJ black belt, Miller should do the exact same, dominate his opponent on the ground.
Pick : Cole Miller
Josh’s thoughs : Miller doesn’t utilize his reach effectively, which will allow Palaszewski to close the distance and land heavy shots. I’m not impressed with Miller conditioning, and Palaszewski will be the stronger, better conditioned fighter. It’s enough for me to side with Barticus.
Pick : Bart Palaszewski
Just for the record, here are the rest of our picks that we agree on…
Urijah Faber over Scott Jorgensen
Uriah Hall over Kelvin Gatelum
Cat Zingano over Miesha Tate
Gabriel Gonzaga over Travis Browne
Gilbert Smith over Bubba McDaniel
Josh Samman over Kevin Casey
Luke Barnatt over Collin Hart
Sam Sicilia over Maximo Blanco
– Ryan “Fight Freek” Poli
@FightFreek